Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Living in a flat can sometimes be quite a challenge when you are dealing with cigarette smoke from other apartments entering your home. In such a case, the law may or may not be on your side, but even if it is, a legal answer may be delayed. In the meantime, the smoke just keeps affecting your life. If moving is not an option, there are proactive steps you can take to improve the air quality in your home.

To step

1. Try to find the entry points of the smoke. Common places for smoke to seep in from other homes are air vents, drains, holes in insulation or eaves, electrical outlets, ceiling lights, Internet or telephone cables, and windows and doors. Also consider a balcony or courtyard as a possible source of the smoke. Unfortunately, even a ventilation system can be a source of smoke (see also section "Warnings").
2. See if it is possible to find the source of the smoke. If you have compassionate and helpful neighbors, you can probably meet with them to identify the starting points in their home and handle them in the same way as the entry points into your home.
3. Cover the openings. The openings must be filled with a suitable filler material, such as insulating foam for the larger holes or sealant for the smaller holes. Consider, for example, openings around fittings, sockets, air grilles, sewage pipes, etc.
4. Ventilation that is no longer in use (common in older buildings) can be closed by removing the grille, cutting out a plastic sheet slightly larger than the opening, and sticking the sealant foil over the opening.
5. Attach draft stoppers to doors that lead to a hallway or public area. This allows you to keep out smoke as well as other unwanted things such as dust, pollen and insects. Install a threshold if you don't already have one, and attach weatherstripping to all three door jambs.
6. Seal windows with sealant or draft strips. This not only keeps smoke out of balconies and courtyards; you also immediately improve your energy efficiency.
7. Install window fans. Window fans suck out the smoke and improve ventilation. Seek professional advice for help with selection and installation.
8. Correct the situation. In addition to the practical steps above, there are some important next steps you can take.
   • Explain the situation to the landlord, apartment management or other relevant parties. Ask for measures to prevent passive smoking in the complex. Check out the rental contract or the complex's statutes to see if you can get additional help.
   • Check local laws to find out if smoking is banned in public places, such as gardens and outdoor communal areas. If so, you can ask the apartment management to enforce those laws. If laws aren't already in place to protect you, your family, and other non-smokers from secondhand smoke, consider calling or writing to your local legislators.Don't wait for others to take action to protect you and your children - take action yourself to change the law.
   • Ask for compensation for the repairs from your landlord, apartment management or other relevant party. Keep all receipts and keep a record of repairs. You are not guaranteed success, but it is worth a try. This information will prove very important if the situation turns into a lawsuit.

Tips

• A problematic entry point is the bathtub. If you live above a house with smokers and their fan in the bathroom extracts the smoke, it can end up exactly in the space under your bathtub. In that case, you will have to ask a plumber to seal the area under your bathtub.
• You can buy special closures for outlets and light switches. Ask about it at your local hardware store.
• If you've discovered the source of the smoke and this neighbor proves to be unwilling, disinterested, or even fanatically defensive about the smoking problem, it's time to call on the landlord or another responsible person (caretaker, home administration, building manager, etc.) and have the matter taken over. Provide well-documented evidence of the problems, and be prepared to let the landlord come into your apartment to demonstrate the problem.
• In older buildings, the floor can collapse a bit, so you may have to fill the space between the plinth and the floor.
• Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar. You can add some essential oil if you wish. Then spray liberally where needed, and don't forget the carpet. This will instantly freshen the air, as if the vinegar was eating the smoke. It's cheap, harmless, odorless, and it cleans and disinfects.

Warnings

• Second-hand smoke is dangerous for anyone exposed to it. Substances from the smoke, such as benzene, settle on the upholstery, layers of paint, food and sleeping areas, just to name a few problem locations. Be assertive about protecting your family's health.
• Realize that ventilation systems and portable air cleaners are not good at filtering smoke particles. Sometimes they reduce the smell, but they spread the smoke more than they filter it, and the health effects are still there.
• If you rent your home, or have strict rules about modifying your home, you should always get the necessary approval before tackling the smoking problem yourself. But keep in mind that this is an urgent issue, and you should emphasize it when applying for approval.
• Closing openings also ensures less air circulation in your home. This in turn can cause stale air and other health problems. To prevent this, it is best to seek professional advice from home management or from experts in the field of energy efficiency (often employed by the municipality).

Necessities

• Silicone sealant
• Sturdy plastic sheets
• Insulating foam
• Inserts for sockets and switches
• Threshold and door sweep (if the current doesn't work properly)
• Draft strips (rubber or vinyl)
• Tenacity to contact the relevant authorities (landlord, legislators, lawyers, etc.)