There are a few key things you can do to prevent infiltration of fragrance, smoke, pesticides, cleaning products, and other chemicals from entering your house.
Whether the offending chemicals are coming from a neighbor with an adjoining wall in an apartment or a duplex, another house, or the outdoor air, the main strategies are similar.
The first thing that most people do (buy an air purifier), is the last thing I would do (and is not even on this list). We need to start with far more effective strategies for preventing infiltration.
Read through all the strategies and adjust them to your circumstance.
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1. Airseal Your Home
The most important thing you need to do first is to air seal.
Start by finding and sealing any small areas where air could find its way through. In an apartment, you cannot do this perfectly but you can still make an impact.
- Airseal along the baseboards wherever there is a gap or where caulking is coming loose (or was never applied) – both the top of the baseboard and bottom of the baseboard. Use AFM Caulking Compound if you want it to be paintable and neutral cure silicone (or this one from Amazon) if you don’t need it to be paintable.
- Caulk around any fixtures that are on the shared wall or the exterior walls if that is where the odors are coming in – light fixtures, fire alarms, fire sprinklers, lights, etc.
- Place gasket covers under the electrical outlets and light switch plates. These are foam gaskets that you can buy from Amazon.
- Patch any holes in the drywall with a non-toxic dry mix drywall mud (you can use premixed spackle but only if you are not that sensitive to VOCs).
- Check the caulking around windows and doors and replace it if necessary.
- Add non-toxic weatherstripping to doors if neccesary.
This is the most important step, don’t skip it.
2. Find Out if Your HVAC System Brings in Air
You want to get to know how your HVAC system works so that you can find out if it’s bringing in air, when and where it’s bringing in air, and if that air is filtered.
Some systems have fresh air intakes, some have ways for “make up air” to come in to replace exhausted air – those can be passive or active, some homes have air exchangers, known as ERVs or HRVs, which move air in and then out.
The photo on the left is a passive make up air vent with a small filter on it.
You will want to know if these systems have filters on them (and can you add or replace them), where they bring air in, and how can you control them if needed to either stop air from coming in or to control when it comes in.
The photo on the left is an ERV air exchanger which brings air in and moves air out in a balanced way. It has MERV filters on it.
3. Control Negative Pressure to Prevent Air Infiltration
Any appliance that moves air out creates a vacuum that causes air to be sucked in through any route it can find. This is usually through small leaks that are found all over most buildings. This is the main way that contaminants are getting pulled into the building.
Even if you air-sealed as much as you can from the interior side, there is only so much you can do after a home is built. Plus when you are running exhaust in any way air still needs to come back in from somewhere, so you can’t stop this from happening in unpredictable ways and locations (unless you have dedicated “make up air”, which is not very common).
Which appliances create negative pressure:
- Portable AC units that have only one hose (use a dual hose portable AC unit instead)
- Exhaust fans in bathrooms
- Exhaust fans/range hoods over the stove or microwave if they exhaust to the outside (not just those grease catchers)
- Central vacuums
- Dryers
- Some woodstoves
When you run these appliances you are essentially pulling in air through any little place it can and this causes your neighbor’s chemicals or outdoor contaminants like smoke to infiltrate the house.
To stop this from happening only run these at times of the day when the offending pollutant is not being used by your neighbors or in the community.
If that is not possible you will want to provide easy access to make up air through a window that is not on the side of the building where the fragrance, smoke, or pesticides are coming from.
If that also doesn’t work in your situation, you can consider bringing in filtered make up air (see below section).
4. Use Positive Pressure When Needed
The IQ Air Multigas has a fresh air intake (pictured above). Instead of filtering your indoor air, it brings in fresh air from outside and filters that without exhausting any air outside.
This could be used to keep out contaminants in a few ways.
If you use this without the same amount of corresponding exhausted air, you are creating positive pressure. This is pushing air out through all those cracks and crevices where those contaminants were passively or actively making their way inside.
This can work really well to keep anything from leaching in. But this can’t be used in all climates at all times of the year. Especially in the winter in cold climates, this can’t be used, as there is a risk of this causing mold behind the walls.
You could also balance this with your exhausted air. You will need to measure the CFM of both of those to balance it. What that could do is allow you to use your exhaust fans when needed but control the air that is coming in so that it doesn’t bring pollutants in through all the small cracks and crevices in an uncontrolled way, but through this one controlled location (the IQ Air).
This also ensures that the replacement air is highly filtered.
If the contaminant is in the outdoor air on all sides – like forest fires – then you might still be able to use this highly filtered outside air, especially if you do need to use your exhaust fans.
If the outdoor contaminant is something that is short-lived, like a one-time pesticide spray then I would eliminate all negative and positive pressure for that time and seal things up as well as you can.
As far as I know, you can only buy this fresh air intake for the IQ air directly through their website. I have not seen any other air purifier companies that make something like this.
Related Posts:
- How to sequester offgassing of items
- How to offgas new furniture
- How to offgas a new house
- How to mitigate and seal fragrance and smoke
Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.
R Catt says
Hello Judith,
I have a issue with my new neighbors who lives next door to me. The vents for their washer/dryer aim right at my front door and porch. They do laundry every single day..night and day! And their appliances are so powerful the smell from the detergent and dryer wipes fill my whole yard! I had heart surgery and I choke and gag from the smell. My eyes get itchy and I cant breathe! I have tried kindly to talk to them and they got uppity with me. I even offered to buy them different detergent and dryer wipes. It was a no go! I talked to my HOA and they were absolutely no help! Only thing I see I can do is move. Which I do not feel is right. If someone here ever had a issue with me I worked it out with them to resolve it. But people today just dont care about anyone else!
Michelle says
my neighbour is sticking whole of my flat out with cooking fried food in unclean ovens and in saucepans where fat is so old and dirty it’s rancid.
this guy is given free food as he’s a immigrant so he has all day to cook fry ups.
last year i lost my temper last summer was extremely hot here in England it was unbearable heat but i couldn’t open any windows he had heard me shout it stinks and slam my windows so now he does it on purpose he leaves his oven on for hours just burning food ( free food)
it’s bad the extractor fans in kitchen and in my bathroom i can not use because the smells comes through so bad.
today is like Any other day i get up to smell of sticking chip pans it’s vile I’m losing my mind I’m very sensitive to any bad smells anyway i could never have a animal for exapmle but even if i had 40 cats it wouldn’t smell no where near the smell i get from him.
i can’t leave my windows open unattended i have to be in the room so when he bangs his dirty cooker on i can quickly shut the window.
it has ruined my life last 4years since he moved in .
he knows his cooking stinks he must using weeks old lard cooking oil.
i use plug ins air freshener i put fabric conditioner ( lenor) in hot water which is strong under normal circumstances and I’m also buying incense sticks from amazon nothing works.
all windows are shut but smell of old cooking fat still gets in .
Pete G says
Just recently we’ve been getting all types of smells from the the neighbors next door and we’ve reported them via the 311 as that site has a list of violation one can report. However 6 times we’ve reported these violations and nothing is being done. As part of the community association, even they aren’t doing anything. Oh they’ve put up motion lights to video the ally because of all the drug traffic, but as of yet no reports have been filed. If one was to look online, It says this home is being rented with a clause “No Pets and No Smoking” and they’ve violated both of these renter terms. Now or as of Dec 16th, the kids in the family are dealing drugs and we suspect meth from the home. The police have already raided this hose but again nothing is being done. We’ve tried everything.. Defusers, vapor barriers, smoker candles, repainting, insulating etc nothing works for long. We suspect that their homes/apt has turned into a drug save haven to teens in the area and because it’s section 8 nothing will ever be done. Our only outlook for this is that one of the kids gets a hold of some bad drugs and dies. our only other option is to move.
Cindy says
I just moved here a year ago Feb 1 because they were making meth in that older folks apartment building. I couldn’t get help because it was for the elderly so no one wanted to believe it. The smells were different but when I smelled an either smell then I knew for sure it was a meth lab. I could not catch them as they have aerosol sprays that neutralize the odors. Finally I found a place and way to move from there but health damage from 6 months at that building. Now at the new apartments it’s all one level and even older seniors and I though I should be ok. Wrong. The lady is younger than the husband on one side and she’s causing me some of the same issues I had before with her oil defuser. It’s not as bad but I’m living away from them and in my living room and kitchen area. Both places I tried to talk to them but no one cared. This one is just mean and rude. I tried to go talk to her but she spoke mean and all but slammed the door in my face. Then my cat almost died from the oil defuser so I have contacted a lawyer as the landlord is hud and the manager isn’t getting involved. Also the air ducts are full of dirt and they refused to clean them. I am allergic to things like the oil defuser and whatever is in the ducts. I’m still healing with my heart and central nervous system from the meth fumes. I can’t finish healing with this defuser. All my family passed away so I’m alone and they aren’t killing my cat. My dog died prematurely from the meth fumes according to the vet. Like I said I have a lawyer.
Mariane says
Hi Corinne,
Curious on your thoughts of how hazardous would it be for us to smell the spray paint my neighbors were doing crafts on their yard. I had the whole house windows open and baby was eating breakfast when we smelled very strong. I tried to move out of the room but the whole house was smelling. I turned fans at that point and left the house because I realized they were done but the smell was in. I was very upset but more worried if that can harm the baby. Their fence is not 12 feet away from our wall. I am very sensitive and can smell things easily but even the kids smelled it.
Sarah says
It’s crazy how many offending odors and chemicals are now part of everyday life and that infiltrate our homes. Sharing walls makes it even more difficult, but even in a free-standing home, it’s incredible how many odors drift through the air from several doors down. And it’s shocking how many people seem to have no clue that the products they’re using to wash their close, dry them, inject scent into their air, etc, are building up toxins in their homes, which then enter ours.
Thanks to Corrine for all of her very helpful ideas on this difficult topic. I would also add that for anyone desperate enough to need to move, consider moving to a community with an older demographic. In my experience, there’s a bit less nonsense with older folks. They’re not usually remodeling their homes, burning incense, or smoking up a storm (maybe for health reasons that caught up with them). In addition, they’re often a bit easier to work with if you say something to try to find some sweet spot for them to live their lives freely while perhaps being made aware of something they’re doing that’s impacting your health.
No easy answers…
M. John says
Why can’t they make apartments in USA with thicker walls & floors instead of thin drywall ? Use bricks to construct floors & walls between apartments.? Like in India? The USA. Is not a poor country, is it??!
Dean says
Every country has different building styles and uses different materials based on different factors. Climate and availability of materials and traditional methods are 3 important ones. What often matters most is attention to detail and when it comes to air sealing and insulation, that is typically relegated to the lowest paid workers. Most consumers are not as concerned or as susceptible to odors and chemicals as a growing minority and this is reflected in building quality and associated pricing. Not many are willing to pay for the level of air sealing needed and air infiltration is the result.
Gina says
I have neighbors cigarette smoke coming in on one side of my home and toki torch oil burning on my other neighbors all night until 6 am. My house smells like a trash dump. I have sealed my windows with silicone bought air purifiers. It seems to be more advanced when the AC unit is on. I have a ac window unit In my upstairs which I have to shut off when they like the tiki torches. My newly constructed painted room upstairs now smells like burnt oil.. I do not smell the cigarette smoke upstairs.. My coughing is so bad liquid comes right out of my lungs to my mouth at the same time as I’m coughing.
Mary says
I’m going through the same thing with my neighbor I’m going to cottage I confronted her about the cigarette smoke coming in and then she started using plugins and other things with chemicals that started coming in as well trying to cover up the cigarette smoke making it worse then she tries to tell me it was from the covid I had it in December it makes me think I’m smelling smoke and other things and that’s baloney she won’t stop I don’t know what to do having severe allergic reactions it’s even affecting my little dog I just moved into this apartment to get away from a hoarding situation and mold and now I have to deal with this and she won’t stop. so I guess I need to move again this is just not right that these people can do this I’ve got air purifiers and air cleaners going I’ve used vinegar I’ve used cinnamon it just keeps coming in in my case I think maybe it’s coming into the attic area and through the ductwork but nobody will do anything about it 20 years of putting up with this and moving
Access Doors and Panels says
If we were to sum it up in a single word, we’d say your work is exceptional. Thank you for your kind remarks.
Lois says
Hi Judith,
I understand your frustration, I’m having a similar problem with my end unit town home, new neighbor. His odors enter my home through gaps between the party wall and the foundation. After complaining to the homeowner, HOA, fire department, contractors, and purchasing three air purifiers and two window fans, I have hired a company to air seal basement gaps and remove drywall from the shared wall main floor level to air seal. Hopefully this will help. If not, I will be purchasing a single family home with privacy so this will not happen again. Frustrating.
Anon says
I’m having a problem with two of my neighbours. One I share a wall with and one I don’t. They are trying to drive me out of the neighbourhood by running abnormal concentrations of fragrant laundry products, curry, and now perfume, cologne and fart spray. They are also emitting some chemical into the inside of my home that’s making me sick but I can’t smell it. So I’m not safe inside or out. Evil people.
Judith says
My next door neighbors emit strong chemical smells from their garage which penetrate my house and burn my skin and eyes. Local law enforcement here will do nothing and worse report the who the complaining neighbor is. And state enforcement works with local. I bought the highest quality austin air filter for chemicals but it isn’t sufficient to protect me. And am at a loss how to protect myself. It smells of solvents or acetone and is searing to breathe.
Corinne says
Follow the list in this article. I don’t have air purifiers on this list bc it’s not up there with the most important things to do.
Lois says
Hi Judith,
I understand your frustration, I’m having a similar problem with my end unit town home, new neighbor. His odors enter my home through gaps between the party wall and the foundation. After complaining to the homeowner, HOA, fire department, contractors, and purchasing three air purifiers and two window fans, I have hired a company to air seal basement gaps and remove drywall from the shared wall main floor level to air seal. Hopefully this will help. If not, I will be purchasing a single family home with privacy so this will not happen again. Frustrating.
Christopher shindle says
That is a meth lab call police and tell them you have reason to suspect meth lab