Recently I had to order a used textbook from Amazon. If you don’t know already, Amazon.com is much cheaper than university bookstores. Just be sure you are getting the correct edition. However saving money is not the point I am trying to make.

I spent $130.00 on this text only to have it arrive reeking of cigarette smoke. I have nothing against smokers. In fact, once upon a time, I was a smoker so I understand how poorly society treats most of you. It just so happens that this particular book smells like smoke. I’ve had others smell like cigars, body odor, or just plane musty old book. No matter what the smell, it is frustrating to spend money on a book just to have it stink! And on top of it, the bookseller sprayed this horrible perfume to cover the smell of cigarettes. Which didn’t do any good, it just smells like cheap perfume and cigarettes. Now I have this textbook that I can’t even study from because the smell gives me a headache.

So what to do? Well this is one of the rare times living in an endless sauna with little to no rain, comes in handy. I was able to simply air the book out in the sunshine for a couple days. Since I don’t have time to go out every couple hours to flip the pages, I set the book upright so the pages fanned out. Just to be sure that the smell was completely out of the book I stuck some basil leaves in the pages. It worked like a charm. If you don’t have the option of letting your book air out in the sunshine, let it air out indoors. Just try to stick it in a drafty area. It might take a couple extra days than if you had it outside, but be patient. The smell will go away.

So the next time you find yourself in a stinky book predicament, let Mother Nature do the work! Stick your favorite herbs throughout the pages as an added bonus.

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