What should I ask a car boot seller about a smoke-free home and missing instructions?

Why does a smoke-free home matter if I cannot see the house?

The Lullaby Trust's second-hand checklist says any second-hand item should come from a smoke-free and pet-free home, because smoke and pets affect how clean the product is. That line is written for gifts and online buys as much as for a stall. At a boot you cannot walk through the hallway. The only evidence is what the seller will say — and what they will not.

NHS safer-sleep advice is stricter still on mattresses: you can re-use a mattress from your own home if it has been stored somewhere clean, dry and smoke-free. It also says that if you can, try to buy a new mattress rather than second hand. A stranger's mattress on a picnic blanket is not 'your own home'. This page is not a cot or mattress inspection — it is the question you ask before you even start one.

NHS safer sleep also says co-sleeping is not advised if you or your partner smoke. That is sleep practice in your house, not a stall test. The stall question is about where the kit lived, because third-hand smoke sits in fabric.

What should I ask, in order, before I hand over cash?

1. 1
   Where did this live? Ask: 'Was this kept in a house where anyone smoked indoors, including visitors?' A shrug is an answer. Write it down if the price is high.
2. 2
   Where was it stored? Loft, shed, garage and car boot are not the same as a dry bedroom. NHS mattress wording is clean, dry and smoke-free. Damp fabric and a smoke smell are things you can notice even when the seller talks around the question.
3. 3
   Pets? The Lullaby Trust pairs smoke-free with pet-free. Ask what animals lived with the kit. Hair in a washable muslin is a different problem from hair ground into a foam chair.
4. 4
   Do you still have the instructions? The Lullaby Trust's first checklist line is to get hold of the product's instructions, usually from the manufacturer's website. Ask for the paper booklet. If it is gone, ask for the brand and model so you can download the file on your phone before you pay.
5. 5
   Can I photograph the labels now? GOV.UK tells people to search product recalls and to register second-hand products where the maker allows it. You need a model code for both. A seller who will not let you photograph the label is declining the only identifier you have.

What does "I don't know" actually tell you?

An 'I don't know' on instructions is often fixable if the brand and model are on the product. An 'I don't know' on smoke is not fixable with a PDF. Treat those two gaps differently.

How do I replace missing instructions after the stall?

The Lullaby Trust, RoSPA and GOV.UK all point you at the manufacturer's website, not at a random marketplace listing. Search the model code plus 'instructions' on the brand's own UK page. Keep the file with the item.

• If the site has no manual for that exact model, you do not have the maker's steps.
• GOV.UK also tells you to register the product if the maker still offers it — second-hand units included — so a later notice can reach you.
• A British Standard mark on the product is the next Lullaby Trust checklist line. Photograph it. This script does not replace a cot, pram or car-seat inspection.

In shortIn short: ask smoke, storage, pets, then model and manual. 'I don't know' on smoke is missing history. 'I don't know' on the booklet can wait if the model is readable. No model and no history is two gaps, not a bargain.

Which checks is this script not meant to replace?

The Lullaby Trust still tells you not to use a second-hand car seat whose accident history you cannot know, and it sets a separate mattress list (waterproof cover, no rips, firm and flat, good fit, fire-resistant label). NHS safer sleep sets cot and mattress rules of its own. Those are product inspections. This page is only the questions you can ask when you cannot see the house.

If the item is a nursing chair, a steriliser, a crate of bottles or a toy with a battery door, use the matching process for that product. A smoke answer does not inspect a fire label, a flex or a teat.