Like many members I get about half my books from other members from this site or from used bookstores. When people request a book from me with a RC saying they want a book from a cat-free or smoke-free home I usually decline to be on the safe side.

I live in a smoke-free & cat-free home but still decline because I don't remember whether or not my book came from a smoke free or cat free home. I have allergies myself but have never had them effect me from a book so I don't need the RC. Do other members decline for this reason eventhough you live in a smokefree/petfree home?

Most people go by the wording. If is says "current" home, then you go by your own home. If it just says "not from a smoking/pet home", then you can decline if you don't know the history. For smoking I will accept any because I am pretty sensitive to smoke and would know if the book came from a smoking home. Pets are harder, I have them so I declinne anyway, but dander isn't visible so if you have one that doesn't using the current distinction it would probably be better to deny it 

I tend to err on the side of caution unless the wording includes "current home".  If it's a bit vague, then it's better to be safe especially if allergies are the reason for the RC.  If it's been requested, it's either WL'ed or next in line for FIFO so it should be able to head to another member shortly if you can't comfortably commit to the RC.

I did just decline a "non-smoking home" RC. We have a non-smoking home but the requested book originally came from my mother's house and she smokes so I didn't want to take the chance.

If it says "currently" in a smoke-free home I will accept. If it says something about severe allergies, I will decline. If it says "smells like..." I will decline. I will not take a chance on sending out a book that will not make somene happy and then I am out the credit and the cost of mailing. I will always err on the side of caution!

I think it is up to the person writing the RC to make it clear how strict they need it.  I always take it as really strict unless they add something like "currently". 

(I have a smoking RC.  I do expect turn downs.  I also have the option to put a WL book on 48 hour hold instead of auto request.   So I can turn the RC off before accepting the offer.  It is MY responsibilty to be very clear when writing my RC.)

I have a cat, so I decline those. But I think I would accept if I did not have a cat, even without knowing the history of a particular book, unless the RC said something about a severe allergy.

I accept non-smoking RCs, though, because I do not smoke. I do not remember where each of my 20 years worth of books came from, so I have no clue as to the history on some of them. And to be quite honest, I don't worry about it.

Unless someone makes a point out of saying that their allergy is severe, then I send the book if I think it meets the condition. Without worrying about where the book came from before.

I do my best to comply with RCs as they are written. I am not going to read all kinds of stuff into them. If they are requesting used books in the first place .... then obviously they are willing to take their chances. I comply with the request as it is written.

If an RC says "no books from a smoking home", then I send it. If it says, "I have a severe allergy and I cannot accept books that may ever have been in contact with smoke" ... then I would only send it if I remembered purchasing it myself.

Maybe I'm 'under-cautious' but I tend to go ahead and send, unless it has a distinct odor. No one in my house smokes and my husband is very allergic to cats, so I think I would notice anything of substance. Of course, if I got the book from someone I know smoked I wouldn't send, but most of my books come from the used bookstore or the thrift store so I have no notion of their provenance. I figure most people on PBS expect some variance in the books they get, within posting and RC guidelines.

OT: recently I burned something on the stove, which I've done before dozens of times. But this time it smelled, epically, for days, and stunk up the whole house like we were a family of chain-smokers who never cleaned. Nothing like opening all the doors and windows in your house in the dead of winter so your house doesn't reek.

I don't accept any the talk about pets because I have pets.

If they say non-smoking I accept because I don't smoke. However if it is a used or swapped book I do send a PM letting them know I don't smoke and that the book does not smell like smoke to me but it was swapped so I can not promise it never came in contact with a smoke. I then ask them to PM if they still want the book. So far everyone has still wanted it with no problems.