This question comes via email from Adam up in Canada. Please post a comment with your tips for smoking indoors and helping to keep the smell of cigar smoke to a minimum:
I have a question that I was hoping you could pose to the readers of Cigar Jack (as well as giving me your own 2 cents): what kind air purifier, deodourizers, etc. really work for preventing a room from smelling like stale cigar smoke?
As you know, I live in Canada, and it tends to just pretty cold in the winter up here. To make matters worse, my city (actually, my entire province) has been hit by an anti-smoking law that bans all smoking in public buildings…even cigar shops. And, finally, I live in an apartment where smoking is not allowed.
A lot of people in the building ignore this rule and smoke anyway, but cigarette smoke doesn’t seem to linger as much as cigar smoke, so it’s less of an issue for them. I occasionally smoke cigars in my apartment in the winter, but I try to avoid it, since I don’t want to get evicted and I also don’t enjoy how the entire apartment smells of stale smoke the next day.
As winter approaches, I’ve been looking for an air purifier or some other "odor eater" to eliminate the smell of smoke after I’m done smoking (or even as I’m smoking). Every cigar shop (online and offline) seems to have a wide range of options, but I don’t know which ones really work and which ones I should avoid.
Do I need something with a Hepa filter, or do those scented candles that some cigar shops sell really work?
The other problem I have is that it seems that the cheaper air purifiers that cost less than $100 are typically only designed to work in small areas like a car or an office, and the next step up from there are the ones that cost hundreds of dollars and are designed to filter 5,000 sq. ft. houses. Since I live in an apartment, I need something in between those two sizes, and ideal in between those two price ranges.
I was hoping that Cigar Jack’s authors and audience would have some insight for me.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Adam, consider this your notice of eviction. Please have your things moved out of your apartment by the end of the month.
Jesse! You Americanized my spelling! LOL
Thanks for posting my question. Hopefully, the community can give me some pointers. :)
This is a tough one since the smell usually sinks into furnature and carpeting and such but if you have leather and hardwood floors you won’t have much to worry about.
For the air (depending on the size of your room) something like this (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100404360) gets good reviews for an 8×10 room. Not sure if you need larger but i’m sure they’re out there.
For the smell in carpet/fabric Febreeze does a great job imho.
@Patrick: I do use Febreeze on the carpets and furniture, and I agree that it works pretty well, but the smell still seems to linger on most of the time, despite that.
That air filter seems to have received very good reviews, and is probably about the size that I’d need. The price is right, too. I’ll have to check it out.
Best advice I can think of is to thoroughly clean ashtrays at the end of each smoke. Most of the smell comes from this source vs. the smoke.
At the end of the day, you might be much better off building yourself a man-cave. This can be in the garage, a shed or a closed patio. A well ventilated heater can keep the space nice and toasty.
Dear Adam,
Great question! It’s one we hear a lot, and like you said, with so many air purifier options out there, it’s really difficult to know what to choose.
You mentioned two key things: HEPA filters and scented candles.
1. HEPA filters are designed for absorbing particles– not odours… so while they may stop you from sneezing, a HEPA filter will do nothing to take away the cigar smoke smell.
2. Scented candles are full of chemicals! And again, they won’t “adsorb” the smell of your cigars… simply cover it up… and not very well at that.
The key to getting rid of smells is carbon. What you need is an air purifier that has POUNDS of activated carbon.
Since you’re thinking of purchasing an air purifier anyway… and it’s for smoke… I also suggest you choose an air purifier with a tar-trapping pre-filter. This will remove those dangerous tar particles and protect your main filter, while extending its life span.
We have a lot of customers who enjoy the odd cigar from time to time, or who are big-time smokers.
I would recommend the 5000 DS, our air purifier designed specifically for tobacco smoke. It has 25 pounds of carbon and a 3″ thick filter.
Many air purifiers are HEPA-only, or have mere ounces of carbon– they just won’t do.
I’d keep the 5000 DS in whatever room you use when smoking– and you can even roll it into another room if you need to.
The great thing is, you can smoke your cigars, without bothering your neighbours– or having that stale cigar smell in your apartment!
It’s a great little unit.
I spoke to our IAQ Experts about your case– they said they can customize an air purifier for you that’s within your budget.
Call me– I’ll set you up!
Janice (514) 335-4277 ext. 226
Close all bedroom door’s etc to keep the smoke contained as much as possible.
If you have a kitchen or bathroom exhaust fan, that has a filter or better yet, exhausts out side, run it as much as possible (all night).
Light a candle or two
Get a can of air spray
Empty & wash ash tray regularly, (down the garborater or flush).
I bought a filter I’m happy with at Home Hardware, air filters are most efficient for only one room, be sure to buy one that has sufficient sq foot coverage for the room , you’ll need to spend 100.00 plus
Try an “Air Sponge”, Home Hardware (again)
Unless you live in Yellowknife (& it’s Feb), try opening a window for 5 minutes at the end of the evening, to thin the smoke out.
Most odors are not in the air but in the fabric’s (sofa and chairs) or the carpet or curtains, so spray or air-out or wash regularly
A trick from college. Smoke in your bathroom with a wet towel at the bottom of the door. Make sure you take all the other towels out. Turn on the exhaust fan if you have one. If not, open the window and then leave the bathroom taking the towel with you for the other side of the door.
Of course, this also means you need to get a padded towel seat and a bathroom tv ;-)
That’s a great point that Janice had about the active carbon. I see plenty of places pushing it and it does really seem to work.
Lingering ash is always an issue too. I’ve noticed that if I don’t clean out/remove ash right away the next day it still smells just as fresh as the cigar the day before!
@Janice – Your products look good, perhaps you can list prices for a nice 1 room setup! If that’s allowed here it may be something I’d look into also ;)
Hey Patrick,
Not sure if pricing is appropriate here… don’t want to overstep my boundaries… but thought our products might be very helpful just the same…
Give me a call, and we’ll discuss!
Janice (514) 335-4277 ext. 226 or (888) 852-8247 ext. 226
Thanks for all of the tips, everyone.
@Janice: I looked at your website. The products look good, but the prices are pretty high. You mentioned customization, but I have to admit that I don’t see how a custom unit could be less expensive than a mass produced one (economies of scale and all). I’ll likely give your people a call, but I suspect that, unfortunately, it will probably be outside of my price range.
Adam,
We make customized units all the time. That’s what we do! The president here is ALL about, THE RIGHT UNIT FOR THE RIGHT JOB… and nothing else will do… SO… that said… yes, air purifiers, good ones anyway, are an investment… but really a great investment– especially for smokers. We do have a “smokers” unit… but we could customize a different unit, that’s a bit less expensive, with some specialized carbon that would also be very effective.
I’m not in sales… so I don’t have all the specifics… but I can definitely set you up with one of our Indoor Air Quality Experts.
You can always call me, and I can set you up!
Janice (514) 335-4277 ext. 226 or (888)852-8247