5 Simple Ways How to Detect Cigarette Smoke in Apartment

Knowing how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment can be a bit tough if you don’t know what to look for. It may sound complicated at first, but you can pull the whole thing off with our helpful tips and pointers.

So if you’re looking to boost your knowledge on how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out the factors you need to have in your checklist to get the job done properly.

The Importance of Knowing How to Detect Cigarette Smoke in Apartment

The main reason why you need to know how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment is to avoid secondhand smoke. It is considered as one of the most dangerous substances you can ever breathe in.

When an active smoker lights up a cigarette, he or she is primarily exposed to first-hand smoke. Although this type of smoke is already loaded with harmful toxins, most of it is released into the air. This transforms it into secondhand smoke, which puts you at risk of several serious health issues when you inhale it.

Just to give you an idea of the toxins that are present in cigarette smoke, here’s a few of them below along with some of their long-term adverse effects to the human body:

• Carbon monoxide — causes hearing problems, loss of vision, and memory issues
• Benzene — significant reduction in red blood cell levels, and bone marrow damage
• Ammonia — lung fibrosis, chronic coughing, and sudden respiratory tract issues
• Arsenic — heightens effects of diabetes and causes heart disease
• Formaldehyde — increased risk in throat, mouth, and nose cancer
• Hydrogen cyanide — causes nerve damage, brain issues, and chronic fatigue

These are just some of the harmful chemicals that you can breathe in when you’re exposed to cigarette smoke. Prolonged exposure to these substances won’t just lead to serious diseases, but also the possibility of death. (You can also click here to check out other possible sources of indoor pollution in your home.)

This is the biggest reason why you should know how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment to protect yourself and your loved ones. And unlike what a lot of people mistakenly think, it isn’t that difficult to do.

5 Things to Keep in Mind on How to Detect Cigarette Smoke in Apartment

Start things off with a “smell check.”

Your sense of smell is your best ally when it comes to detecting cigarette smoke in your apartment. This is because you can smell the whole thing long before you can see it, if it’s visible at all. Make sure there are no items that emit a strong smell in the area when you’re doing this.

Begin your olfactory investigation by taking a nice, long whiff of the apartment. We suggest doing this in areas where there are no windows. The reason for this is some of the cigarette smoke particles tend to get trapped in areas with very minimal ventilation.

If the unit you’re in has lots of windows, try the bedroom where the space is usually much controlled. Another hint you can use to check if someone is smoking in the apartment is a weird air freshener smell. This can be described as a fruity aroma with a charred note.

Examine the surroundings thoroughly.

The next step in learning how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment is to have a probing look at the surroundings. Make sure you focus on furnishings like coffee tables, credenzas, and similar movables because they will tell you a lot.

The things you should look for are ashtrays and other items that do a similar purpose. It’s not uncommon that some smokers even use plastic cups, pottery pieces, and paint brush holders as ashtrays. There are ashtrays made from repurposed jewelry holders and table toppers.

Just make sure to be extra observant while doing this and you will be on the right track.

Look for ash and cigarette butt buildup.

Sure this may sound a bit simplistic, but sometimes things that are too obvious tend to be missed. Smokers typically tend to chuck ash and cigarette butts in a single place for easy cleanup. Interestingly, most of them tend to store them outside their apartment unit.

This is because keeping cigarette ash and butts inside their apartment units will make the smell harder to remove. If you spot any of these outside the apartment, chances are you’re going to detect cigarette smoke inside.

Check for burn marks if you want to know how to detect cigarette smoke in apartment.

Cigarettes, along with other products used for tobacco consumption like pipes and cigars, need to be lit up before using. The fact that there is a glowing ember at the end means that it has to stay actively lit all the time it’s being used.

And since a glowing ember can sometimes flash and quiver without being manipulated, it can leave burn marks. These burn marks can be observed in the area where the smoker typically lights up.

Similarly, burn marks can also be seen in the area where the smoker usually extinguishes his or her cigarettes. All you have to do is check the furniture for random traces of scorches and it’s highly likely that cigarette smoke is present.

One other thing you need to check out are nicotine stains. These stains commonly have a yellowish brown shade and can be rather tough to remove. They also reek of cigarette smoke so they’re not that difficult to spot.

Have a reliable smoke detector installed in your unit.

Performing these tasks can be quite exhausting at times. If you’re looking to constantly detect cigarette smoke in your apartment without the hard work, grab a dependable smoke detector. It’s basically designed to determine if cigarette smoke is present as long as it has batteries.

There are a number of options that you can check out in the market these days. Some models even have Wi-Fi and bluetooth capabilities, as well as a video recording feature. Prices vary depending on the add-ons and benefits that you can get in on.