I am a non smoker, on occasion my boyfriend comes over and he is a smoker. I keep the tie dyes in a different room, closed off to everyone but me. Now the Procion dye that we use can sometimes have an odor until you wash it in your own detergent. We prewash everything, but I use a non smell soap in case of someone being sensitive. I think that there are so many different types of people out there that I don't want to hurt any one of them by using the wrong detergent. So after you have washed the item, it no longer has the dye odor. Thanks for your interest, fanned you.