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To countless fans of tobacco pipes and pipe smoking the aroma of pipe tobacco is something to savor. But that doesn't necessarily mean they want the smoke to permeate their furniture, fabrics, carpeting and clothes and to be the only thing guests notice when they come to visit. In this guide we're going to provide some proactive tips you can employ to prevent pipe tobacco smoke from taking over your home.
Tips to Smoke Your Tobacco Pipe Indoors & Avoid Home Damage
To many pipe lovers it seems like the only way to prevent pipe tobacco smoke from permeating everything in their home is to smoke outside. We're here to tell you that's not the case. Here are 9 tips that will enable you to smoke indoors without ruining your home in the process.
1: Create a Smoking Room
By smoking room, we don't mean one of those dehumanizing cages they set aside for smokers in the nether regions of some airport terminals. We mean a favorite room of yours that's comfortable and well-appointed and will facilitate the enjoyment of your favorite tobacco. Making sure it is well-ventilated will help minimize the effects of the tobacco smoke, but even then you can expect most of the things in the room will ultimately take on a tobacco odor. So if there's anything you don't want to smell like tobacco smoke remove it from the room.
2: Keep the Smoking Room Clean
One way to protect those things that are in your smoking room is to clean them regularly. That means wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, having the drapes dry cleaned and using air fresheners, and changing them often. You can take things one step further by running a portable air filter, also known as an air purifier, in your smoking room. Finally, don't store clothes in your smoking room, and make sure you wash the clothes you wear while smoking frequently.
3: Embrace Slipcovers and Other Protective Barriers House-wide
Let's say you don't want to have the enjoyment of your briar pipes confined to a single room. That's fine but it will take extra work to keep your entire home free of the smell of pipe tobacco. A good place to start is by embracing removable slipcovers for your upholstered furniture that can be machine-washed. If you have exposed wood floors and other elements in your home consider applying a clear sealant to them that will prevent tobacco smoke from penetrating the wood. Leather upholstery is also less susceptible to absorbing the smell of tobacco smoke and it's easy to clean.
4: Consider Using Smoke Traps
For a lot of pipe lovers, the idea of jamming a smoke trap into their face right after they take a hit off their briar or meerschaum pipes ruins the aesthetic enjoyment of their pipe. And we understand entirely. Smoke traps are clumsy mood-killers to be sure, but they also do a pretty good job preventing smoke from getting loose in the room and being absorbed by everything. If you're serious about preventing your home from smelling like pipe tobacco we'd encourage you to pick up a smoke trap and try it out. If you find that using it doesn't rule your experience then great. But if it's not for you then it's not for you.
5: Keep Your Home Nice and Dry
High humidity can facilitate the process by which tobacco smoke is absorbed into upholstery, drapery, carpeting, throw rugs and even walls and floors. Therefore, by installing dehumidifiers and keeping your home nice and dry you can slow down or even prevent that absorption process and help reduce the tobacco odor in your house to a significant degree. Most experts agree that a humidity level of 30-50% is ideal for undermining the absorption process.
6: Hire a Professional Cleaner
If your home is already permeated with the smell of tobacco smoke by the time you read this you may have no choice but to start the deodorizing process with a professional cleaning. Certain cleaners specialize in removing odors from homes and have equipment and tools designed specifically for that task. Ozone treatments and thermal fogging are just a couple of the services they offer. Once they deodorize your house you can then implement the other tips on this list to ensure it stays odor-free.
“After the source of the odor is removed, it’s important to thoroughly clean surfaces to deodorize them effectively. If not properly cleaned, small particles of odor-producing residue will continue to generate odors.”
—ServPro Cleaning
7: Use a Smoke-Free Ashtray
While we don't know of any smoke-free ashtrays designed specifically for use with tobacco pipes there are quite a few such ashtrays designed for cigarettes that are large enough to place your tobacco pipe in. It would behoove you to pick one up and try it out. When you feel like taking a break from smoking, place your pipe in the smoke-free ashtray and any smoke still being emitted by the bowl will be sucked up by the ashtray and neutralized by the carbon filters inside. Granted the amount of smoke you capture will be only a small percentage of the total, but every little bit helps.
8: Seal Up Gaps and Cracks in Walls and Framework
This one will require some of your DIY skills but it will help if you feel like seeing it through. Basically tobacco smoke can work its way into cracks in the walls and in the framework around doors and windows. Once inside the odor molecules come to rest and the crack becomes a source of tobacco odor. By taking the following steps to seal any cracks with caulk, paint or weatherstripping, you'll eliminate a potential source of tobacco odors and you'll likely make your home a little more energy efficient in the process.
Even the smallest cracks and gaps in your home’s structure can harbor odor molecules from tobacco smoke. We'd recommend taking the following steps to seal any cracks in your walls or framework.
- Inspect high-risk areas – Check around windows, doors, baseboards, and vents for any visible cracks or gaps.
- Use caulk or expanding foam – Fill small cracks with paintable acrylic caulk and use expanding foam for larger or hard-to-reach gaps.
- Apply weatherstripping – Add weatherstripping to door frames and window sashes to block air and smoke flow.
- Seal electrical outlets and switches – Use foam outlet gaskets to block gaps behind faceplates where smoke can seep through.
- Repaint walls if necessary – Applying a fresh coat of paint, especially one with odor-blocking properties, can help seal porous surfaces that may have already absorbed smoke.
These small home improvement steps not only reduce the potential for lingering smoke odor but also help improve your home’s insulation and energy efficiency.
9: Use Odor Neutralizers
Air fresheners can be useful in masking some of the odor from pipe smoking, but they're not a comprehensive solution by any means. We would recommend setting up several air fresheners around the house and then augmenting them with odor-neutralizers like Glade or Febreze. Odor neutralizers are more effective at eliminating smells as they attack and break down the odor molecules themselves, instead of simply hiding them behind another, albeit more pleasant odor. There are also some activated charcoal sprays on the market that do essentially the same thing as Glade® or Febreze®.
For a Comprehensive Selection of Wholesale Tobacco Pipes, Shop Paykoc Pipes
It may seem next to impossible to prevent smoke from tobacco pipes from permeating your home. But as we demonstrated above there are steps you can take to enjoy your briar pipes without spoiling your furniture, clothes and other items.
And for the widest selection of wholesale pipes, meerschaum pipes and first-class pipe accessories you'll find anywhere be sure to shop the Paykoc Pipes online pipe shop.
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