Increasing numbers of us live in inner city apartments. We’re near work, and the best bars and bistros are just around the corner. The air is fresher a few floors up, too – until you discover you have a smoker as a neighbor. Your once fresh-as-a-country-field apartment suddenly stinks of cigarette smoke. You close the windows and balcony doors. No change. You’re plagued by nasty cigarette odor. It must be coming through the wall. Show
Strange as it may seem, your hypothesis isn’t far from the truth. In this blog post, we’ll see if cigarette smoke really can travel through walls. We’ll also give you a strategy to erase cigarette smoke odor when it’s coming from next door. Yes, smoke can travel through walls… kindaAccording to TobaccoFreeCA, smoke can travel through walls. However, even though cigarette smoke seeps into walls, floors and ceilings, when it travels it tends to act in a similar way to water – it takes the easiest and fastest route. Once you understand how smoke travels through walls, then you can do something about it. How does cigarette smoke travel through walls?Cigarette smoke isn’t controlled by Merlin the magician or one of J. K. Rowling’s wizards. It doesn’t have magical qualities, and can’t teleport from one apartment to another in Star Trek style. So just how does the odor from your neighbor’s cigarette habit get into your apartment? Quite simply, it seeks out opportunities to do so. It will travel through the smallest gaps and cracks. The most likely of these smoke odor routes are to be found in:
Of course, open doors, windows and balconies are also favorite highways for cigarette smoke. How to combat your neighbor’s cigarette smoke odorIf you can smell stale cigarette smoke (there really are few worse smells), the first thing to do is attempt to discover where it’s coming in. If you get on well with your neighbor – apart from the smoke smell – you might be able to work together to locate exit and entry points. It will be better if they deal with exit points in their apartment in the same way that you deal with entry points. Okay, now that you’ve identified where the odor may be crossing over from one apartment to another, here’s what to do next:
Use appropriate fillers such as silicone caulk or insulating foam. There may be gaps around light fittings, vents, plumbing pipes, and so on.
Close down any vents that are no longer in use by covering with plastic sheeting. Attach the sheet to the vent using silicone caulk.
Where doors and windows open onto common areas, use draft excludes to remove any gaps. Add weatherstripping on all three sides of the door jamb. Use weatherstripping around windows, too.
This will draw smoke odor outside. You may need permission to fit these, and should take advice on which will be best.
With all this work done, the last thing to do will be to remove the smoke odor from your home. There’s a number of methods you can use, including using an ozone machine, baking soda on carpets, and waving a wet towel around your rooms. If you live in a building where smoking is prohibited, you may be able to get your landlord to enforce the no-smoking rules. Otherwise, taking the actions outlined above should eliminate most if not all cigarette smoke that travels through the walls. If you still find your next-door neighbor’s smoke is invading your personal space after taking the above actions, contact Porter's. We’re available 24/7 and we’ll be happy to help you resolve the problem of unwanted smoke smells. Error: Please complete all required fields!  First Name: Last Name: Email: We will never spam or share your email with 3rd parties, promise! (WSVN) - Do you have the right to smoke in your own condo or apartment? And do you have any rights if your neighbor is a smoker and you can smell the smoke in your home? It’s a question one woman has brought to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. Sharon Karle is a smoker. Sharon Karle, smokes in her condo: “I am sadly, and I have been for a very long time.” Why do you say sadly? Sharon Karle: “Like every other smoker, I am well aware of the detrimental effects on your health, your longevity, obviously there is an odor to it.” The good news for Sharon is that she can smoke on the job because she works from her condo. Sharon Karle: “I have a wonderful employer. I am not micromanaged. We don’t have meetings just to have meetings.” For 12 years, there were no problems as Sharon did her job, occasionally lighting a cigarette and then this summer she got a knock on her door. Sharon Karle: “There was a very nice couple standing outside. ‘We believe you are a smoker, and we think the cigarette smoke is coming into one of the bedrooms in our unit.'” The complaint bothered Sharon because she considers herself a considerate smoker and didn’t want to bother someone else. Sharon Karle: “I wouldn’t dream of having a cigarette in front of you because I don’t know if you smoke or not.” Sharon never smokes outside and keeps her doors closed. Sharon Karle: “And frankly Patrick, I am not sure how it’s seeping into their unit. The reason I saw that is that my air conditioning ducts are not in any way connected to theirs.” There don’t appear to be any openings in the walls to let the smoke leak through, but to be safe, Sharon called her landlord. Sharon Karle: “He said, ‘Sharon I am never going to ask you to leave. This is your home, we know you take care of the property. Don’t worry about this, we are going to find a way to resolve this. You don’t have to worry.'” Sharon then started spending her own money, $1,600, and bought two air purifiers, had the ducts cleaned and installed a device on the air handler even though it’s in the hallway and not near her neighbor. Sharon Karle: “It’s a home-sized air purifier. That is now fixed directly to the A.C. unit that’s in the hallway closet.” Her neighbors are part-time residents and Sharon hasn’t seen them in a couple of months, but they had not forgotten about her and had an attorney send the condo manager a letter. Sharon Karle: “The condominium attorney responded on their behalf and explained in their view this was a conflict between residents. This has nothing to do with the association.” Sharon feels she has done all she can do. Sharon Karle: “It sounds to me like you really want to make them happy, I do. I want everyone to enjoy living in their home. It’s a great place ot live and I don’t want somebody constantly unhappy with me.” Well Howard, that old saying of your home is your castle … does that mean you can also smoke in your home? Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Yes, you can. There is no binding law that would prohibit Sharon or anyone else from smoking in their home if the property allows it. There is a Broward case where a judge blocked someone from smoking because it was excessive, but that ruling only applied in that courtroom and no where else, so if Sharon wants to smoke in her condo, she can.” I contacted the property management at Parc Central South, but they said they could not comment on the smoking issue. The owner of the unit next to Sharon put the condo in a corporate name and we could not locate him. In the meantime, Sharon has also had weather stripping installed around the door frame in one more step to try to make her neighbors happy since she legally can continue to smoke in her condo. Sharon Karle: “I am very relieved. I am very relieved.” Relieved she can still smoke as she works from home, and convinced she has done everything she can to keep the smoke in her condo. Sharon Karle: “‘Cause I really enjoy living in my home. I just want to keep living in peace and I am going to keep doing what I can to be a good neighbor. And I hope my other neighbors will feel the same way and understand my position.” Smoking is a real balance of rights. Your right to smoke, your neighbor’s right to not smell or breathe that smoke. It’s a legal issue and a personal one that really polarizes people. At least Sharon is doing her best to keep the smoke in her condo. Getting smoked trying to solve a problem. Just exhale and let us clear the air ’cause we will light up when we get a chance to help you. CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD: Copyright 2022 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox How do you hide cigarette smoke from neighbors?How to Smoke in Your Room Without Smelling It. Turn on an air purifier. One of the best ways to treat indoor smoke is by turning on an air purifier. ... . Open a window. ... . Close any air vents. ... . Put a wet towel by the closed door. ... . Put your hair up & limit clothing. ... . Mask the smell. ... . Keep it short. ... . Freshen up.. How far away can cigarette smoke be smelled?Depending upon weather conditions and air flow, tobacco smoke can be detected at distances between 25-30 feet away. The harm of tobacco smoke is greater if there are many lit cigarettes burning at the same time and if someone is close to the tobacco smoke.
Can the smell of cigarette smoke come through walls?Secondhand smoke can travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, ventilation systems and plumbing.
Can I smell cigarette smoke in my apartment?Then, it's time to clean: Spray floors, walls, windows and ceilings with a mixture of half hot water and half vinegar. For really bad cigarette odors, you can use a solution made of a quarter-cup of vinegar, a half-cup of baking soda, a half-cup of ammonia and a gallon of hot water.
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Can my neighbors smell me smoking cigarettes
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