The woman living below me is a chain smoker. She smokes one right after the other and the smell comes up through the walls and light sockets. It gets into my kitchen area and bathroom. I have to keep fans running all the time. The smell is awful. I have asthma. Is it possible to remove this bad smell?
By RACHEL from WI
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
You can try to talk to your neighbor, she might not know that the smoke is bothering you. If that doesn't work, you can talk to the owner of the apartment and they can work something out with the lady. Maybe she is trying to quit, if so, ask if you can help. it will solve both of your problems.
I agree with you I'm having the same problem it's making us sick
Idiot. Have you ever met a smoker?
You can find out from the internet what the rules are for your state, regarding moving to another unit. Or, it's possible that she can move. She is the person who is causing the problem. Some states, like Oregon, allow a resident to move without breaking a lease. You shouldn't have to, but sometimes if it's a matter of health, you have the upper hand. If your landlord or the owner won't help, then I would move when I could to a place where the residents are people, not just a check.
You can also get seals for light fixtures, plugs and switches that insulate against air leakage around those areas. I would also check to see if your doors and windows have a tight seal. Have you tried getting an portable air purifier cleaner the kind that you can wash the filter? I would ask your doctor about a prescription for one. Since you have asthma, you may be able to get some help getting and paying for one.
There is something called odor eliminator gel you can buy at Home Depot or Walmart in the auto/car departments. It does a great job of getting rid of foul odor. Also, their is something at Home Depot, cigarette smoke eliminator aerosol spray.
It's not the smoker's fault that her smoke is getting into your apartment. It's the landlord's fault. They cut corners when building, and didn't ensure that things were sealed properly.
Since it sounds as if smoking is permitted, there's really very little you can do about it. You can ask management to put in some seals, but that doesn't mean they'll move on it.
What you should ask management for is a reasonable accommodation form, or make up one on your own (there are examples online), even if s/he says they'll take care of the problem, as most times they drag their feet or *forget* if they have to do extra work.
Fill it in with all the information you've put here, and specify what needs to be done about it, including the possibility that management may need to relocate you, and get your doctor to sign off on it. Make a copy and give the original to the manager. It's a violation of ADA for them not to do anything about it then. While asthma is not considered a disability unless it's so severe that it prevents you from working, it is classified as a handicapping condition.
Relocating the smoker won't do that much good, as smoke is a stubborn scent that can linger for months or years if not properly treated. But relocating you may not help, either, as management can go ahead and rent an apartment near you to a smoker if a non-smoker moves out.
The best thing to do is to make them accommodate your medical condition by not only sealing your apartment, but the smoker's as well. The next best thing is to move to a complex where smoking isn't allowed at all, and hope there isn't a smoker next door who sits out on the patio smoking all the time.
I have the same issue. But I'm in a house I own and my neighbors smoke. It's my sensitive nose that's the problem. My family hardly ever smells it.
that really isnt true. anyone who lives upstairs or even downstairs from someone gets the smells. i get the pot and cigerettes from renters downstiars in a condominum building. not a house. the people above me smell when i cook bacon....not even burned. they own and i own. the fact i own and folks downstairs are renters is what gets me.
i use electric air cleaners with charcoal filters. i also have insultaed every plug and outlet.
That depends. Smoking is not allowed in the apartments where I live, but people think they can get away with it anyway. If you complain to the owner he will give them a warning but if they continue they are out.
If smoking is not allowed your landlord needs to know about this.
You might ask your landlord to consider running a non-smoking building if he doesn't already. His fire insurance will certainly go down.
A lot of the people in the apartment building go out on their patios to smoke, and these are people that live alone. However, when I have my patio door open and somebody in this building is outside smoking I can still smell it.
Scroll down to the ThriftyFun archives below on this page for more ideas.
Smoking is a nasty habit and the people who do it seem to have no consideration for non smokers. I too have asthma and am bothered by smoke.
I would try those smokers candles, they eliminate smoke smells. Good luck. Jenny
Well if it bothers you that much, you should move to a ranch or a smoke free community. He can do whatever he wants on his own property!
I would move out and find a smoke free living home/apt...good luck! Then go back and put shit on the fkrs apt door handle
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
