What are some ways that actually work to reduce cigarette smells in an apartment hallway?

August 26, 2007 10:03 AM

Looking for suggestions and experience with doing cigarette smoke stink abatement for the small common area of a two family house.

I live in the upstairs of a two family house - 1920 victorian style - and the guy in the downstairs unit smokes like a fiend. The smoke doesn't really drift into my part of the house, but the foyer and stairway common area STINK of smoke. I think a full-on air purifier in the stairway area might be overkill, plus I'd have to find a way to mount it in the stairway (and probably have to run a new electrical outlet), so I'm looking for suggestions for things that have worked for a small space like this.

This is sort of a repeat of this question from last year. I can't really complain to the landlord since I am the landlord. Has anyone tried the ground coffee trick? Does it work? I don't really care for the smell of most consumer-grade "air fresheners".

posted by rmd1023 to home & garden (4 comments total)

Vinegar. Set some flat pie tin-type containers of vinegar (white or cider, whatever you prefer) around the area. If there's no good place to set dishes out, maybe mix it with a bit of water and put it in a spray bottle and do a daily misting. (Is this area carpeted?)

I'm very squicky about weird smells, and the vinegar has always worked wonders. Plates of baking soda work, too, but seem to take longer to eliminate the offending odor. Good luck.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:20 AM on August 26, 2007

You want Ozium. They sell the little aerosol canisters in most hardware stores, or you can order a time release system to do it automatically (battery powered).

It smells a little, but quickly fades, and if you smell it for more than 5 seconds or so, you've used too much.
posted by Caviar at 11:56 AM on August 26, 2007

Is there a way to install a small fan so that the foyer is always at positive pressure so the smells cant seep into this area? My landlord advises door seals on the smokers apt,
posted by hortense at 2:09 PM on August 26, 2007

Since you're the landlord, can you ask the guy to smoke outside?
posted by schroedinger at 5:51 PM on August 26, 2007