The intoxicating allure of your Airbnb oasis quickly sours when hit with a noxious wall of stale smoke upon arrival. You feel bamboozled gazing around the rental, advertised as a clean sanctuary, now emitting odors like a seedy casino. This rank betrayal seems amplified by the host’s assurance just yesterday promising tranquility with direct orders that guests don’t smoke. Yet thick tar-stained curtains and ashy carpets reveal someone recently puffed marijuana without care under this roof.
You pinch your nose while snapping revealing photos to attach alongside heated messages to the host demanding accountability and relief. But we all know their latest reply will downplay the unwanted smoke residues permeating every inch of your vacation backdrop for days.
Before totally despairing in this inhospitable situation, learn savvy tips to ensure your trip still unfolds despite that nasty smoke stench lingering indefinitely. This guide covers realistic remedies to escape an Airbnb house that smells overpoweringly like someone took liberties to frequently smoke within your temporary quarters against every don’t allow warning.
Understanding Airbnb’s Firm Stance on Indoor Smoking
Airbnb maintains strict standards prohibiting smoking or vaping any substances inside all properties listed on their platform. By agreeing to the host’s House Rules when booking, all guests confirm they will refrain from smoking inside the rental unit or in any enclosed common areas of multi-unit buildings.
Airbnb House Rules explicitly state: “No smoking is allowed in any indoor spaces on the property. Smoking indoors is grounds for forfeiting security deposits and negative reviews.” Review your booking confirmation for a link to your rental unit’s House Manual for their full indoor smoking policy.
If you check into your Airbnb rental and detect a strong smoke smell, refer back to the listing description and House Rules related to cleanliness and smoking prohibitions. Check for any signs of recent smoking, like ashtrays or cigarette butts around the property.
Any evidence that a previous guest smoked inside the home should be photographed and submitted to Airbnb’s Resolution Center immediately. You can find the Resolution Center link by tapping your profile icon in the Airbnb mobile app.
Do not dwell inside a smoky-smelling Airbnb longer than necessary while awaiting resolutions. The particulate matter lingering indoors poses health risks to guests.
Pinpointing Probable Sources of Smoking & Smells
Smoking indoors violates Airbnb House Rules, yet some guests still risk penalties by smoking inside, on porches/patios, or concealing the activity from hosts. However, there are other potential causes of enduring secondhand smoke smells:
Previous Guests Smoking Indoors
The most obvious source of smoke smells inside an Airbnb rental are previous guests ignoring the House Rules by smoking cigarettes, marijuana, or other substances indoors.
Airbnb states any indoor smoking warrants forfeiting security deposits. But deposits rarely cover the costs of deep cleanings and ozone treatments needed to fully remove cigarette smells embedded in soft furnishings.
When recent occupants smoke inside, traces almost always linger for the next visitors, especially if turnover cleaning was rushed or inadequate between bookings.
Neighbors Smoking Outdoors
Airbnbs in apartment buildings or densely populated neighborhoods also risk enduring secondhand smoke drifting indoors from nearby units or public areas.
If your vacation rental smells like an ashtray, scrutinize where odors concentrate strongest. Smoke permeating indoors from outside may indicate issues with shared ventilation systems or inadequate seals around doors/windows.
Smoky Cooking Odors
Lingering smells resembling cigarette smoke can also stem from messy cooks searing meats, charring veggies, or frying greasy cuisine inside the kitchen.
Excess oil splatters that coat cooking appliances then burn and produce foul burning odors. If uncleaned thoroughly, greasy residues on stoves, ovens, and vents emit smells enduring for days.
Overdue Deep Cleanings
Some units may simply be long overdue for intense deep cleaning sessions after months of guest turnover without proper maintenance.
Soft furnishings like upholstered furniture, bedding, drapes, and carpeting act like sponges over time, absorbing all nearby smells, dust, and smoke particulates floating through the air. As more guests come and go, embedded debris causes worsening odors without regular steam cleanings or ozone treatments.
No matter the source of the smoke smell, you should not have to tolerate lingering odors or unclean conditions as an Airbnb guest during your stay.
DIY Methods to Improve Smoke Smells
Before escalating complaints to Airbnb or the host, try some DIY remedies to dissipate stubborn smoking odors yourself:
Open Doors & Windows
As soon as you start noticing smoke smells, open all exterior doors and windows of your rental to maximize airflow and ventilation. Set up box fans blowing outward in rooms where odors concentrate heavily to push any stagnant smoky air outside. Then position fans in entryways facing inward to draw fresh air inside continually.
Creating a strong ventilation crossbreeze throughout the unit can significantly reduce any lingering odors over 12-48 hours. This may sufficiently improve conditions to continue enjoying your stay.
Deploy Odor Absorbers
Routinely place bowls filled with odor absorbers around the most affected areas inside the Airbnb rental property. Excellent homemade options include:
● Activate charcoal pieces – Replace charcoal twice daily as they quickly saturate.
● White vinegar – Works best in small confined spaces like bathrooms.
● Coffee grounds – Ideal for absorbing faint smells in larger rooms overnight.
You can also use commercial products like OdorKlenz air filters, OnaGel concentrates, baking soda, or cat litter. Replace absorbers whenever their smell-neutralizing potency depletes.
Deep Clean Smoky Fabrics
Track down every textile source where smoky smells concentrate inside the home. Fluff and Febreze upholstered furniture, mattresses, pillows, area rugs, curtains, and laundered linens. Then steam clean washable fabrics on their highest heat settings to help release lingering particulates causing odors.
For non-washables, rent an industrial upholstery cleaner from a local hardware store. Thoroughly pretreat, then extract clean, stained, and smelly furniture, cushions, drapes, and rugs. Repeat steams/extractions several times until faint smoke odors dissipate.
Once the worst smoke smells concentrate mainly on carpeting, you’ll need heavier-duty treatments described next.
Seeking Professional Smoke & Smell Remediation
For lingering cigarette odors embedded in carpeting or ventilation systems, professional remediation offers the only sure solution. Contact your Airbnb host immediately upon noticing persistent smoke smells, especially if tracing to carpeting or wall vents primarily.
Calmly describe the specific rooms affected and where odors rank strongest. Ask if they recently shampooed all carpets since the last tenant. Inquire about their typical carpet cleaning maintenance schedule between guests.
Politely explain that the pervasive smell of smoke makes your accommodations unsuitable and ask that they immediately dispatch professional cleaners to treat affected areas. Refrain from accusatory language and allow them the opportunity to resolve issues directly first.
If the host proves unresponsive within 8 hours, lacks sufficient remediation equipment, or cannot arrange professionals promptly, immediately call Airbnb Support through their mobile app or website to report the issue. Note in your message to Support:
● Date/time you first noticed smoke smells.
● Specific rooms and surfaces where smoke odors persist strongest currently.
● Any clues about the probable source based on odor concentrations.
● All communications made thus far with the host to rectify conditions.
● Health discomforts your party is experiencing from lingering indoor smoke residues.
Then politely request that Airbnb either:
A) Issue an immediate full travel credit for the remaining unused rental dates to book smoke-free accommodations elsewhere at a price point and amenities similar to yours.
or
B) Dispatch certified smoke/odor remediation crews to address the Airbnb unit’s indoor air quality within the next 8 hours.
Under Airbnb’s Guest Refund Policy, guests are entitled to partial or full reimbursements if the smoke odor issue was inaccurately represented in listings or the host’s remediation response proves inadequate. Ensure the Airbnb Representative submits all your supporting documentation about smoke smells into the formal case file.
DIY Cleanup of Minor Smoking Violations
For first-time minor indoor smoking violations by previous guests, conscientious owners can remedy issues with sufficient effort and ozone shock treatments:
Eliminate Smell Particulates Hosts must first eliminate all possible particulates causing ongoing odors:
● Discard all ashtrays inside or outside.
● Double-bag, then dispose of all cigarette butts, ashes, and residue found indoors.
● Remove drapes/linens with burn holes, then wash or replace them.
● Clean walls/ceilings to remove smoke stains or residue.
Deep Clean All Surfaces Every single surface must undergo intensive scrub cleanings using solutions capable of cutting through greasy residue.
● Wash walls, blinds, ceilings, upholstered furniture, and carpets with concentrated Dawn liquid soap.
● Degrease kitchen and bathrooms using concentrated orange citrus cleaners.
● Steam clean using high-heat settings, then apply pet odor removal solutions to carpeting.
● Shampoo the area rugs twice, then allow them to air dry fully before reinstalling indoors.
Diffuse Strong Odors
Finally, address all porous fixtures and fabrics that easily trap lingering smokey particulates long term:
● Use Ozone Generators – Continually cycle ozone through the property over 72+ hours to fully purge odors.
● Install new air filters, then run HVAC duct cleanings.
● Replace all vent filters.
● Hire professional smoke removal companies to deep clean carpets/upholstery.
Repeat deep cleanings and ozone purges multiple times until zero smoke odors register to sensitive noses upon entering. Only then is the unit safe for the next guests.
Preventing Recurrent Smoke Smell Issues
The best solution is deterring all indoor smoking before it happens again. Airbnb hosts should implement these key damage controls:
Notify Neighbors
In multi-family buildings, remind neighbors in shared wall units of Airbnb guest smoke prohibitions. Offer courtesy alerts if ever smelling violations next door.
Install Smoke Alarms
Per local ordinances, add more advanced smoke detectors throughout units, not just bedrooms. Place them near common smoking areas like patios, balconies, or known kitchen smoker zones.
Connect detectors to smart home systems. This allows hosts to receive mobile alerts for smoke detected on the property between rentals.
Use Higher-Risk Screening
Hosts renting entire private homes/apartments assume higher risks over shared spaces. Mitigate risks through:
● Security camera systems covering all entryways plus common indoor/outdoor smoking zones.
● Require all guests to submit full profiles with verifiable government IDs plus multiple references.
● Restrict “Instant Book” settings requiring pre-approvals only for whole private unit listings.
Then screen carefully for any red flags of potential smoking risks, and preemptively block any high-probability offenders.
Charge Extra Deposits
Private whole-home rentals require enhanced security deposits equal to $250-500+ per booking, specifically for smoking violations. State cleaning requirements clearly in your check-in instructions.
Automate Extra Charges
Integrate security software triggering automatic extra charges for unauthorized smoke detected while renting. Itemize triggers like:
-$150 cleaning fee per smoke odor incident -$300 deep carpet cleaning charge assessed -$500 full ozone treatment expenses billed
Guests automatically pay deductions from the available deposit credits or payment methods.
By covering bases through preventative technology plus brutally enforced financial penalties, hosts significantly lower risks of repeat smoking violations while maintaining responsive guest satisfaction ratings.
Obtaining Smoke Damage Compensation
As an aggrieved Airbnb guest displaced from your costly vacation lodgings due to negligence by hosts not preventing indoor smoking violations, you may claim the following cumulative compensation for your damaged trip:
- Full unused rental days are reimbursed so you can book smoke-free lodging for your remaining vacation duration.
- Additional 10-20% refund above unused rental total as cash compensation for your wasted agenda planning plus the hassles of finding last-minute replacement stay options.
- Reimbursements for all transportation costs to/from original lodgings before relocating to new Airbnb accommodations.
- Cash compensation for any prepaid attractions, tours, or entertainment you missed while sorting lodging issues.
- Professionally cleaned clothing, luggage items, or other personal belongings damaged by lingering smoke smells.
You can request cash compensation through Airbnb Resolution Center mediation or via your payment card company’s trip protection benefits. To successfully claim smoke damage reimbursement:
● Document the smoker violations with photographs proving multiple air quality hazards.
● Keep written records of all discussions plus steps taken by hosts (or lack thereof) to remedy smoking repercussions.
● Retain receipts from temporary hotels, transportation, meal expenses, and replacement Airbnbs incurred last minute.
● Quote health symptoms experienced by your party due to smoke pollution inside paid lodgings.
● Cite comparable listing rates for rentals without smoking for claimed compensation totals.
With evidence of the host’s negligence to prevent indoor smoking risks plus your guest displacement impacts documented, you should easily secure cash damage compensation.
Check that their reimbursement totals sufficiently cover additional costs to salvage your vacation minus all original plans lost.
Preventing Future Airbnb Smoke Smell Exposures
To help avoid the nuisance of booking Airbnbs with lingering smoke odors in the future:
Carefully Vet Property Reviews When browsing potential rentals, scrutinize the reviews section for any guest mentions of:
● Previous smoking smells noticed indoors
● Host tardiness in addressing cleaning requests
● Unit ventilation concerns or shared air duct issues
Any of these are red flags that the property risks recurring odor problems. Avoid those listings when cleaner options exist.
Message Hosts Before Booking
Ask any concerning hosts direct clarifying questions about smoking risks:
● When were home carpets and drapes last professionally cleaned?
● How soon can air purification equipment arrive if indoor smells occur?
● What other rentals occupy this shared building nearby?
Assess how informed and responsive they seem regarding preventative cleaning/maintenance important for mitigating unwanted smells.
Pack Odor Prevention & Cleaning Supplies
Come prepared to remedy minor smoke issues yourself while traveling:
● Bring plastic storage bins and tarps to isolate smoky items.
● Pack cleaning solutions like ammonia, vinegar, and odor eliminators.
● Carry multiple plug-in air fresheners and odor-blocking sealants.
● Pre-research professional cleaning services available locally if needed urgently.
Take Proactive Precautions
Before exposing yourself to potential smoker-infested vacation rentals, help avoid pointless hassles by:
● Thoroughly vetting all properties and hosts in advance
● Confirming smoking prevention safeguards stay in place
● Discussing contingency plans for possible odor issues
● Preparing your protective equipment/cleaners as a backup.
Stay proactive, ask key questions early, and verify smoking prohibitions are strictly enforced. That helps ensure your next dreamy getaway cabin smells as relaxing as the vacation depicted!
Frequently Asked Questions Airbnb Smells Like a Smoke brief
What can I do if my Airbnb house smells like smoke?
If your Airbnb has a strong smoke odor throughout, first contact the host to notify them of the issue. Provide photos of any evidence, like cigarette butts or ashes. If the host does not remedy the issue promptly, contact Airbnb’s Resolution Center and request a full or partial refund. You can then find alternative accommodations. Be sure to leave an honest review mentioning the lingering smoke smells to inform future guests.
Can I get a refund if an Airbnb allows guests to smoke indoors?
Yes, Airbnb strictly prohibits smoking inside all properties. If you encounter a bad smell from indoor smoking, report it immediately with documentation. Contact Airbnb’s community for help. You may qualify for a full or partial travel credit under their Guest Refund Policy protections. This credit allows you to rebook somewhere without unpleasant marijuana smoke odors.
What is Airbnb’s cancellation policy for smoke odor issues?
If smoke issues violate Airbnb’s standards on cleanliness or smoke exposure outlined when you booked, you can cancel penalty-free within 24 hours of checking in. Notify your host first, then Airbnb immediately to secure documentation allowing you to cancel without penalty. The host must then issue a refund based on their cancellation terms.
Should I leave an Airbnb immediately if it allows smoking?
Yes, you should immediately vacate any short-term rental that fails to align with Airbnb’s prohibitions on indoor smoking.
Contact the host to confirm their smoke rules and if they intend to remedy the issue. If not, don’t leave your belongings behind any longer than necessary. Report to Airbnb Support immediately to help you find alternative smoke-free accommodations you pre-paid for through your trip credits.
How soon do hosts need to reply to smoke violation complaints?
Airbnb expects hosts to respond to complaints about smoking odors from guests within 24 hours. If you have not received a reply from the host within a day of your documented notification, contact Airbnb for assistance. Timely responses and solutions are essential for resolving smoke odor disputes impacting your ability to stay comfortably in the rented space. Don’t tolerate unresponsive hosts when protection options exist!
