There are only a few things that can ruin a rental home’s interior more than cigarette smoke. For this reason, most Southern Prince George’s County property owners prohibit smoking inside or anywhere on the property of their rental homes. They usually have a clause in their lease documents that specifies that prohibition.
Some people would then ask: What about vaping? The use of e-cigarettes as a substitute for smoking tobacco has greatly increased over the past few years. Many people think of vaping as a safe activity you can do for fun. Others even think of it as a way to quit smoking altogether since vaping is generally considered to be less harmful to a person’s health.
Despite the hype around vaping, it has proven to be far from harmless. The clouds of vapor that e-cigarettes and other vaping devices produce leave a filmy residue on anything they touch. The residue could stick to walls, floors, and furniture. Here is something to think about: Both air and vapor are gas. This means that the places inside the home that air can reach, vapor can, too. When it goes inside air vents and ductwork, it could cause problems that may remain undetected for months or even years.
The reason that vapor leads to trouble is that it isn’t water, but glycerin. It may still be clear but it does not evaporate into the air. In fact, it is somewhat oily. The emissions from an e-cigarette are more like aerosol gas than water vapor. It has particles that are composed of chemicals, flavoring, and preservatives. These particles stick to any surface it touches. As these particles gather, they create a thick film that is difficult— and expensive— to remove.
When the film builds up on hard surfaces like windows or mirrors, they can be wiped down relatively easily. However, when they stick to other areas such as carpets, painted surfaces, and ductwork, they can’t be simply wiped clean. It’s very expensive and time-consuming to clean the filmy residue that vaping leaves on surfaces like these. On top of that, some items may be permanently damaged because of it.
For instance, you may have curtains, couches, and carpeted floors. When the particles of vapor get to these fabrics and carpets, you can’t just wash them off with water. You might end up having to get them professionally cleaned multiple times a year. Painted walls are also another challenge because the paint is porous and the vapor particles could get inside every pore. And this problem only escalates with the texture of your walls. The more textured they are, the more rapidly the sticky film gets into it. You would need to scrub off the film frequently, but the paint could be damaged during the process.
With so much at stake— specifically the interiors of your Southern Prince George’s County rental home— it makes perfect sense to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes along with other forms of smoking. At Real Property Management Gold, we carry out periodic property evaluations to check for indications of vaping inside your rental homes. Our expert property managers observe your properties closely, ensuring better lease compliance and keeping the value of your investment safe. If you want to know more, contact us online or call us at 301-392-2172.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
