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What do you do when smokers stink up your house? I’ve having a bad run of smokers breaking rules, smoking indoors, and impacting subsequent guests. I want to recover an extra cleaning fee for dealing with these folks…
How do you charge?
What do you do to minimize odor?
Here are previous threads on this issue:
It depends on how long they were in there, how heavily they smoked, and how many there were. But this is where I would call in a professional and get an estimate.
I had a nitwit smoke for 1 night in a well ventilated room = no problem. Another did the same thing in an enclosed room when I was home and I should have called an ambulance (asthma). So it depends.
I read those threads before I posted and didn’t see an answer to my questions there either
Since this is a quick-turnaround world, I dealt with it in the normal fashion… but I’m setting up a new system.
I picked up some small picture frames and posted a “No Smoking” sign in them and put one in each bedroom and the common rooms. I’m buying new curtains and rods (so I can change them more easily than the ones I have) so that next time it happens I can grab the old drapes for laundering and replace with the back ups. I already have plenty of sheets and bedding, but I’m also buying new dust ruffles and throw pillows for the beds and new blankets so I can swap out “smoky” textiles for laundering. I changed the air filter, wiped down the walls, and used some arm and hammer powder on the rugs and furniture to clean the smell.
It’s mostly clean-smelling, but I can still notice a faint smell.
I’m also putting notice that smokers will be charged a $100 cleaning fee for the extra work it requires… I talked myself down from the $150 I was thinking earlier.
I’d love to hire professionals, but I usually only have a 5 hour turnaround window and it’s hard to get a reasonable service in such short order.
For any smells from smokers/perfumes/body odors etc along with cleaning I have an ozone cleaning machine. Turn it on for one hour and it is amazing how much of the odor is removed. You can purchase for as little as $30 here in the states. Then just clean the room like normal. We normally do not have an issue but it has happened to all of us ocassionally.
Any extra charges must be listed in the House Manual however be aware that if it escalates to Airbnb w/o absolute proof you may not be able to collect if they fight it.
Why is smoking such a big deal? I am an ex smoker and I firmly believe in smokers rights. My smokers are most thoughtful and smoke on the terrace off the bedroom. I have never had a problem with the smell and I have never had to ask a smoker to smoke on the terrace instead of the bedroom.
Because there are many of us (myself included) that do not smoke and abhor the smell of smoke. And there are enough smokers that ignore the rules that we are all nervous.
My most recent smoking rule breaker that left butts and ashes throughout the kitchen and yard I just discovered yesterday also used the door frame of my sliding glass patio door to crush out ther cigarettes!
I have additional $50 fees for unauthorized pets, unauthorized people, failing to clean up after their pet waste and leaving the house insecure. I am now going to add one for smoking. I don’t know why I didn’t do this before…I guess this is just the first time anyone actually violated it so blatantly and disrespectfully and INSIDE!
So I plan to add a $100/instance/cigarette/cigar fee. My deposit is $500. Do you think there’s any chance Airbnb would support me out of that if the guest refuses to pay ditectly? I know that Airbnb customer service / case managers are authorized to pay it for them at $200 or less.
Airbnb defended and withheld the deposit when I was in the right. That’s no problem. My problem is that most smokers are courteous and respectful.
It is inexcusable that a smoker left his butts and ashes all over but he was one person fortunately. I resent the fact that one person breaks the rules and ruins it for everyone else. As an ex-smoker, I don’t think smokers should be treated like animals.
They don’t treat me like an animal. We talk it out and I have room for their smoking and they respect my requests. I have never had anyone who has not done that.
$250 fine for smoking and $20 per butt.
I’ve never actually had to fine anyone so I actually took this out of my rules and I still haven’t had any problems.
Any host who threatens to charge fines for smoking and butts is off my list even though I no longer smoke,
I simply can’t respect people who treat smokers or ex-smokers like animals. If. you don’t want smoking talk it out. Hitler and other dictators died a few years ago or do you think you should send smokers to concentration camp?
@lordhunt Then you won’t need to book with me because my most recent experience has been that smokers disrespected me, my house and my Rules tomboy smoke anwywhere in the entire property. They suffer no ill effect other than a bad review which they never have to use that account again if they don’t want. I am stuck picking up butts, ashes and trying to clean out my door jamb, my counter tops, my floors, my stoop, my patio, my yard and my trash cans. Requiring a fine for failure to follow rules you agree to when you book is not treating someone like an animal. Are you treated like an animal for getting a speeding ticket, a littering fine?
So do you consider me treating unauthorized guests with a fine asnanimals? How about unauthorized pets? Failure to pick up after their pet? Failure to secure the house? This is not about smokers at all. It is about people who fail to follow the rules we set up as hosts having them into our houses and homes.
Look on Amazon for “Ozium.” It actually neutralizes the odor rather than mask it, so it is more effective than air freshener sprays. Wipe down walls with vinegar, and leave a bowl of vinegar in the room to neutralize the odor.
I have had two smokers on my property recently, despite my listing explicitly stating that no smokers are allowed. Neither of them smoked in the house, but the smell of smoke on their clothing left my room smelling horrible. I used Ozium, vinegar, and sprinkled baking soda on the carpet and mattress, and the smell was gone by the time the next guest arrived. You may not have as much luck with a same day check-in, but I would definitely add the Ozium to your stash of cleaning supplies.
The longer I host, the more I realize that most guests don’t read the listing, so I recently added a picture in my listing stating that no smokers are allowed. I figured most guests probably at least look at the pictures before booking.
I tell guests they are welcome to smoke outside where there is a tin bucket for butts. And I added “Do not smoke sitting or standing in the doorways” as I found some smokers think that technically constitutes smoking “outside” if they exhale outside even though the smoke blows back inside. Fortunately in Australia a packet of cigarettes cost $40 so smokers are rare and it has been over 20 years since smokers were expected to smoke outside in other people’s houses so people are used to it. It probably helps that I live separately upstairs so would smell it if they did and they know that. Did I mention I occasionally smoke upstairs myself? Yes I am a hypocrite but I do it for the guests who expect a smoke free environment with no smells.
How to charge smokers?
We generally find 240 volts @ 20 amps works quite well. They generally only need a very short charge to convince them not to do it again. 
I don’t think anyone has actually said that they treat smokers like animals, or even that they should be.
I am an ex smoker and I now can’t stand the smell in any measure.
Just to be sure: You do kill those animals… euuhhh… You do leave them the review and stars they deserve?