fbpx

Mat-Su Valley: (907) 376-4130

Eagle River: (907) 696-4130

Fairbanks: (907) 452-4130

24/7 Emergency Service

Store Hours: 7:30am - 5:00pm M-F

Cigarette Smoke and Your HVAC System

Smoking can kill. We’ve heard it a million times in a million ways, but there’s a different problem that you should probably be aware of, and that’s passive smoking. It’s one thing if you’re smoking cigarettes in the first place, but if you don’t (or even if you do), the smoke and dust that you inhale after the fact can be just as dangerous. Smoking lasts longer than the cigarette does if you smoke indoors.

It’s also something you should be aware of if you have neighbors that smoke. Sometimes the HVAC system is linked between apartments, which means that that smoke can come into your home and cause you to “smoke” even when you don’t! So, how can you fight these problems?

How This Works

First, there’s the airborne smoke that everyone’s familiar with. The smoke is smelly, thick, and creates the supposedly pleasurable feelings in most smokers. We all know the dangers, as we’ve said—the advertising campaigns about remaining tobacco-free have done their job incredibly well.

But that’s not the only issue: all the dust in your home is partially remnants of the smoke that was hanging in the air. That dust has all of the carcinogens and dangers that the smoke posed in the first place. If anyone’s smoked in your home, then the smoke, ash, and other contaminants are in the dust just as much as in the air—and lasts longer.

That dust can hang around in the vents for much longer than on your furniture. Dusting only does so much. If the vents are blowing the dust and the contaminants around the house, then you’re fighting a losing battle. It’s just as dangerous as the other parts of smoking!

And, again, infiltration is just as big a problem as smoking yourself. If the smoke is coming through the air vents or even through the utility boxes in the walls, then you can be suffering the effects of smoking even though you’re not and never have. We’re sure that you don’t want that!

How To Eliminate Those Issues

First, you should probably know: don’t smoke! It’s the beginning of all of the solutions we’re presenting. If you can’t quit (or just don’t want to), be sure to take it outside and keep it out there. It’s not a perfect solution but you won’t keep the smoke and contaminants cooped up inside the house, which is a start (and allows for the rest of our techniques to help your home more).

Get some air sanitizers: This is the first line of defense against the smells. The sanitizers work by chemically eating away at the odors. There are a few ways, whether you use the chemical sanitizers or a natural one such as baking soda. It won’t do too much for the contaminants, but it will help with the smell.

Change the filters: Your air filters have all the cigarette odors and some of the contaminants trapped inside. If the filter is filled with them, some of those contaminants can make their way through the rest of the system, which means that it can make you feel worse and do worse. Changing the filters will change a lot about the environment of your home.

Dust your home: All the particles in your home, resting on your dressers and your clothes, are filled with those carcinogens. Make sure that you clean your home after choosing to clean all of this up. Otherwise, all of your hard work will be for nothing. Along the same lines, be sure to vacuum your house. The same dust on your dressers is in your carpets, so be sure to deep clean them through a vacuum and shampoo, if possible.

Get your ducts cleaned: Make sure that your ducts are clean. Even after all these tips, there can still be residue and contaminants in your air ducts that you’ll need to eliminate. If you don’t, it’s all for nothing. Make sure that everything is as clean as it can be.

Get Help!

If it’s not easy for you to clean your ducts or get your HVAC system in order, give us a call. We’ve got experience in cleaning ducts and making your air system work at its top efficiency. If you’re cleaning your home, you should be sure to clean it the whole way. Call us today!

Posted in

Partners & Certifications

Helpful Resources

Partners & Certifications

logo
logo