Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JongnoGuru]

(No more Q & A, so here goes)

What product would you recommend for eliminating cigarette odours from a fairly large room?

Background
This room -- the "recreation room" -- is the sole, dedicated smoking-permitted area in the entire house, chosen for several reasons the primary being that smoke & odours from that room will not drift out and spread to the rest of the house. However, whether due to inadequate ventilation or some other factor, the smell in that room becomes oppressive when people smoke even just a little. I've been in smaller, cramped Korean bars where eight out of 10 customers are smoking, and they weren't as harsh on the nostrils as my room gets. Why?! (And no, they didn't have factory-size fans or sophisticated ventilation systems either.)

I've had a dedicated "smoking room" everywhere I've lived, and although they were vastly smaller, none of them ever stunk as bad as that cavernous room does. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Friends who smoke will step out of the room for a couple minutes, come back in and describe it as reeking "like a Chinese opium den".

I want to be very specific: This is NOT a burning-eyes, burning-throat problem. It is precisely and solely an odour problem. This wasn't apparent at all during the summer when the A/C system, with its air-cleaning function, was on. But now it's more than noticeable and I'm not sure what to do about it. Leaving the windows & doors open and a fan running takes care of the smoke. But it's that smell that's so intense, and it's way, way out of proportion to the really quite limited amount of smoking that ever goes on in there. It's ridiculous.

Another strange thing is, that room seems to actually suck up stray cigarette odours from the rest of the house and even from outside on the adjoining veranda. The electrician had a cigarette while installing something in a different room (and different floor) -- an hour later I went up to get something from the recreation room, and it smelt as though someone had gone through five cigs in there. No smoke, just that stanky tobacco smell, which wasn't there earlier in the day and I know nobody had been up there.

So what should I get?

First, here are several provisos that might save people inclined to offer advice some time and energy:

-- No, not a deodorant spray or those "hippo" boxes. (I use both, btw.)
I'm not going to run around and spray smoking guests in the face. And those hippo boxes are completely useless for my needs. Basically, I don't need something that works after the cigarette odour has already set it. It has to operate in the background, continuously, reasonably quietly & unobtrusively, while guests are smoking. And it has to prevent the odours from building up to such nasty levels in the first place.

-- No, not an electric fan.
I use one. It disperses the clouds of smoke, but does little to attack the odour.

-- Installing a ceiling-mounted ventilation system won't be possible, nor will bashing in the walls and installing more windows. (though I even considered that.)

-- No, opening the windows & doors doesn't work.
I'm already doing that, and even in conjunction with the fan, the odour is still intense. And opening windows is a non-starter in winter.

-- It must be available in Korea.
I'm not going to import anything and that's final. So if you know of something that would work, don't even bother suggesting it unless you know it's sold here. I don't want to discover at the end of a wild goose chase that I have to import it.

HERE'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

Something heavy-duty yet bleeding-edge high-tech, painfully hip and stylish in that masculine, gun-metal grey (or designer black), industrial, Bauhausy, GQ, Sharper Image sort of way. In short, the next time I have K-hotties over to the house, I don't want them saying, 'Wow, Guru, it's great how your place doesn't stink like an old ashcan anymore'. No, that's not good enough. I want them saying, 'OMG, Guru! That's the sexiest, most masculine and subliminally phallic piece of Western technological superiority I've seen in my life! The mere possession of such an item screams sophistication and good taste, and I don't mind telling you that I'm overwhelmed with animal-like lust for you right now'.

There are over 500 such items listed here on this Korean website. But I've never owned anything like these before, and most of the product pitches focus on people with allergies, or how it catches dust particles, viruses, etc. Really, that's all fine. But if the product doesn't kick cig smoke's smelly ass, then it's useless to me.

[deessell]

Such a simple thing as a lit candle can clear away smells (works in the bathroom).

[schwa]

My workplace invested in a big circular table deal with a major smoke intake vent in the center -- picture something you might see in an airport smoking room. Set them back 1.5 million.

It was noisy, blasted cold air on your legs, required a technician every couple months to change some filter, didnt work worth a damn, & died an early death.

How about spiderplants?

[peppermint]

Before you go investing in sleek metallic thingies, you might try getting the curtains drycleaned, new rug etc. Fabrics tend to trap odors

[JongnoGuru]

Deessell, yesssss!! Candles!! That is just the sort of good common sense and practicality that has saved men throughout history from themselves. And from such madness as the following, retailing for a smiling 2.8 million won:





As a matter of fact, not fiction, I was given a set of scented candles (poured in large glasses with glass lids) as a housewarming present months ago, and I didn't use any of them yet. I'm thinking they might do very well.

Schwa. I know the sort of contraption you describe. Years ago I bought a batch of battery-operated vacuum ashtrays by Moulinex and put them around our meeting room. Not terribly expensive, but very hard to lay one's hands on in Korea. The Koreans would just smoke and use them as regular ashtrays, so I had to go around and flick the little black, hard-to-see switches on the sides. They made a bit of a racket and people found them distracting, and they only sucked in smoke when a cigarette was resting on the ashtray. (I sort of knew that when I bought them, but...)

Spiderplants? Thinking these might work along the same principle as vacuum ashtrays, I googled and came up with this initially very promising and uplifting, and then suddenly depressing commentary:

Houseplants can be very beneficial in our lives. They purify and renew our stale indoor air by filtering out toxins, pollutants and the carbon dioxide we exhale - replacing them with life sustaining oxygen!

Although it should be safe to presume that all plants are capable of removing toxins from our air, research by NASA showed that some house plants are more efficient in filtering out toxins than others. Philodendrons, Spider plants, and Pothos were found to be the most efficient in the removal of formaldehyde. Gerbera Daisies and Chrysanthemums were found to be effective in the removal of benzene, a known carcinogen.

As a rule of thumb, allow one houseplant per 100 square feet of living area. The more vigorous the plant, the more air it can filter. Keep in mind that plants will not do much to alleviate tobacco smoke or dust in the air.

Well damn... I don't have much of a benzene or formaldehyde problem. But what do you say, Schwa? Schall we disregard the "experts"? I schay we schall! I'm putting houseplants up in that room!! Spiderplants, whatever. Loads of them! And there's a big skylight there anyway, and I know it wants some plants to shine on, so there we go. Good call.

[riley]

[schwa]

Um, I'm thinking about charcoal now.

In the markets you can find artistic charred wood displays or you could take that a step further & line a wall or the ceiling with charcoal, like they do in saunas. Thats a known stink killer.

[moptop]

Some other things you might want to try....

-white vinegar wipedown, and a few bowls in an inconspicuous place. It will often remove odors.

-the baking soda idea should help too, but don't mix them together!!! A few open boxes behind the sofa, or hidden behind plants works wonders.
Also, sprinkle it on the carpet and sofa and then vacuum them.

-try febreeze. You can get the korean brand at most supermarkets.

-get a strong smelling cleaner (bleach if you don't mind the fumes, or a perfumed one like the orange spray cleaners), and spray all over the floor for a quick mop. The smell should linger.

-wipe down the walls often. You might not see it but the yellow residue that comes off can stick there pretty thick.

-i know that at walmart they have some pretty crystal gel air fresheners that the ladies might appreciate yet that are still masculine enough not to be girly. Throw some on side tables.

-buy a hot plate and make your own yummy smelling potpourri. boil some oranges, cloves, flowers, cinnamon. I'm sure there are recipes on the net.

-get an aromatherapy/essential oils burner. I got one here as a housewarming gift so you can buy them somewhere. You put a few drops and some water in the dish and light a tea light underneath which heats the oil and releases the aroma. They can be quite strong smelling. Or try incense, the smell can linger in the room for a long time after.

-if you want to go high-tech, a korean friend of mine just spent 900,000 won on a chrome and wood air filter system that's about the size of a 22" TV. It has all the bells and whistles, and when I sat near it the air was definately fresher. Apparently you can get cheaper models, too.

I would try to deal with the source of the problem by wiping down the room and removing the smoke odor with vinegar and open boxes of baking soda, and spraying with febreeze. The aroma ideas will extend the time in between regular cleanings and will help mask the day to day smells.

[JongnoGuru]

Guests arrive within .... minutes and I'll test some of these theories.

The Arsenal & Fortifications:

2 candles, scented (honeydew melon... I have to get better ones)

1 can air freshener, unscented (I sprayed around the room. Pointless at this stage, but I did it anyway.)

2 bouquets of fresh cut flowers, sweet-smelling and sitting in appropriately no-nonsense, non-frilly vases

1 electric fan, strategically positioned

Windows open.

[JongnoGuru]

The results of last night's trial run are in. And they're inconclusive. There wasn't enough smoking going on in the smoking room to tell if the candles & flowers really worked.

People came in groups within a few minutes of each other, and they stayed outside chatting for the longest time. I didn't plan on a garden party, but the weather was decent, so I brought out the drinks and set up tables and chairs. For about two hours the only time guests went inside was to use the loo or to fetch more glasses.

I did try to lure the smokers inside and up to the activity room, but Korea's no-shoes-in-the-house culture got in the way. If you're outside you've got to go inside, take off your shoes, stow them in the shoe cabinet, put on slippers, and go wandering around the house. You're now one of the "inside people", while all the "outside people" are down in the garden, enjoying themselves, drinking, talking, laughing and wearing shoes. No fun.

It's that psychological separation from the herd that intimidates most people from going inside. You need a critical mass of independent thinkers (and some babes) to organise a proper "let's go indoors" mutiny, declare your independence, and cast off your shoes for the duration. And there's the problem that when you do, you're stuck in there. There'll be none of that going inside and outside as you please business, like they do in the freedom-loving West.

No, here in Korea it's the annoying shoes-off/shoes-on regime, with all the fussing about with slippers and shoelaces and shoehorns, and that silly-assed wobbly "one-legged hop" as you attempt to balance yourself on one foot amid a sea of used footwear in need of Odour-Eaters, the hassle, the infernal nuisance of it all -- and that's every time you go inside or outside.

I tell you, I am THIS CLOSE (thumb nearly touching forefinger) to throwing off the yoke of my despotic Korean overlords and declaring the cultural independence of my realm from this "no shoes in the house" tyranny.

People who've seen the place, people who would know, have said, 'What's this house doing in Korea?' It got me to thinking. This is a manly Western house, if ever oh ever a wiz there was, built with manly Western technology and design principles, indoors and out. (for the most part) So why should I shackle it with some hidebound Asiatic tradition just because it's located in Korea and because I've always done so until now? I tell you, I'm this close...


(Shamelessly borrowing from another poster) Okay, I've got my fire-retardant PJs on and I've had my nap. Flame away, kids.

[Zyzyfer]

Jongnoguru, you should get to talking with one of those producers of documentaries with poor families living in ghettos or with that OnStyle channel, get some sponsors, and start a program called, "Pimp My Pad."

In return for giving you this gracious idea, I can be the first pad-pimpee.

[JongnoGuru]

[billybrobby]

a negative ion generator. i dunno if they sell them in korea, but in america you can get these things that filter the air and generate negative ions. they work real good.

[susy]

Smoke doesnt linger long in the air. it gets into the covers, easy chairs material, curtains. they all need a good wash.

get your curtains and covers down, put them through the wash with plenty of conditioner and wash powder.

you could try putting new covers on the chairs that dont have covers or give them a wash down where they are.

good luck.....dont blame me if it goes wrong

[peony]

giving the fabric sofa and rug a liberal spray of Fabreze (til damp) at night will freshen up the smell of the fabrics and get rid of any lingering cigarette smell

as for the air, do they have window mounted fans in korea with a reverse airflow thing? like this one?



it sucks air out and a lot of nyc apartment residents use this in their kitchens to get rid of cooking odors or in their living rooms to suction out the cigarette smoke/smell