Moving in with mom the chainsmoker ...

[Pixilated]

Alas, for various reasons I cannot get an apartment -- at least not for the next year -- when I move back to My Hometown so ... am moving in with mom.

The BIG problem? Mom is a chainsmoker. I am a nonsmoker. It is NOT going to be pretty.

As I'm trying to keep my expenses down to a minimum, I'll be storing my goods in her basement. Clothing can be laundered ... I only have one piece of upholstered furniture that I'll be keeping, and it can be professionally cleaned ... but I have boxes upon boxes of books. Anybody got any suggestions on how to keep the cigarette smell out of books? Would it suffice to wrap each box in a heavy trash bags

Also, any suggestions for minimizing the effects on my kitties as much as possible? They will have access to the basement, which is considererably less awful than the main floor ... and the bedroom I'll be sleeping in (I'm going to try locking them in with me at night) has had its door closed for years, so it also isn't as bad as the common rooms. I found a website that suggested grooming them frequently, to remove as much crap as possible before they ingest it when they groom themselves.

We are looking into having the house professionally cleaned to at least some degree either before I move in or very shortly afterward. Yes, mom will continue smoking, but at least the 40+ years of accumulated carcinogens will be greatly reduced or gone.

[telecom_goddess]

Wow I'm sure this is not going to be easy. Not much to do since she has the right to chain smoke inside. I used to smoke inside my house and swore up and down I would never be kicked outside to smoke until I saw what it did to the walls after just a couple of years, never mind 40.

[Mytical]

As expensive as it might be, might want to look into getting some sort of air purifier for your room. Might help.

[csquared]

I believe the best way to do it is to place the books inside a plastic bag, then place them in a box. Add a couple of silica gel packets to the bag and seal it tight.

I will confirm with the Storage Expert and Bibliophile (otherwise known as The Wife) tomorrow.

[kpzra]

If you do end up going with bag, get the big black contractor ones from Walmart. It's like $12 for 30 and they are thick.

[Food Lady]

I'm thinking storing them in Rubbermaid totes would be easier.

[Pixilated]

telecom_goddess, unfortunately, nothing will convince my mother that smoking is a problem -- nothing. Trust me on that. She used to light candles because she believed it would "get rid of" the smoke. She firmly believes that once the cigarette is out, that's the end of it. You could show her cleaning "stripes" on the walls and even if it sunk in, all you'd get would be, "It's my house."

I'll check WalMart for those bags. Really heavy ones are a good idea.

Oddly, I have a bunch of Rubbermaid totes. They're huge, so loading them with books would make them completely unwieldy. Will look into the logistics of moving them empty and THEN filling them up versus other methods.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.