Well, shit.

[go_team]

Anybody got any good tips for clearing a room of the smell of cigarette smoke? Turns out leaving our windows open around our smoker neighbors has led to the living room smelling a bit like an ash tray. Okay, actually more than just a bit. I might not have noticed because I'm usually in there during the day and tend to assume someone's smoking right outside (not uncommon during the day), but no. I was just letting the cat out, and the late night/early morning air outside is distinctly fresher and cleaner than the living room, and ugh. Help?

The only thing I can think of is to leave all the windows open for like a week, and hope it all airs out, except that I'd have to somehow make it so no one smokes within 100? more? feet of the windows for that time as well... blech. I guess I could use fans or something, to suck the smelly air out of the living room and blow other potentially bad smells away.... I don't know.

The worst thing about this situation is not just the cleaning, but the fact that it makes me feel like an anti-smoking nonsmoker, and one of the really obnoxious ones at that. I don't want to tell my neighbors, "No, don't smoke in your own yard" (even if it's the yard of the house we share), but I don't want my living room to smell like other people's air pollution, either. Bleh. Ok, back to sleep now. At least the smell hasn't penetrated to my bedroom (yet?) If it does, there's going to be trouble, because I really can't sleep with the smell of smoking. Gah. I don't like that this problem makes me feel like I suck. Hopefully it's just because I'm so sleepy, and everything will seem better in the morning (hopefully the cat will keep relatively quiet for another few hours... yeah, right).

Comments

[boojum.livejournal.com]

I've heard that whichever of baking soda and baking powder you put in the fridge to absorb smells is also good for absorbing cigarette smell. Maybe in little paper bags or pantihose/dress sock bags or open bowls around the room?

Good luck with cleaning out and keeping on good terms with the neighbors. Is there a good direction for their smoke to go? You could get them a fan.

[kuddliphish.livejournal.com]

Fans are probably not a bad idea. Our neighbor below us at our old apartment smoked, so if we left the living room windows open our house would smell. It helped to keep the windows facing where she smoked closed, and open windows that faced in other directions instead. I don't know if that will work in your set up. Fortunately the smell never got into our bedroom, so we just put up with it. No sense antagonizing the neighbors, especially since I would much rather have her smoking outside and being stinky, than smoking inside and being a fire hazard.

[punkrockgrrrl.livejournal.com]

Fabreeze. Nag Champa incense. Orange odor eating spray. Humidity never helps. Plants do.

[boojum.livejournal.com]

Check the label warnings before you use Febreeze. I know it's toxic to some sorts of pets.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm actually a friend of Debbie's. :) Candles help. My uncle used to be a chain smoker, and after he'd come over, we'd light candles all over.

[harobed.livejournal.com]

A friend of me? or a friend of some other debbie? I'm curious to know who my(?) anonymous friend is.

[(Anonymous)]

Shouldn't you be working on your web page? ;)