Help! My Building Smells…How Can I Keep My Neighbors’ Scents Away From My Home?

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Design Hotline is a new column dedicated to solving real people’s home problems. Here, writer Diana Budds speaks to experts to help a reader address a smelly issue in their home.

Question: My roommate and I have lived in our current New York City apartment for roughly two years, and in that time we’ve dealt with a recurring stink issue. The scent of our neighbor’s food wafts into our apartment year-round, though luckily it usually passes after a few hours. We light a candle and wait it out. Our most frustrating issue is an unknown tenant in our building who smokes cigarettes inside during the colder months, and the scent often stays on the clothes in our closets and other fabric items throughout our apartment. We think this must have something to do with the design of the building—we have central heat and air, and the smoke is worse in a closet with no vents that shares a wall with the stairwell—but realistically, our landlords likely won't make any major changes that could prevent this. Is there anything my roommate and I can do within our home to stop bad smells from coming in?

While you can create the perfect home sanctuary right down to the fragrance, neighbors can often unintentionally intrude through noise and, like you’ve outlined, smells. Unfortunately, these quirks aren’t noticeable before you sign a lease, which can lead to some uncomfortable situations.

There’s an understanding that we’re all living in close proximity, especially in a place as dense as New York, and generally want to keep the peace. No one wants to be policed, though it’s appropriate to ask 4C not to run their vacuum at 3 a.m. But asking them not to cook food that smells unappetizing to you, and is likely delightful to them? Off limits.

From what you’ve described, the building could indeed play a role in the problem. Rarely do NYC apartments have range hoods that vent outside and because of building layouts a brisk cross breeze to air out smells might not be possible. Plus HVAC systems require regular maintenance. And how often are landlords sticklers for this?

Ashely Kuo, a designer and cofounder of the firm A+A+A, notes that in a couple of renovations of apartments in older buildings with smell problems, dead raccoons and rats that have gotten into the walls or the air ducts have been the culprit. Because of this, it’s worth checking in with your landlord. If the smoke is coming from the wall adjacent to the stairwell, then you have a much larger building problem at hand. “It should be a fire-rated wall and sealed pretty well,” Kuo says. If there’s a slightly noisier spot (or spots) in the apartment, that is another indicator of gaps that might allow smells to seep in and could benefit from sealant, says Arianna Deane, an architect and A+A+A cofounder.

Barring an architectural solution or HVAC upgrade, products that can purify your apartment’s air or prevent the unappetizing smells and noxious smoke from coming in will be your best bet. Kuo recommends the Levoit Core 300 ($100), which she uses in her apartment.

“Candles are great, but you want to look for something that's actually going to be absorbing the smell,” Deane adds.

If you have more budget to spend, Janine Carendi MacMurray of Area Interior Design recommends air purifiers with activated carbon (such as the Coway Airmega 200M). “They are incredibly effective at tackling odors,” she says. “They don’t just mask the smells, they actually neutralize them, and activated carbon is completely nontoxic.”

She also suggests looking into the Oransi TrueCarbon 200C ($180), “a powerful option, though it can be a bit loud,” she says. For something quieter, she likes the Rabbit Air MinusA2 ($600) and notes that it has customizable filters that target specific issues like pet allergens, VOCs, and odors. The Coway Airmega 400 ($649, but now on sale for $429) is “another great option, as it combines carbon and HEPA filtration,” she adds.

Where you place the products will matter too. MacMurray advises placing a small air purifier, like the Levoit Core Mini ($50) in the offending closet. If you don’t have an outlet in there, hanging activated charcoal bags inside can help too. “They’re fantastic for absorbing odors and moisture in spaces with no ventilation,” she says. “By using both an air purifier and charcoal bags, you should start noticing a difference.”

Our experts have another strategy: blocking the aromas before they get in. For the cigarette smoke, “I’d try to seal up the front door with a door sweep and weather stripping to try to block it out,” says Laura Fenton, the author of the Substack Living Small and book of the same name.

There are some vents filters that can help too. Kuo notes the brand Lisol offers one that can be cut to size and there are products that have activated charcoal too. Just make sure air can still flow through. “It's not a good idea to seal off the vents, as it can disrupt air circulation,” Fenton notes.

You might also ask your neighbors if they’re experiencing similar issues. This can help pinpoint the source. “The neighbor may be unaware that they are negatively impacting other apartments,” Fenton says.

If multiple apartments are experiencing the same problem, it may give you more leverage when talking to the landlord. Under NYC law, smoking or vaping in common areas of a building with three or more units—including stairwells, hallways, and lobbies—is prohibited. “I always say to ask questions of your landlord because so many of us who rent don’t ask enough of them,” Deane says.

Hopefully these interventions help you breathe easier. But if the problem persists to the point where you’re scrolling for new listings, note that some NYC buildings have smoke-free policies in their listings and might be worth seeking out.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest