How to remove heavy stagnant cigarette smoke from house?
by
Arlene
+26
I have a neighbor who smoking heavily. Smoke is entering my condo. Advise how to remove it?
21 answers
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You need to speak to the condo manager or owners. In many states there are laws protecting us from cigarette smoke. I would also get some fabric softener sheets and take off the vents and place them over the vent hole and put the vent cover back on. this could help some acting as a filter. You need to find a great house filter and cleaner as well. You should not have to be subjected to second hand smoke and the owners of the condo should help you resolve this issue. I would first write to them and ask them nicely if they would help pay for a whole house air filter. If not, then I would ask around for someone who could give you free legal advice about this.
The Garden Frog with C Renee
on Oct 19, 2014
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Try placing bowls of white vinegar around the area that smells, the vinegar will absorb bad smells. I have never tried this myself but its an old household hint I have heard.often.
Jennie K
on Oct 20, 2014
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The bowls of vinegar works. Leave in a no conspicuous place and replace every few days.
Sandra Dangler
on Oct 20, 2014
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Buy a dehumidifier and bill the neighbour for that and your re-decorating costs!
Heidi
on Oct 20, 2014
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Cheaper version is a mixture of cat litter and bicarbonate of soda mixed in bowls. This absorbs smells and smoke x
Heidi
on Oct 20, 2014
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Not sure why the smoke is entering your condo. I would speak to the manager about finding the source and prevent that from happening. Nothing should be coming into your condo from neighbors. I've never experienced that problem. If the smoke is coming into your condo, nicotine residue will be on everything in your place. You can't just cover up the smell, it has to be cleaned off.
Barbara Thomas
on Oct 20, 2014
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Check city, state , county laws about second hand smoke! This isn't right that you should be exposed to someone else's bad and dangerous habit. Talk to your condo manager as well. I know nothing about HVAC but it doesn't seem right that smoke should be coming into your condo from someone else's.
Janet F
on Oct 20, 2014
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Spray white vinegar around your home. I usually add a bit of an extract (almond) because I like it. Sometimes, I add peppermint extract. I am a smoker and my man doesn't like it in the house. When it is cold outside (and he is gone, lol), I tend to sneak a smoke inside. I spray the house with the mixture and he can never tell--and he would know! There is something wrong, though, if the smell is coming into your home from your neighbor.
Robin
on Oct 20, 2014
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you can also take charcoal briquettes .They also make a deodorizer for basements that works and odoban ( brand name) has a spray you can use that will remove scent .
Ang
on Oct 20, 2014
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More than a smell of smoke, WHERE IS THE REQUIRED FIRE WALL? The smell of smoke could be the least of your problems
Sally
on Oct 20, 2014
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Get an ozone air cleaner- works perfect & gets rid of all unwanted smells- purifies the air.
Janet
on Oct 20, 2014
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need to find how it is getting in or you will never get rid of it. Good luck and tell that complex manager he needs to follow through with this problem. Now not later.
Elizabeth Poteat
on Oct 20, 2014
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just place open boxes of baking soda all around it works
Denise
on Oct 20, 2014
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I have the same problem in my 3rd floor condo from a heavy smoker on the first floor. I only smell it in my back bathroom. After having several people assess the situation they decided it was coming thru the vent pipe where the plumbing comes in to the vanity. They suggested I put some steel wool around the pipe and it helped a little bit but still smell it sometimes. I don't think you'll get any outside help with this. My neighbor smokes like a freight train, in fact every time she has her door open to the hallway for only a few minutes the hall smells like a bar, all the while she has a huge oxygen tank in the next room to help her breath from her emphazema!! They keep telling me there is nothing that can be done by the local government, fire department etc. See if you can centralize where you smell it and if there are any pipes close by. Good luck!!
Janalee0919
on Oct 20, 2014
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a couple of things you might consider... put charcoal in metal coffee cans that you poke holes into all the way around. You will need to change the charcoal often in the beginning. Do not use plastic as that holds the smell. Second - if you can handle smells I am put a candle with a strong scent like cinnamon on a warmer. I don't like to burn them because of the smoke they create. Finally be sure to clean your own curtains - either fluff them in the dryer with a good smelling towel or actually wash and dry them. The same with any fabric shower curtain(s). All fabric soak up smells, a clean vacuum filter and baking soda sprinkle along with a good vacuuming of the fabric furniture also helps. Smoke is hard to get rid of and it something that you need to stay ahead of...
JHD
on Oct 20, 2014
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I had the same problem when I lived above a smoker, in a second floor apartment while in nursing school. It caused me to wake up in the night feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I was freaking out that could not hear anything while taking blood pressures. (Nursing school was difficult enough.) It had caused fluid build up in my ears. I was put on a long acting allergy med w/ decongestant which cleared up the fluid as long as I kept taking it and thank God the inhaler I was given got rid of the elephant each time he sat on my chest. My nose was stuffy regularly. I was exhausted from trying to breath. Someone moved out I don't remember who. I later had to get allergy shots on a regular basis. I stay away from cigarette smoke at all costs after that. I believe it is insidious whether you smell it or not and can reek havoc with a person's health. You might be able to get rid of the smell but maybe not the long lasting side effects. This may be more serious than you realize.
Carol Tomlin
on Oct 20, 2014
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If you can smell it, you are breathing the neighbor's cigarette smoke. Seal up all the openings you can, and contact the management. Keep after them - sometimes that is the only way to get things done. If it's coming in through the door, weatherstripping around the door might help, and a fan with a HEPA filter.
Darla
on Oct 21, 2014
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How awful for you. while I like some of the suggestions to rid your home of the oder, you will need to figure out how the smell is getting into your home. If you have carpeting in your home, getting rid of cig smoke from it may prove difficult . Air purifiers could prove helpful after a good cleaning of your floors,walls and flooring. This could prove expensive if you want it done right. So sad to live entertainment I a world where someone else's poor choices become your consequences. Good luck to you.
Bernadette Tetle
on Oct 21, 2014
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ozone machine is expensive but definitely works...
Marie Jones
on Oct 21, 2014
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@Arlene, .Darla is right. You are probably are breathing it. You live in a condo so maybe management could assist you. Aren't there rules of some kind ? In my situation the other family moved out & we moved,too. More recently, I had a boarder who knew the rules in my home and yet tried to con me with his sneaky smoking in the house. I busted him after a sinus infection. My family read him the riot act and he moved out.
Carol Tomlin
on Oct 25, 2014
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Hi. My mom smoked like a train. The thing I did was to use apple cider vinegar. Pour some in a bowl with a large surface area if you can. The bigger the surface area the fewer bowls you need to put out. Position the bowls of vinegar where needed. Leave for at least 8 hours. Hope this helps!
Kristen Larsen
on Oct 26, 2014
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