How does smoke get into my home?
Secondhand smoke gets into your home when people smoke indoors or smoke too close to doors and windows. In apartments and condos, smoke can enter your home when neighbors smoke on porches or other areas near your residence, or when smoke seeps through doors, ceiling crawl spaces and light fixtures.1

Opening a window, installing a ventilation system or turning on a fan will not get rid of the problem.2 Even after a smoker leaves, the chemicals in the smoke linger in the room.3

Secondhand smoke contains the same 4,000 chemicals that are inhaled by a smoker, including arsenic, carbon monoxide, methane and formaldehyde. About 50 of these chemicals are associated with, or are known to cause cancer.34 Exposure to secondhand smoke has been connected to serious health problems.

Make your home smoke-free
Here are some steps you can take to make your home smoke-free:

• Stop smoking indoors, and don't allow anyone else to smoke in your house, including babysitters and home repair workers.
• Ask smokers to move away from doors and windows when they smoke outdoors.
• Hang a polite sign on your fridge, windows and/or door, asking people not to smoke indoors.
• Remove all ashtrays from inside your house.
• Consider deep cleaning your carpet, rugs, drapes, furniture and walls to remove any residue chemicals.
• Give clothing and jackets a good cleaning at a dry-cleaner or in the laundry.
• Are you ready to quit smoking? Call the Tobacco Quit Line for help at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784.8669) or 1-877-2NO-FUME in Spanish. Visit Quitline.com for more information.

Make your car smoke-free
Due to the small interior space of a car, an increased concentration of smoke can be produced quickly. Opening a window or aiming your tobacco smoke out a window isn't enough. The smoke often blows right back into the car, and the deadly gases in secondhand smoke can linger for hours, even when windows are open.5 Smoking in your car can also lower its resale value because of the smell and cigarette burns to the upholstery.

Here are some steps you can take to make your car smoke-free:

• Do not smoke in the car and do not allow others to smoke in your car.
• Hang a sign from the dashboard or on a window, reminding your passengers not to smoke.
• Empty the ashtray and fill it with sugar-free candies or change.
• Wash your car and vacuum all floors and upholstery.

Apartments and condos can be smoke-free, too
If secondhand smoke causes serious health problems for you, or a family member, you may have the right, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to not be exposed to secondhand smoke if it causes a disability. Learn more about your rights.

Here are some steps you can take to stop secondhand smoke from reaching you and your family if you live in an apartment or condo:

1. Decide on your goal: Do you want to get out of your lease early? Would you like the landlord or condo board to make improvements to the building to keep secondhand smoke out of your housing? Would you like part or all of the building to be smoke-free? Would you like to see amendments made to your lease or covenants, conditions and restrictions?
2. Read about the dangers of secondhand smoke, applicable laws and your building's policies.
3. Talk to other residents, get together and deliver a petition to the landlord or condo board. Try to resolve the situation voluntarily and amicably. Ask everyone to work together to solve the problem.
4. Read about your legal options as a tenant

Other tips:

• Don't assume your landlord or neighbors know about the health effects of secondhand smoke. You may have to educate them.
• Your management company or owners' association may not be aware that it is legal to designate an apartment building or condominium as smoke-free.
• Find allies within your building who agree with your effort to reduce secondhand smoke.
• Continue reading about ways to make your housing smoke-free.

If you are a landlord or owner
Renters prefer smoke-free apartments. The demand for smoke-free housing is strong and providing smoke-free housing will help attract tenants. According to a recent study, nearly three quarters of renters would prefer to live in smoke-free apartments.6

Smoke-free apartments are a smart investment. Smoke-free policies save owners money by reducing cleaning and re-painting costs and lowering the risk of fire.

Here are some steps you can take to make your building smoke-free:

1. As people move out and new leases are signed, convert part of or the whole building to smoke-free apartments. A smoke-free policy can be included in a lease or covenants, conditions and restrictions.
2. However, if you seek to make your building smoke-free, you may need to allow exemptions for those smoking residents currently residing at the complex.
3. If you decide to go smoke-free, make sure to give tenants and residents ample time to adapt and post signage with the effective date in common areas.
4. To help educate visitors, post "No Smoking" signs in common areas.
5. Continue reading about ways to make your building smoke-free.

Helpful links

• The Environmental Protections Agency's Smoke-Free Homes Web site
• The Legacy Foundation's Web site about smoking in the home and car
• Michigan's Smoke-Free Apartment Web site
• Smoke-Free Environments Law Project
• Washington State Tobacco Quit Line
• Portland-Vancouver Metro Area Smokefree Housing Project

Downloadable resources

• A booklet about making your home and car smoke-free from Health Canada
• A brochure from the Legacy Foundation about the dangers of smoking in the home and in a car
• A brochure for renters and condo owners about creating a smoke-free home
• A brochure for owners and managers about creating smoke free apartments and condos
  

Last Updated: 02.07.2008

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This Web site contains information on the revised Clean Indoor Air Act (RCW 70.160). It is not legal advice. This information cannot be considered as a substitute for legal advice from and representation by a qualified attorney.

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