Are you making a switch from smoking to vaping? Do you want to know how long the vape smell lasts?

Well, this question pops up more often than you might think.

Here’s a quick answer – it can last anywhere from  5 to 10 minutes.

Unlike cigarette smoke, vaping leaves no stale smell behind. But this doesn’t mean it’s odorless. As you vape, you will notice the smell of your flavor choices.

And while this smell might be pleasant to you, to other people it can be a deal breaker. Furthermore, it can linger around. So, you’re not entirely off the hook just yet.

Luckily, there are some effective strategies you can use to get rid of the vape smell. But before that, let’s learn how long does vape smell lingers in different settings and why it sticks around.

How Long Do Vape Smells Linger Around?

Did you know conventional cigarette smoke takes around 30 – 45 minutes to dissipate?

This happens because the smoke contains non–or semi-volatile particles that take time to disappear in the air.

As the name implies, vapes produce vapor instead of smoke. The vaporized particles are highly volatile and usually evaporate within seconds.

But sometimes, they can stick around for 5–10 minutes, depending on the vape juice used.

What if my house has no proper ventilation?

It makes no difference because very few particles from the vaporized liquid juices will linger around. After a few minutes, your space will return to normal.

Why Does Vape Smell Linger for A While?

The smell you vape releases and how long it sticks around is influenced by several factors. These range from juice ingredients and flavors to vapor density and residue deposits.

Below, we’ve discussed a few factors in detail. Let’s check them out.

1. Vape Juice Ingredients and Flavors

Kick-starting our list, we have vape juices and flavors.

Most vape products contain a proprietary blend of ingredients, which determine the unique aroma produced. These include flavorings, carriers (vegetable glycerin or propylene glycol), possible nicotine, and other additives.

When heated, these ingredients release volatile molecules that dominate the thick vapor scent. These molecules often evaporate into the air. However, they can leave sticky residues that leach smells later.

Often, vape juices that include strong doses of nicotine tend to release strong odors that can linger in a room for a while.

On the other hand, vapes with mint flavors produce vapors that evaporate quickly like a fresh breeze. So, choose your poison well.

2. Vaping Device

The type of vaping device you’re using directly affects the vapor density and aroma disbursements.

For example, Vape mods that need high wattage produce dense clouds with strong smells. Once exhaled, the aromatic molecules might permeate the space for a while before slowly dispersing.

Low-power vape pods, e-nails, and disposable vape pens produce light smoke, which vanishes rapidly. Therefore, the vape scent is less potent and lasts only for a few seconds.

3. Convection and Conduction Vaporizers

Still on vaping devices, you need to understand convection and conduction vaporizers. Particularly, if you smoke weed.

No! They are not the same device.

Convectional vaporizers prevent direct heating of cannabis blends or concentrates. The device heats the air, which then activates the weed at a below-burning temperature, turning it into vapor.

Conduction vaporizers, on the other hand, burn the weed directly using a heating element to produce the vapor. This results in a less potent vapor with strong lingering scents.

4. Ventilation Issues

Ample airflow plays a significant role in helping vapor molecules to diffuse and eventually dissipate. If you vape in a room without ventilation, the smells will linger even after the vapor is gone.

5. Inferior Vape Juices

The vape juice quality also matters. Sometimes, manufacturers may reduce costs by using impure ingredients in vape juices, such as Vitamin E acetate.

If vaporized, these e-liquids degrade into foul, stubborn odors that stay longer than pleasant aromas. The same rings true for black-market vape liquids.

We recommend you stick only to quality e-liquids from reputable brands for a better vaping experience.

How Long Does Vape Smell Last on Clothes?

If you’re an avid cigarette smoker, then you’re familiar with the lingering smell of the smoke leaves on clothes. And the tobacco smell can stick for more than 3 hours.

But as we said earlier, vape smell diffuses quickly, especially in a well-ventilated room. So, it’s rare for the scent to stick to your clothes.

However, there’s a catch.

If you have a high-powered cloud chaser vaping device, expect some of the flavor of the liquid to cling to your clothes, but for a few minutes. The same rings true for heavy vape users or if you smoke in a poorly ventilated space.

Another way, the vape smell can stick to your clothes is if you store your device in the pocket. It might leak the flavor-rich juice into your fabrics.

The good thing is you can remove the scent from your clothes during your regular washing routine. That’s because vapor particles dissolve in water. Alternatively, you can steam your clothes.

How Long Does Vape Smell Last in A Car?

At times, you just want to catch a puff in your car. But if you want to smoke a joint or a cigarette, that’s not a very wise idea. Otherwise, you might have to deal with a stubborn, unpleasing odor.

But what about vaping? Will its smell permeate your car? How long will it last?

Like traditional smoking, vaping in the car is not recommended. First, you need to have all your hands on the wheel while driving. But this might be possible if you want to vape while cruising down the highway.

Second, vaping can leave an unpleasant smell in your car. However, the odor is less prominent since it evaporates within 3 seconds to 5 minutes. Of course, this only holds if you vape with your windows open.

Although some vapers say vaping won’t make the car indoor space smelly. Rest assured; you will feel the residual odor if you don’t air your vehicle after vaping.

Another thing, vaping can damage the interior space of your vehicle. Remember, vape liquid contains carriers like vegetable glycerin (VG).

When vaporized, VG can stick to your car windows and other interior surfaces, leaving them dim or layered with sticky stains.

If you enjoy vaping in your car, simply crack open a window and vape safely.

How Long Does Vape Smell Last in Your Mouth?

Contrary to belief, vape smoking is not a healthier option than smoking cigarettes.

Yes! The sweet aromatic smell of vapes is pleasant but rarely lingers in the mouth for so long. What permeates is the nicotine contained in the vape liquid.

Nicotine in the mouth causes bad breath, which is hard to rid of. Not to mention, it’s an oral health concern because it can increase the risk of problems like:

• Tooth decay
• Gum recession
• Swollen gums

Fortunately, you can avoid these issues by visiting your dentist regularly. Make sure you tell him (or her) you vape.

How Long Does the Smell of a Weed Vape Last?

When vaped, marijuana or weed produces a unique aroma derived from its terpene’s aromatic and other combustion by-products.

The vapor generates leaves a strong and enduring scent that usually sticks to other items and lingers on for a while. Some terpenes from the weed are also released in the vapor. That’s why you can still smell marijuana even after the vapor disappears.

However, how long the smell of a weed vape will last depends on the strain. If you smell a strain with more terpenes, expect a stronger scent in your house or car. But it will not be as strong as the scent of smoke produced by a joint.

Dry herb vapes produce a strong smell, especially the ones with conduction heating.  Those that use the convection heating method release a weaker scent in comparison.

If you love vaping dry herbs, leave your house or car windows open. Keep in mind, that the cannabis scent will stay around for 5 to 10 minutes in a well-ventilated space.  In a closed room, the smell might stay around for up to 30 minutes.

Alternatively, you can opt for dab pens of vapes that use CBD oil or weed wax, as they are more subtle. Or you choose to vape outside since the open environment will also the weed odor to diffuse quickly.

What Get Rids of Vape Smell?

As we get to the end of our piece, let’s discuss a few tips for getting rid of the lingering vape smell.

1. Leave open the windows: Before vaping indoors or in your car, open your window so the smell can dissipate quickly. Trust us! Once the smell sticks on various surfaces, it can be hard to deal with it. So, save yourself some stress.
2. Use coffee grounds: When vaping in your car, place a small bowl of coffee beans inside the car for two days. The coffee grounds will absorb any strong odor left by the vaporized molecules.
3. Choose vape juice with less VG:  Manufacturers use vegetable glycerin or VG in vape juices to create a thick smoker cloud. But this also increases the odor left behind. So, if you want to keep a vapor-smell-free space, switch to vaping with less VG levels.
4. Use baking soda: For those who hate the after-smell of vaping on their clothes, we recommend using baking soda.  Just take ½ cup of baking soda, place it in a zipper with your garment, close the zipper, and shake it.  Next, let the cloth sit overnight, then tumble dry it the next day.
5. Buy an indoor air purifier: Never underestimate the power of an air purifier. It’s quite effective at removing stubborn contaminants from the air, improving the home’s air quality. Therefore, it can help you remove unwanted vape smells from your house.
6. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation:  We can’t help but insist on this tip. A well-ventilated room means less foul odor.  What’s more, the vape smell will not seep and stick into your curtains, clothes, furniture, and interior surfaces.

Closing Thoughts

Finally, we’ve reached the end of our article on how long does vape smell lasts.  But before we go, let’s get a summary of what we’ve learned.

Vapes produce less odor compared to traditional cigarettes and joints. However, the volatile vapor molecules generated can linger around for 5 to 10 minutes in properly ventilated spaces.

In closed spaces, the vape particles can stick to fabrics, wall surfaces, and even furniture, causing the scent to stay around for as much as 30 minutes. In cars, these molecules might dim the windows or even stain some interior surfaces.

Fortunately, you can combat the vape smell with baking powder, coffee grounds, a vacuum cleaner, or an air purifier.  We also recommend smoking with your windows open or outdoors.

That’s all for today. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment below.

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