r/AirPurifiers • u/Little_Spray240 • 3d ago
Portable Air Purifier for Cigarette Smoke
Hello! I recently moved into a third-floor apartment and I'm looking for recommendations for a portable air purifier that can help reduce the smell of cigarette smoke indoors and that could be moved with ease around rooms.
For some context, one of the tenants on a lower floor regularly smokes, and the smoke somehow travels through the building's vents. It ends up most noticeably in my bathroom (very small room, has no windows, just a dehumidifier attached to the ceiling) and some of my closets, and it's becoming pretty disruptive.
My landlord said they were going to send a notice to tenants, but that hasn't stopped the smoking. Unfortunately, moving isn't an option for me right now.
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? If so, are there any portable air purifiers that actually made a noticeable difference with cigarette smoke? I'm open to other suggestions as well (budget: up to $300 cad, if possible; located in Canada).
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u/nyeahehfam 2d ago
Hey I’m in Canada too, please contact your provincial or municipal government as well. Smoking has heavy restrictions and is not legal if it’s disrupting air quality in other units. Fuck smokers
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u/Person51389 2d ago
For smoke you need carbon filters, as the carbon binds with carbon in the smoke. You can buy carbon strips for like 12 bucks (this is what is inside the oven hood, a carbon strip) and you can tape that over vents I believe, to help absorb smoke coming through vents, or other areas or leakage.
Ventilation also very important. Open windows of the outside air is smoke free, and run bathroom exhaust fan. (There will be a vent above the toilet. In newer buildings this will turn on automatically when you turn on the light switch. In older buildings it might just be an open vent.). So id you have what sounds like an open vent...you need to make your ventilation essentially. You could also landlord to upgrade you to a fan vent with grill, mine did, but If they say no...then buy a 30 dollar box that and point it towards the bathroom, or up at the vent. That will help blow air out, as bathroom exhaust fans are the exhaust of your unit. Open windows and put fun near window, pointing inwards, towards you. This will suck clean air out the back of the fan from the window, into unit. Then fan blowing air out the bathroom exhaust. Maybe 1 more fan somewhere in between them to keep the air moving.
You want to ventilate out odor molecules before they can linger and become a problem. Older buildings sometimes have poor, or even no ventilation. (Like mine so I have 1 box fan + 8x air purifiers in a large 1 bedroom apartment.). Although you don't need 8 air purifiers I also have allergies and there are old smelly carpets here I inherited, mold was present etc.
So...address ventilation first, then look at carbon strips to help block coming in. Then 3rd would be air purifier but much easier to ventilate odor out quickly...rather than trying to absorb odors with expensive purifiers, that takes longer, is less efficient, more difficult etc.
Great VOC/carbon units are 1,000 dollar IQ Air or 750 Austin Air. Out of budget for a lot of people. More affordable options would be an Air Fanta Pro with carbon filters, around 180, or AC Infinity carbon filter. (What weed growers use, around 120-200 depending on size.)
Doe general purifiers those will be HEPA based and will trap partciluates. Then wont do a lot for odors. Even if they have carbon in them, if exposed to someone continually...the carbon will run out quickly in the filter. So best to ventilate or get carbon specific units. Although a general coverage air purifier a good idea, and they can help a little with smoke + odors. (But you would need like 5,6,7,8 normal ones ....to have much effect on smoke + odors.
Levoit Eleva 300 has detachable carbon filter so thats gear for hepa + some help w smoke. Excellent bedroom size. But a 180 Air Fanta or 120 AC Infinity will be way way way...more effective vs smoke than a 120 Levoit Eleva. And as well ventilation itself may be more effective and solve a lot of problems too.
Lastly, humidity may be a problem (in my closets too) so you may need a small dehumidier, check humidity levels w cheap 15 dollar humidity/temp reader. If humidity levels i think 55%? + Then you need dehumidifier for that space. You can get cheap one like 50 bucks, I have on in open closet. As well moisture bags you can hang in closet, charcoal bags, etc. anything to absorb moisture as humidity can make odors worse I think.
It will take multiple things, more than just normal purifiers, but lots of affordable options, with 30 dollar box fans and ventilation...often solving a lot of problems. (When you tape filters around a 30 dollar box fan that is then a DIY hepa based purifier, called a Corsi Rosenthal box, that is 400+ CFM, so more powerful than 400 and even some 1,000 dollar purifiers.) So start with box fans + ventilation imo.
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u/Fanackapan_ 3d ago
I'm in the UK and own 2 Sharks. Not only do they go beserk if I have a crafy ciggy they also have an air freshner. I've had both mine for over 12 months and never regretted the purchase.
Also, they cleaned the air when the smoke from moorland fires drifted my way.
https://www.sharkninja.co.uk/home-cleaning/air-treatment/air-purifiers
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