Do Fans Make Smoke in the Room Worse?

Recommendation

• Fans are so effective at getting rid of smoke in a room that they are recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for ventilating indoor areas used by smokers. You can use your stove's exhaust fan if cooking is the source of the smoke or use a box fan, ceiling fan, exhaust fan or window-mounted unit for any type of smoke. None of these fan types should make the smoke in the room worse.

Types

• You can potentially use several different types of fans to get rid of smoke in a room. Some types vent the smoke to the outdoors while others break it up and move it around the house so it does not remain concentrated in one area. Typical units that vent smoky air to the outdoors are kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans while ceiling fans move the air around throughout the home. Air handling units built into furnaces and air conditioners send the smoky air outside and draw in fresh air from outdoors that gets filtered before it enters your home.

Considerations

• A fan may dissipate smoke or remove it from a room entirely, but you may still smell it because the smell often gets into clothing and your hair. This can happen due to any kind of household smoke, but it is particularly likely if you are in a room where people smoke for prolonged periods. The only way to get rid of the odor is by washing your clothing and hair. Fans do not affect smoke particles and chemicals that seep into walls, furnishings, fabrics and hair.

Warning

• Smoke from cigarettes is potentially dangerous, even when you get rid of it, because it leaves toxins behind. The smoke exhaled by cigarette smokers is commonly known as secondhand smoke while the residuals left behind are referred to as thirdhand smoke by physicians from Boston's MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Fans do not help with this problem because particles from the exhaled gas cling to furniture, walls, carpets and other parts of the room. People who use the room are exposed to carcinogens from the remaining smoke.