Cigar Smoking Tips When Your Spouse or Significant Other Dislikes It
If you’ve been smoking in the house, unloading a bottle of Febreze like it’s a fire extinguisher isn’t the best method for keeping your spouse happy if she doesn’t like cigars. Loving cigars and your wife can present a host of challenges. We’re here to help. Please follow our preventative measures for staying out of the doghouse and preserving the most important thing in your life: premium cigars.
Smoke Outside
The easiest advice we can offer: if it’s nice out, smoke outside. Outfit your picnic table or back porch with a durable outdoor ashtray and invite your pals over. Few wives get upset when the cigar smoke stays out in the yard. Close any open windows that could invite your smoke inside, and if it’s raining and you’re confined to the garage, leave the door open until the space if fully aired out.
Ventilation Nation
When you smoke cigars in the house, make sure the room is properly ventilated beforehand. Simple steps include placing a towel at the bottom of the door, opening a window or two, and using a fan as an exhaust system to suck the smoke out the windows. When it comes to ventilation, study the HVAC system in your home and seal off any return ducts that can suck air from your cigar-smoking room into your home’s duct work where it can, and will, travel to the rest of your house.
Get an Air Purifier
Air purifiers are very common today. People use them to improve the air quality in their homes to reduce pet odors, allergens, dust particles, pollen, mold, and, of course, smoke. Top manufacturers like RabbitAir and Dyson rely on advanced carbon filtration technology to create cleaner, healthier air in their customers’ homes. You might be surprised by just how effective a quality air purifier is at eliminating any lingering traces of your cigar.
Choose a Room with Hard Surfaces
Fluffy sofas, pillows, and carpeting absorb smoke. It’s a good bet the Mrs. will be especially displeased if every item of furniture in the living room smells like a cigar. If possible, smoke in a room with a hardwood floor and no drapery, and remove any linens or pillows from the space before you fire up. Leather seating and lawn chairs will not hold onto your cigar smoke. You can remove cigar smell, but the less soft material that’s exposed, the less cleanup you’ll have to do afterward.
Change Your Clothes
It’s easier to change your clothes than your address if your wife doesn’t like cigars. Some guys will even bag up their cigar-smoking duds and leave them out in the garage until the coast is clear to drop a load in the washer. Tossing your hooded sweatshirt in the hamper with your wife’s favorite jeans after you’ve had a cigar isn’t worth the risk. If you’ve got a nice leather jacket that you smoke in, hang it on the back of a chair in the garage or the basement for a day or two. Cigar smoke dissipates, unlike cigarette smoke, which sticks to surfaces for long periods because of the chemicals it contains.
Take a Quick Shower
Before your wife gets home from work and crashes the party in your man cave, budget enough time to take a quick shower. Almost no traces of cigar smoking survive a hot shower, especially if she likes the smell of your shampoo and aftershave.
Brush & Floss
Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth thoroughly after you smoke. Floss if you have time. Gargle and rinse out your nasal cavity too.
A Splash of Cologne
Cologne isn’t a cure-all for cigar smoke. As a matter of fact, most guys who wear it, wear too much when they’re smoking to overcompensate. Your girlfriend will probably smell your cigar right through it, but a good brand can buy you enough time to distract her while you scoot through the house to shower, change your clothes, and brush your teeth.
Febreze, Candles, & Charcoal
Personally, I find Febreze nauseating, but it can work wonders in an urgent scenario to minimize your wife’s agitation. The problem with Febreze and Yankee Candles is that they simply mask the odor you’re trying to remove. A smoke odor candle is more effective than a traditional scented candle. We’ve outlined how to rid your car of cigar smoke with odor-eliminating charcoal bags. Many cigar lovers swear by them. Toss a few under the couch in your man cave and keep the wolves at bay, son.
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em
Get your wife to smoke a cigar with you. She might change her mind; she might love cigars. Sometimes spouses have an aversion to cigar smoking simply because they’re excluded. We all need time with our pals, but don’t be afraid to invite your wife. It could lead to even more cigar smoking.
