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, it should be noted that vaping indoors can affect your indoor environment to a degree. We thought it’d be a great idea to gather some information that can help your domicile stay as pristine as ever and keep your vaping as negligent as possible for everything around you.

Houseplants and pets

How does vaping affect my pets? Whether you have some fur babies running around, or have a serious indoor jungle pending, vaping can affect pets and plants.

While the vapour produced from vaping is usually considered negligible, animals have been known to react irritably when they have this vapour blown directly into their faces or have it frequently in their vicinity. Of course, every animal is different so it’s important to be considerate, treat them all correctly, and never antagonize them. Hot-blown vapour could cause your pets to act irrationally and should never be used to annoy or punish them for wrongdoing. This is particularly significant for dogs since they have very strong senses of smell and may dislike the vapour scent produced by your device. 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 use your electronic cigarette outside, or blow the vapour out of a window. It’s also important to never leave bottles of e-liquid around; larger animals could easily chew on them and drink the dangerous contents. A swallowed bottle could be a fatal choking hazard so always keep your vaping paraphernalia safe from pets! In most cases, nicotine poisoning is not fatal. [1] However, if for any reason your pet does consume nicotine don’t hesitate to get veterinary help immediately. This may save your animal’s life.

How does vaping affect plants? When it comes to plants, the vapour produced from your vape pen can cause some damage. The heat from the clouds that your device produces can cause the plants around you to wilt, although this may take some time. You may ask – well if plants can detoxify the air, can they filter e-liquid vapour? The answer is yes and no. It all depends on the size/quantity of the plants you have around, and the amount of vapour that’s put into the atmosphere. If you don’t have enough plants to keep the air appropriately free from hot air pollutants, chances are you’ll start to see some wilting over 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 to a place that’s further away from your usual vaping space or that you start vaping outdoors/near a window.

Staining on walls and furniture

Does vaping stain walls? Don’t get it twisted, 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 – only tobacco products will do that. 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 water condensation. Over time windy drafts can carry particles of dust and dirt that will cling 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.

Spilt e-liquid is a different story. The best way to avoid any staining, in general, is to keep them safe and always protected. Keep bottles away from potential staining situations and don’t risk handling open containers over precious things that could be easily damaged. 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. You may have products in your house that you know will clear it right up. It’s best to use your wisdom. If all else fails, it’s best to just follow the basics. Blot the stain with a wet washcloth and repeat until the stain becomes progressively less gaudy. If the stain is still visible, add some detergent to the cloth and then continually blot and wet it with clean water.

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.

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 any time your decide to heat some liquid.

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. It’s a real worry that can really hurts us when think about damaging those around us.

Does vaping hurt people around me? What’s generally known about this subject is broad. The vapour we inhale, and exhale, will trigger dopamine receptors in our minds. This will be obvious to those who vape with nicotine; if you vape with nicotine, you’ll feel the addictive effects of the drug. Even still, if we don’t consume nicotine but still vape, we’ll still feel stimulated. Most people who smoke will tell you that they find it hard to quit smoking because they struggle to keep their hands busy when they don’t have a little hand action to keep them occupied. This can even reach a point where people who are habitual smokers will admit that they feel little magnetism towards nicotine anymore, and they find it’s the physicality of the action itself that’s hard to quit. 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 use our vape products & vape devices, 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 nicotine by stimulating our dopamine receptors with our beloved flavours.  So, essentially we trick our brains into focusing on something else while we leave our deadly habits behind, neat huh!

Cigarettes containing nicotine are highly addictive, and will likely cause multiple long term health risks including but not limited to cancer and lung disease. Cigarette smoking is problematic for you because it’s an addictive substance that can cause harm via secondhand smoke, & can influence impressionable young people who live a smoke free lifestyle. Anyone who has ever tried to quit will likely have suffered withdrawal symptoms when they tried to stop smoking.

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. So, if you have real concerns about stark nicotine addictions being passed onto anyone around you, you shouldn’t consume nicotine. Doing anything in moderation is your right as an adult and nicotine can be exceptionally hard to quit cold turkey. However, performing any action will inadvertently tell people around you that you endorse the action to some degree.  Education is key for everything, so explaining your position will always help everyone understand what you may consider to be a harsh reality. Talking about the tough truths of your addiction will help everyone feel more at ease, and will show you can acknowledge your slip-ups, which can have a potent and rippling effect on the future of those around you. Refusing to admit your cravings will only make the act more alluring to those around you, so bringing everything to the forefront will have an alleviating effect on everyone. This honesty will be well worth it, for everyone’s future.

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 hated it, or you may have enjoyed the sweet scents they were producing. 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 when performing vape tricks) can be extremely compelling to look at , so don’t try to excite people you would consider impressionable.

We here at Vampire Vape work tirelessly to help people steer away from harmful tobacco products that cause appalling damage to our bodies and minds. Smoking is the number one preventable killer on earth.[2] As a result, we work with that in mind to serve the public for the sake of better health. We love to spread information about how we can all become more socially conscious about nicotine and vaping. We believe 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.