If you are reading this blog I’m going to assume you love hookah and enjoy the way it makes your house smell. That does not mean that everyone has the same appreciation. We need to be considerate to neighbors and roommates that don’t enjoy our wonderful hobby.
The first step is to talk about it. Find out what smells your roommate/neighbors don’t mind and which ones they can’t stand. Some strongly smelling tobaccos can linger in the house for many days. If I am smoking around people that don’t like the smell of natural tobacco then I avoid black moassel and the more classic tobaccos. If someone hates cinnamon I avoid spice blends and stick to fruit. This can solve the problem right off the bat but some people don’t want to smell it at all and some people have allergy concerns but that is an entire blog post on its own.
The next step is prevention. Smoke in a closed room with the windows open. If the room has poor ventilation you can get a box fan or window fan to help with air circulation. If you want to be really careful you can get a cold weather insulation kit and make the seal on the door nearly airtight. Smoke only in that room and always start the air circulating before you even light the coal. If you have an oven hood turn it on while lighting the charcoal. This will help to get rid of any smell they put off but also help to vent the unpleasant chemicals that are released while lighting them
Lastly, let’s say that you want to get rid of the smell of hookah that has already taken hold in your house. There are a few basic steps you can take. It’s a good idea to open all the windows and let the air circulate. The more air you have moving through the house the more of the smell will get taken outside essentially diluting it and freshening the rooms. This is just a good idea anyway. Ladies like things fresh and clean but that’s an entirely different blog.
Next you can try to eliminate the smell with air ionic purifiers (expensive) or Smoke Eater candles (cheap). These are candles designed for cigar smokers and cigarette smokers to eliminate the smell of stale tobacco. They don’t absorb the smoek but supposedly help neutralize and mask the smells associated with tobacco without being overbearing. If all else fails you have to try and cover it up. Using incense and spray air freshener can help but can also be more unpleasant to some people than the original hookah smell ever way. I’ll take stale tobacco over sickeningly thick incense smoke any day.
If you take the preventative steps to heart you’ll never have to deal with the cover up. Make sure to have consideration for those around you. The more respectful we are as smokers the more respect we will earn.