Vaping at Home
We’ve all seen people vaping indoors, it’s far more readily acceptable than smoking and doesn’t do anywhere near the damage smoking does. However, vaping indoors can affect your indoor environment to a degree. We thought it’d be an ethical idea to gather some info that can help your home be as vape friendly as possible for everything around you.
Houseplants and pets
Whether you have some pets, or just plants, vaping can affect both.
While the vapour produced from vaping is largely negligible, animals have been known to react irritably when they have this vapour blown directly into their faces. Hot-blown vapour could cause your pets to act irrationally and should never be used to annoy or punish them. This is significant for dogs since they have very strong senses of smell and likely hate the scent produced by your kit. If you have pet birds, they can be susceptible to respiratory problems if they groom the vaping residue produced by your device off their feathers. If you have birds at home, we advise that you vape outside at all times. It’s also important to never leave bottles of e-liquid around; larger animals could easily chew on them. A swallowed bottle could be a fatal choking hazard so always keep your vaping paraphernalia safe from pets.
The vapour produced from your vape can cause some damage to your plants. The heat from the clouds that your device produces can cause the plants around you to wilt, although this may take some time. Wilting can be a natural part of a plant’s life but has been linked to stunted growth. If you start to notice an unprecedented change, we’d recommend either moving the plants away from your usual vaping space or that you start vaping outdoors/near a window.
Staining on walls and furniture
The vapour produced from vaping will not directly stain the walls and furniture around you over time. The ugly staining we all remember from old buildings and pubs before the smoking ban will not spring back up in your home if you vape. However, vapour from your device will cling to the environment around you, which could make it susceptible to dust and dirt build-up. The best way to think about this is if you continually fill a room with condensation. Over time drafts can carry particles of dust and dirt that will stick to the water on these surfaces. Thankfully, this is a problem that can be fixed easily. With a quick wipe-down, your windows, walls and furniture will be back to normal, and won’t have any sort of permanent staining. All that’s needed is a little discipline, but likely no more than what you’d usually be doing to keep your house clean and tidy. The best way to avoid any staining, in general, is to keep bottles away from potential staining situations and don’t risk handling open containers over precious things. Many e-liquids have strong scents and colourings which can and will stain clothes and furnishings. The best way to approach these types of stains and blemishes is to use the same techniques you’d use on typically tough stains i.e. red wine, coffee, dirt.
Smells and odours
When it comes to smells and odours from vaping, it’s almost all about choice and frequency. The type of e-liquid you have chosen could be appealing to you but may make people around you feel sickly. This can be disruptive in an otherwise peaceful household so it’s always a great idea to ask before going ahead with vaping before you know the people you’re living with on a personal level. And of course, even if people happen to be fine with the smell of your vapour, they might grow tired of it after constant use. It’s a great idea to just check in with people at intervals to make sure they still feel comfortable and heard in the household. You’ll find that many people liken vaping to cigarette smoking. Therefore it’s best to treat two acts with the same etiquette, even though one is far less damaging.
Eliminating vape odours isn’t particularly difficult if the smell is mostly benign; if you keep your home well ventilated and smelling fresh, it’ll attract little attention from those around you. Vape odours can, unfortunately, cling to clothes and furniture, but, like any other sort of odour, standardized cleaning techniques will easily keep these at bay. But, like almost any problem with indoor vaping, it can be entirely resolved by taking it outside or vaping out of the window. The wind will carry it off into the air, so you’ll never have to worry about unpleasant aromas sticking around if you make the effort.
People and the impact
It’s not up for debate, the main concern with vaping since its inception has always been about second-hand vapour. There’s always a huge dispute about whether this vapour is directly harmful to our family members, friends and children.
What’s generally known about this subject is broad. Most people who smoke will tell you that they find it hard to quit smoking because they find it tircky to keep their hands busy when they don’t have a little hand action to keep them occupied. Some people who are trying to quit tobacco will go so far as to describe this ‘act of just sitting idle’ as torturous. Subsequently, even when we don’t consume nicotine when we vape, we still stimulate our minds with the action itself. The tastes that can be found in specific e-liquids can have the same effect; they can help us wean away from tobacco or nicotine by stimulating our dopamine receptors with our beloved flavours. This can be a great substitute for tobacco, as we essentially trick our brains into focusing on something else while we leave our deadly tobacco habits behind.
Little research has been conducted about the concrete biological effects of second-hand vaping. However, if you’re in a household where you’re viewed as a peer, the focus should be on your vaping behaviour, and what it’s doing to those around you. Every parent already knows that their children will learn from you and your habits, whatever they are. There’s an unfortunate reality to vaping that can make it more troublesome to those around you than smoking. Whether you’ve been standing waiting for the train, joining friends at a festival, or just walking down the street, everyone at this point has smelled the second-hand vapour of someone else’s device. What you may remember about these experiences can vary depending on taste; you may have loathed it, or you may have enjoyed the sweet smells. Tobacco is unique in the fact that despite it being extremely addictive when consumed, most people have always complained that second-hand smoke smells very unappealing. Interestingly, most heavy smokers will tell you the same. However, vaping can appeal to people around you as the smells produced from your choice of vape juice can draw them closer. This is an especially ugly reality for young children, who may love the sweetened aromas that parents or peers around them produce. As stated before, this should be avoided at all costs as non-nicotine consumers will become far more susceptible to trying nicotine or even tobacco products if they can trigger the same dopamine receptors that were sparked when they were relishing the presence of their loved ones, who vaped at home or memorable events. This whole problem can be combated in a few ways. Firstly, keep vaping away from those you don’t want doing it, and let them know the dangers. Take it outside if you have to, and don’t overindulge. This first method will depend entirely on what you consider to be ‘sensitive behaviour’. Secondly, consider using an e-liquid that they may find less appealing. If you’re set on a particular flavour, make sure the smell is kept under wraps and doesn’t find those who might savour it. Thirdly, if you happen to be around people that you wouldn’t want to vape, consider changing your vaping style. Throwing vape clouds (especially vape tricks) can be extremely compelling to look at , so don’t try to excite people you would consider impressionable.
We think it’s important to start in the home - so we hope this information has given you some insight into how vaping effects loved ones around you, and how we should collectively approach the practice moving forward for a healthier world.
