Dear Sun Spots: We read your column every day and wonder if your readers could help us out?

The Poland Spring Preservation Society needs volunteers for a variety of tasks from tour guides to maintenance and everything in between. We are the home of the Maine State Building and All Souls Chapel, a non-profit organization run mostly by volunteers. The hours are great. It’s friendly, educational, and an opportunity to meet lots of good people.

In addition, we are also looking for photos of the Poland Spring Caddy Camp for the following years: 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961. If you have photos or know of anyone who does, we would like to make copies. Please contact us at 998-4142. To visit the Maine State Building and All Souls Chapel, our hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to noon. We are located at 37 Preservation Way, Poland Spring. – Elliott N. Levy, Executive Director, Poland Spring Preservation Society, Poland.

Dear Sun Spots: We love your column, and we are hoping you can help us out. Planet Cheer Parents’ Association is putting on a huge yard sale May 5, 6 and 7 to raise money to send our kids to compete nationally in Pennsylvania in May. We are looking for any yard-sale donations you may have. Please feel free to drop them off at Planet Cheer at 664 Washington St. in Auburn. Alternatively, please call James at 754-6807, and we will be glad to come pick them up. We also collect old cell phones and ink cartridges. If you have any of these at any time, please call or drop them off. Thank you. – No Name, No Town.

Dear Sun Spots: You have helped me in the past, so here I go again.

I have a living room chair that was given to me. Unfortunately, it reeks of cigarette smoke. I’ve tried a couple of cleaners, but it still smells. Do you know how or if I can get rid of the smoke smell? Thank you. – No Name, Peru.

Answer: Sun Spots spoke with Cathy Stevenson of ServiceMaster about your chair.

Stevenson recommends, depending on the material on the chair, that you wipe the chair down with a damp cloth. Spray it with unscented Lysol. Your next best step would be to leave it outdoors for a couple of hours on a nice sunny, breezy day so it can air. You might consider doing this more than once and over a period of several nice days.

Your next alternative is to contact ServiceMaster, P.O. Box 191, Oxford, ME 04270, (800) 244-7630, 783-6310, 539-4452, and have them come to your home and do the cleaning for you. You have two options here, a wet or dry cleaning. Again this will depend on the type of material.

Stevenson notes that if the smell has gone into the foam inside the chair, you will have more difficulty in removing the smell. If the chair has been in a smoking atmosphere for a year or so, either the do-it-yourself method or home visit cleaning will do the trick. However, if the chair has been exposed to smoke for many years, you may be unable to clear out the smell.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion on the left-hand corner of your computer screen. In addition, you can e-mail your inquiries to sunspots@sunjournal.com

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