If you love smoking cigars and enjoy having people over to your house to share your stash, you may consider building yourself a cigar room or transforming one existing room into a good cigar room. While a cigar room can be a wonderful addition to your home if you’re an avid cigar smoker, it can also be home to unwanted odors and smells if you’re not careful about how you plan and design it.
You can efficiently achieve cigar room ventilation by using fans, exhaust fans, air purifiers, and smoke eaters. The best strategy is to use a combination of these modes for a more effective ventilation solution.
In this article, I will share useful information that you need to know about planning a cigar room and useful tips on how to ventilate your cigar room best so that the smell of smoke doesn’t linger in your home and fill it with unpleasant aromas.
Why do you need cigar room ventilation?
You probably smoke your cigars outside when the weather’s nice, right? But what happens when it rains? Or when the weather turns cold? That’s where having a ventilated cigar room can come in handy. Plus, proper ventilation prevents the smoking lounge from smelling like an ashtray!
These are some important reasons why you need to invest in a properly ventilated cigar room:
- It smells better and has a good air quality. Cigars are best enjoyed in places where their delicate, flavorful aromas can properly permeate your senses, and a ventilated room does exactly that!
- Humidity makes cigars stale and ruins their flavor, making them unusable. A clean air system keeps your collection fresher for longer and even prevents mold or mildew buildup.
- Proper ventilation minimizes the chances of fire and prevents smoke detectors from setting off. This safety element gives you peace of mind while enjoying your cigar in the room.
What to consider while choosing a cigar room
If you’re planning on building a cigar room, you’ll have to keep in mind several unique factors and make it work just right. To enjoy your cigars the way you want to, here are three things to consider when planning your perfect cigar room.
Choose an isolated room
A cigar room should be isolated, preferably on the edge of the property. Cigar smoke is very strong, so a cigar room should be away from the main areas of the house. Also, do not select a room with multiple doors connected to other rooms. This makes it too easy for smoke and smell to spread throughout the house.
Disconnect from the main HVAC system
It’s best to disconnect your cigar room from the common HVAC system that the house uses. Smoke can easily reach other house parts through a common duct system. A smoking room should have separate external ventilation such as an exhaust fan. Plus, I highly recommend having a window in the cigar room as it will benefit from the fresh air brought in by the open window.
Basement or attic?
Most homeowners will be inclined to use one of these spaces for a cigar room. Although the basement is a secluded part of the house, ventilating a basement is not easy and has limited options. On the other hand, the attic can use its height to get rid of the smoke well above the house without creeping back inside.
How to ventilate a cigar room
Cigar odor is a major problem that can be difficult to control. However, there are some effective ways of dealing with it to maintain a pleasant environment. By controlling odors and increasing ventilation, you can make sure you always enjoy smoking cigars in your designated smoking areas. Here’s how some devices can be used to keep your cigar room fresh and well-ventilated.
1. Use fans
A large fan is ideal for dissipating cigar smoke (but only if you keep your windows open). The larger blades create a low air pressure, which helps move smoke out of small rooms. You can get plenty of movement from large-blade ceiling fans or floor fans, but make sure you choose a model that includes solid wood construction to minimize damage from cigar ash buildup.
Using two fans instead of one gives better ventilation by creating high pressure. It helps to introduce fresh air rather than the same stale air to recirculate in the room. One fan is used to blow in the air and the other to blow the smoky air out.
Ceiling fans and floor fans are better than having no ventilation mechanism, but they provide a basic level of ventilation. So, I recommend using exhaust fans to clear out cigar smoke. The suction helps pull stale air out of your cigar room, preventing you from breathing any old smoke that’s hanging around. You can get creative with setting up a fan, but most people choose to add one on either side of their cigar room to help effectively eliminate stale cigar smoke.
2. Use air purifiers
The best air purifiers suck dust, dirt, smoke, pet dander, and mold from the air. Suppose you’re planning on smoking cigars at home frequently. In that case, opt for an air purifier that can effectively handle all of the byproducts of smoking while also helping to eliminate unwanted allergens. Purifiers are an excellent investment because they effectively prevent allergies or asthma flares.
You can use air purifiers in addition to fans or just as a replacement. These units will remove particles from the air but may not remove all smoke smell. Having a second air purifier running in conjunction with another device may help ensure that you’re getting all of your smoke odors removed. Make sure that you replace filters regularly, so they continue to work properly.
3. Use smoke eaters
As their name suggests, smoke eaters are designed specifically for smoking rooms. Typically, they are used in commercial spaces such as workshops, restaurants, offices, etc. Smoke eaters don’t need air ducts or filter changes as they give electrostatic charge to the sucked impurities instead of throwing them out somewhere. Usually, they are installed between the ceiling tiles or can be attached to the hard ceiling. They do not replace air exchange with outside air, but they are more effective than fans alone at removing secondhand smoke from the area. They are more expensive than the other ventilation modes, but they do their work quite efficiently and are good value for money.
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Additional tips for a nice smelling cigar room
The little things can sometimes make the biggest difference in cigar rooms. That’s why it’s important to go the extra mile to keep the room smelling good and fresh. Try these useful tips in addition to the mechanical modes of ventilation, for creating a cigar room that smells incredible every time you walk in there to smoke.
Keep the windows open
Of course, it’s always a good idea to use windows to ventilate any enclosed space. Especially if you’re smoking various cigars with different aromas, opening up your windows can make them smell better. If there’s a breeze outside, so much the better. It will help clean out smoke-filled air and replace it with fresher air from outside.
Use air-purifying plants
Some plants are so powerful that they can cleanse indoor air up to 100 times better than carbon filters. A few examples of these inexpensive but effective plants include spider plants, bamboo palms, rubber plants, and peace lilies. Air purifying plants can be moved around your home for maximum freshness. Plus, you’ll reap all of their other benefits, such as mood uplifting and a treat for the eyes—it’s like killing two birds with one stone!
Use Smoke resistant urnishings
Fabrics tend to absorb smoke and odors, so they are not the ideal material for furnishings in the cigar room. If you want to have a nice smelling room, go for hardwood or tiled floor instead of decorating it with a heavy carpet that can trap smoke, dirt, and ash.
Moreover, choose a sturdy leather sofa and couch that doesn’t absorb cigar smell. Plus, you can wipe down leather easily. The same goes for curtains and drapes; ask around for smoke-resistant materials when shopping for these items, as you wouldn’t want to end up with things that are a nightmare to wash and still won’t get rid of bad smells.
Use smoke-resistant wallpaper
Wallpaper can help absorb some of that smell, while light-resistant wallpaper prevents any smoke soot from collecting on walls. Plus, high-quality paper and paint will also be resistant to mold and mildew. All you need to keep your cigar room smelling great is light-resistant or anti-odor wallpaper or anti-odor and humidity-resistant paint on walls and ceilings. These coatings will prevent any smoke soot from building up on walls or water damage due to humidity fluctuations.
Sealing the door with a draft stopper
It’s a simple tip to help you avoid nasty smells sneaking out of your room and can keep your home protected from the nasty smell. Use a draft stopper to seal off the gap underneath the door and any other potential routes for escaping smoke. Fixing air leaks will greatly reduce the smoke smell that leaves your room and into other areas of your house.
Conclusion
Your home is your castle, but cigar rooms can often be tricky to manage. One of the top pieces of advice for setting up a cigar room is to ensure that you have optimal air circulation and ventilation in your space. You don’t want thick smoke lingering in your home’s air, adding an efficient ventilation system to keep your home from smelling bad. Remember to follow the additional tips that support a ventilation system and ensure that you enjoy your time in the cigar room without worrying about the cigar smell afterward.
