A
female
age
30-35,
*eautifulParadise
writes:I am 6 months pregnant and iv literally tried everything for the cigarette odor that has been drifting in my room from the apartment beneath me to disappear.I talked with the neighbors below me, but they didn't seem like they would change. And since the building is NOT a non smoking building their isn't much I can do. I also talked to the landlord but since this is a co-op and everyone owns their own place, it's kind of hard to prohibit someone from smoking inside. I've bought smoke odor candles and carbon bag to see if that covers the smell.Iv even had them cover up some holes that were underneath the heating system incase it might be coming from there. And still with all of that their is still a smell, not all the time but mostly at night. I try to stay in my bedroom since the smell is mostly in the living room but I'm still worried it'll harm my unborn child. I am starting to think the smell might be coming from the floor, is that even possible??? I put rugs to cover it up maybe but could it be coming up from there?!Thanks! Any advice would be very much helpful. I can't really move at the moment, I'm trying my hardest to move in May before June when the baby gets here. Because I definitely am not going to bring him here. Reply to this Question
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female
reader, aunt honesty  +, writes (2 March 2017):
 Open some onions and spread them around the room at night, they should evaporate the fumes.
A
female
reader, suzzzque269 +, writes (24 February 2017):
 theres a product called ODOBAN that i know of...i havnt used it in awhile but this is an all natural product that gets rid of odors-not masks them. its strong enough to even get rid of skunk odor! you can buy it at walmart, pet stores or just about anywhere.
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A
female
reader, Keeley345  +, writes (23 February 2017):
As a former smoker I feel guilty that I once upon a time, put other people through what you're going through. Being pregnant is of concern. You can't live in these conditions when you're expecting. Then again second hand smoke etc is bad whether you're pregnant or not. For now do what you can to eradicate the smell. Don't!!! Use scented candles, sprays etc as these are very harmful! Open windows often and buy or borrow an air purifier. Have a look on Amazon for them. They vary in price and use. A HEPA filter purifier is the best I understand. Purifiers are wonderful!I have one and it's amazing! My downstairs neighbours cook weird, disgusting smelling food. Their favourite smells like boiling vinegar which stinks my whole flat/apartment out and the smell can linger for days. Yuck! They also regularly burn food which of course engulfs the whole building. But I'm moving soon..yay! So no more disgusting smells. But my HEPA purifier has helped ALOT. I empathise with you. It's one of the problems many people face living in flats/apartments. Hope you get out of there eventually?
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female
reader, Honeypie + ♥, writes (23 February 2017):
 I think it's only natural that you have noticed the smell more now that you are pregnant. For whatever reason, pregnant women can get hyper sensitive with smells, touch, taste.
I couldn't stand the smell of raw meat when pregnant with my first. Nor cigarette smoke - hubby (who smoked outside) had to shower before climbing into bed because I could SMELL it on him and it made me puke.
With my second pregnancy, it was fish that made me gag just by looking at them... Haven't eaten much fish since then. And with my third, it was mainly pork I couldn't eat or smell without getting sick.
There are a few trick to help the indoor environment.
Adjust your humidity levels accordingly with a moisture or humidity gauge, available at most hardware stores. Ideal in-home humidity levels should hover around 45%. Anything under 30% is too dry, over 50% is too high and can contribute to mold growth. To increase humidity, use a vaporizer or humidifier. To decrease humidity, open the windows (if it's not humid outside), turn on a fan or air conditioner, or use a dehumidifier.
It might sound like a lot to do, but it does make a difference.
Stay away from synthetic air fresheners and petroleum-based wax candles. Opt instead for homemade air fresheners, simmer pots, and all-natural soy or beeswax candles which won't emit any harmful chemicals. The homemade ones are EASY to make and use.
GREEN plants! I am unfortunately a person without GREEN thumbs so they don't last all that long in my house but they make SUCH a difference. The only real problem I have is with my cats liking to DIG up the dirt. But green plants helps a lot. And it's fairly cheap. Here is a list of plants that work well.
The top air scrubbers found by NASA are listed below (this plant list came from Zone10.com):
Bamboo palm, Chamaedorea seifritzii
Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema modestum
English ivy, Hedera helix
Gerbera daisy, Gerbera jamesonii
Janet Craig, Dracaena "Janet Craig"
Marginata, Dracaena marginata
Mass cane/Corn plant, Dracaena massangeana
Mother-in-Law's Tongue, Sansevieria laurentii
Pot mum, Chrysantheium morifolium
Peace lily, Spathiphyllum
Warneckii, Dracaena "Warneckii"
And besides from helping the air quality, most plants also LOOK great!
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A
female
reader, Abella +, writes (23 February 2017):
 Try to get rid of the odours as soon as possible. It is a big job and you are pregnant - so try to enlist some helpers to assist you.
If you know your smoking neighbors are going to be away for the day and the weather is nice then open up all your windows until they return for the day.
Fresh air is a great way to get rid of odours. but if the people below continue to smoke heavily then open windows will just draw in more nicotine smells.
Here are some of the home remedies I resorted to in order to deal with the problem earlier.
Powdered baking soda and powdered activated charcoal combined together help remove smells like smoke . While damp baking soda absorbs odors better, it's more difficult to clean up.
You'll find that cleanup is easier when using both dry baking soda and dry activated charcoal together. but do not just toss it around.
Instead place the powders in small disposable plastic containers - and in less obvious places - under the sofa, on top of high cupboards, under the beds, on top of any suitable surface. Under the sofa, on window sills. replace them every three months, with newly filled bowls. once baby is mobile all of these must be removed as the activated charcoal is toxic.
My first husband and his father were both heavy smokers and it meant washing all the curtains every three months and painting the ceiling annually. The painting never fazed either of them as my father in law had repainted the ceilings in their home too for years, due to his heavy smoking.
White Vinegar - get the biggest and cheapest container of this commodity that you can find because you will need to use it regularly.
wipe down the inside of the microwave with a cloth saturated with white vinegar.
then slice two fresh lemons - sliced into thin slices in a heat proof bowl. add half a cup of water, a spoonful of vanilla. run this mixture through the microwave for ten minutes. Then discard the mixture. Then wipe down the inside of the microwave a second time - this time with a clean cloth that has just hot water on the cloth.
in the fridge also wipe down the outside and the inside with a cloth moistened with white vinegar. once cleaned then place two bowls of baking soda in the fridge towards the back. replace the contents of those bowls every three months,
A couple of Water Spray Bottles that you can refill regularly will also come in handy.
Then make up the spray bottle first with just the full strength undiluted white vinegar. spray it on any surface that is wipe able (but NOT stained good quality wood) so just architraves, doors, window sills, any kitchen appliances, benches, cupboards. Also inside cupboards and drawers. All surfaces in the bathroom that can be wiped down.
put some baking powder into a flour sifter and lightly sift it over carpeted floors that have been carpeted and any rugs.
consider washing all your linen - bed linen, towels, table clothes because invariably they will be tainted with the smell of nicotine. while the cupboards are empty wipe down the insides of the cupboards.
Essential oils, go for the least expensive but still 100 percent pure, though do buy from a reliable seller. I found that you can find all three available cheaply, yet still some sellers sell some of these items for unduly inflated prices.
oil of cloves needs to be used very sparingly and it is toxic. but it is great to remove mould. the smell is not unpleasant.
Fill the spray bottle with white vinegar, and add some oil of lavender, or essential lemon oil or oil of cloves and spray in the air.
For upholstered fabric chairs I only ever used just the dry baking powder sifted on to the fabric. Then I vacuumed it up after it had stayed on the fabric for a few hours.
Powdered baking soda and powdered activated charcoal together also to help remove smells like smoke. Damp baking soda absorbs odors better, but it's more difficult to clean up.
In any case I only ever used this combination in open plastic throw away containers. And replaced each one after three months.
Cleaning up was much easier.as after three months I put the disposable plastic bowl and the contents into the trash.
for your quality stained wooden furniture do use a suitable furniture polisher.
my good wishes to you and for your baby
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A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (23 February 2017):
 I think that probably the actual quantity of cigarette smoke that reaches your place from your neighbouts' apartment is so infinitesimal that can't pose a threat to your and your baby's health. This, if , as you say, there 's no hole / pipe / opening etc. that connects your apartments. Simply, smoke wafts in the air- unless you both live sealed in, they will open their windows, or their front door ,at times, and smoke or traces of smoke will drift in minimal quantity to you through the slightest cracks in your door and window - which may be closed, but surely are not airtight.
This is not ideal, ideally you would stay away from any smoke whatsoever- but by the same token , you should have given up ever setting foot in the streets again by the time you got pregnant, because exhaust gas from traffic is toxic too and not exactly medicine for a pregnant body ( or any kind of body ).
What I think happened is that , being pregnant, you have become way way more sensitive to odours which reach you as magnified several times. It's a common enough effect of pregnancy. I remember that when I was pregnant I had to give up immediately riding buses, because that vague and generally manageable odour of, well, not 100% shower fresh bodies had turned to my nostrils into a stench of putrefied meat. And that time, that , unthinkingly , I decided I was going to buy shrimp for dinner ? Two step into the fish shop- and I fainted.
Hang in there- June is close :) In the meantime, maybe you could go to some herbalist's shop and get some biological ( not treated with chemicals ) essential oil ( lavender, sage, thyme,... ) and burn it in an aromatherapy lamp, or dab with it your pillows, curtains, sheets etc. to cover the offending odour.
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