Can You Vape Inside? Will It Stink? Does It Stain Fabric?
Does Vaping Smell?
I used to smoke indoors, but I wouldn't have a clue if I smelt like tobacco because I was so used to smelling it on everything I owned.
Once I quit smoking and started vaping, I realized that I could smell a smoker as soon as they entered a room. The smell began to bother me, the same smell that I used to love now smelled acrid and stale. I was worried that people might smell something unpleasant If I vaped indoors, I thought my vape smelled delicious while I was vaping it, but was this another mind trick?
After going out for coffee with my Mum ( who despises smoking ), I popped outside to have a few puffs on my vape, got into the car and she asked: “ Why do you smell like biscuits?”. Truth is, vaping doesn't start to smell stale or unpleasant if you end up smelling like vape, and because of the variety of food like flavours, most people think just think you have lollies or something in your bag.
Vaping Indoors
One thing I have noticed is when vaping indoors during winter, the windows tend to become dirty really quickly. They are easy to clean off, but this raised my concerns about vaping indoors with a fish tank and a bunch of expensive electronics around me. If it makes my windows dirty, will it make the inside of my computer dirty?
Although vaping indoors doesn't discolour walls like cigarette smoke, it can make your walls sticky and dusty which can be a real pain to clean if you have high ceilings like me.
Don't vape indoors if you share your space with other people who don't vape or pets. Although research around second-hand exposure to vaping shows second-hand vapour is far less harmful than second-hand smoke, second-hand vapour does still contain tiny amounts of nicotine that may be inhaled by others in close proximity. Animals can be sensitive to PG, VG and Nicotine, especially cats. Nicotine is really toxic to fish, and while second-hand vape isn't a big concern here ( unless you are exhaling directly into the air pump) be very careful after handling eliquid to thoroughly wash your hands before doing maintenance inside your aquarium. As little as one drop of 25mg/ml could wipe out all the fish in a 200L tank.
While the passive amounts present in second hand vaping are far below any level that may be harmful, its better not to vape around pets.
Vaping Around Tech
Smoking cigarettes around computers can be risky, and a friend who works in the IT industry told me he had seen several computers over the years that were owned by chain smokers that gathered so much tar they ended up destroying the computer!
I raised this with a colleague, who is a subohm vaper and chain vapes while gaming. He had computer problems and took his computer to the repair shop, the repairman found a thick layer of sticky liquid and dust at the bottom of his computer, and that had shorted out parts of his computer. After a good clean and a few replacement parts, his computer was working again, but he was adamant that the vapour had caused the failure.
You may notice after a month or so of heavy vaping indoors that the walls feel sticky, and the windows get dirty. A computer sucks air in to cool it down, so if you have a computer around, it will be inhaling that vape and slowly getting sticky inside. If you combine this sticky liquid with dust, this can be a disaster for your electronics.
Fire Alarms And Vaping
Most household fire alarms ( namely photoelectric ones) can go off if you are vaping heavily in the area, but require alot of vapour for this to happen. If you blow vape directly at a photoelectric fire alarm, it will go off.
Older style heat alarms found in older commercial buildings and kitchens will not go off if you are vaping around them.
Ionizing fire alarms (with radioactive labels on them) shouldn't be triggered by passive vaping but may go off if you are vaping directly at them.
While vaping won't usually set off fire alarms, but if you are blowing big clouds or vaping directly under a fire alarm they may go off. Keep this in mind if your fire alarm is linked up to an entire building, and always ask the building owner if you are allowed to vape indoors before vaping in a commercial building or joint apartment.
Things To Keep In Mind When Vaping Indoors
If you are regularly vaping indoors, try and ventilate the room so the stagnant vapour doesn't end up clinging to your walls, windows and electronics. If you are vaping in the car, put the fan on or crack a window to avoid cleaning the windows every week. If your area is really cloudy, open the door or window and allow for some air exchange.
If you have a computer on your desk, avoid exhaling vape directly into it, as this can cause moisture to build up inside and could damage your computer. It'd be a good idea to avoid vaping directly around any expensive appliances in your house, namely TVs, Game consoles, projectors, and other sensitive or expensive tech. Vapour takes a while to condense on stuff, so as long as you have some air movement and ventilation it shouldn't be an issue. It will also take some time for the eliquid to build up enough to cause problems, so if you are a casual vaper its not really a big deal.
Many vapers have been vaping indoors right next to their computer for years and haven't experienced any problems, but its something to keep in mind if its something you do regularly. If you do vape indoors around electronics on a daily basis, make sure that you get these things serviced regularly to avoid things building up.
Eliquid is water soluble, so it's easy to clean walls and windows, but cleaning the inside of your computer can be a little harder.
Vapour in the air also seems to linger longer if the humidity is high. In a warm dry room, it seems to dissipate faster.
While vaping indoors won't stain surfaces, or cause fabrics to smell acrid and stale, its best to avoid regular heavy vaping in a confined area if you have expensive electronics, pets or other people who don't vape around you. If you are heavily vaping indoors, make sure you have a bit of airflow.
When in the car, crack the window open slightly so you don't need to regularly clean the windows.
With regular cleaning vaping indoors shouldn't be much of an issue, but good ventilation and airflow is the key to preventing vapour from building up on your stuff.
FAQs
Will vaping indoors set off fire alarms?
Vaping indoors can trigger certain fire alarms, especially photoelectric ones if a significant amount of vapour is blown directly at them. So it’s important to be considerate and step outside when vaping.
Does vaping leave a sticky residue on walls when indoors?
Yes, vaping indoors can lead to sticky and dusty walls over time, which may require regular cleaning to prevent buildup. If you want to avoid the hassle of cleaning vape residue from your home, vaping outside is the answer.