Of course there is nothing better than enjoying a cigar or two at a lounge or tobacconist with the company of other brothers and sisters of the leaf. But there are moments when you truly wish to enjoy your smokes in the solace of your own home or in your vehicle - like me, in my Smokeasy mobile lounge. However, when you share space with others, like family who may not appreciate the aroma of your fine cigars, this further limits the venues within which you may indulge. My kids (and even some of their friends) love the aroma that lingers in the mobile lounge, but the wife finds it offensive. And I wouldn't dare dream of smoking anywhere in the house.
Not only do I have the wife to consider, but colleagues and other friends who may need a ride in the mobile lounge at some point. I am always conscious of the smoke odor in my truck - but I will never apologize for my passion for fine cigars and the freedom that I enjoy smoking in my vehicle (it's mine, dammit). I've tried many car air fresheners in the past, the typical stuff that you hang on the rear-view mirror or clip to your visor or vents, which may temporarily mask smoke odor, but not remove it.
Below are a few things to consider if, like me, you need to clear or reduce that cigar smoke odor from your home, man cave, or mobile lounge.
Extinguish all cigars properly
First of all, it is poor etiquette to stub out any cigars, like a cigarette smoker would do. Filler tobacco accumulates oils and tars as the cigar burns. When a cigar is stubbed out, the wrapper splits and a pungent odor is emitted from the exposed filler, which can be avoided by allowing your cigars to extinguish themselves. A fine cigar that is allowed to burn itself out naturally will prevent foul and unpleasant smoke odor.
Smoke odor elimination products
There are a variety of odor elimination sprays, aerosols, and gels on the market that are environmentally-friendly and work pretty well to neutralize smoke odor. They work well in the house and some are small enough to keep in the glove compartment. In addition, most are non-toxic to children and animals. Citrus oil air freshener sprays have worked really well for me.
And now we have a fantastic product which is available online and at local B&Ms and cigar lounges, Whiff Out™, which is made by Whiff Industries, a family-owned business that has a history of manufacturing lines of environmentally-friendly odor deodorizing products. For cigar enthusiasts, I would recommend the Spray Mist Odor Eliminator Spray, which eliminates smoke odors on contact, and can be sprayed directly on clothing, upholstery, and carpets, and is even safe for leather and vinyl surfaces (so it's great for use in your vehicle). The Spray Mist Odor Eliminator also eliminates smoke odor in the air very well, so you can use in the home, office, vehicles, and cigar lounges. I also highly recommend the Whiff Out™ Jar Ashtray Deodorizer, which is a very fine, white deodorant powder that can be added to coat the bottom of your ashtrays. This Deodorizer absorbs the pungent ashtray odor while releasing a very clean, fresh scent. What I really appreciate about the Jar Ashtray Deodorizer is its ability to kill the odor when cigar ash is dumped into the trash. My wife used to complain when I dumped my ashes in the kitchen trash can because of the lingering odor, but this deodorizer is so long-lasting, it kills the other trash odors as well. So when I forget to add the deodorizer to my ashtray, which I keep outside on my deck, I just sprinkle it in the ashtray full of ash before dumping it in the trash. Check out the Whiff Out™ line of products on the Whiff Industries website.
Smoke elimination devices
There are numerous devices on the market that claim to remove smoke and smoke odor. Some air purifiers and ionizers are quite advanced and will completely remove smoke odor, while others just make the smoke tolerable to the non-smoker. They are available in various sizes for various size rooms and spaces, including small ionizers that can be clipped on to any vent in your vehicle.
Fragrance oil diffusers
Fragrance oil diffusers work pretty well, even in large rooms. They generally work by burning a tea light candle under a ceramic dish with fragrance oil. Adding incense resin with the fragrance oil will burn slower. Diffusers work much better, and are much stronger, than scented candles. Although smoke odor may not be completely eliminated, the fragrance from diffusers tend to be very penetrative and seem to linger in the space for a good while. There are a ton of fragrance oil diffusers on the market to choose from.
So, if you're offended by those who are offended by your cigar smoke, there's no need for you to allow them to kill your vibe. Don't stop doing what you're doing - just take a little bit of time to employ some of the smoke elimination techniques above and keep enjoying your smokes.