Marijuana Smoke: What Damage is it Doing to Your Home?

3/11/2019 (Permalink)

The smell of marijuana is no longer just reserved for clubs, venues, and shady parking lots. Due to marijuana's increasing legalization, more and more people are having to explain the smell to their kids.

When it comes to a home, what kind of damage does this smoke present?

An Important fact! - Smoke is made up of solid & liquid particulates and gases. Due to its chemical compound, all smoke leaves residue.

Consider for a moment a home of a long-time cigarette smoker. What is the result of a person smoking 1-2 packs a day? A obvious smell of ash, yellowing of ceilings and walls, and ruined carpets. The home goes through an extensive cleaning before it can be sold.

What though might we say of someone who smokes marijuana? There are a few variables to consider.

1) How often do they smoke?
2) Where do they smoke?(single room, around the house, upstairs/downstairs)
3) Are they growing marijuana in the home?

It's true marijuana smoke does not linger as much as cigarette smoke does, and usually dissipates within a few hours. Even if the smoking was concentrated to a single room though, smoke could still penetrate dry wall and under the door. Growing marijuana plants pose a different type of threat, due to the lights and humidity requirements, such an atmosphere encourages mold and the possibility of a house fire.

An Important Fact! - Smoke. Leaves. Residue. Even if marijuana is not being smoked as much as cigarettes, residue is still being collected on walls, ceilings, furniture, clothes, food, and children's toys.

A recent study found that the indoor particles of marijuana smoke, between 200-600 ug/m3, are equivalent to particulate concentrations of a wild fire or industrial pollution.

An Important Fact! - People are breathing in wildfires in their own home. This could cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

What Action is Necessary?

A thorough cleaning of the home once a year to clean off the smoke residue. This would entail the cleaning of all walls, ceilings, furniture, and floors(carpets/tiles).

Specialty O-Zone and Hydroxyl equipment can be used to clean the air, removing all harmful particulates.

Overall if at all possible, limit or remove the threat of marijuana smoke from your home.