Eliminating Odors...Part One

 I am obsessed with odors.  By odors, I mean smell-good Wallflowers, candles, and other scents.  I have at least one Wallflower in every room, hallway, and bathroom.  I love to walk into my home, take a deep breath, smile, and relax.  I love that my guests always comment on the smell when they first enter our home.  A good smell.

Well.  My obsession is being tested.  As you know by now, Russ and I moved into an apartment complex when we first moved to this area.  For a few reasons:

1. Because we wanted to get familiar with the area before we looked into a more permanent dwelling. 
2. Because we wanted to use mortgage, repair, and upkeep money to help us save for our adoption.
3. It's just US.  We don't need much, so why not live in an apartment while we can.
4. We lost way too much money when we sold our precious home in Jackson, so we were NOT the least bit interested in buying again until we knew we were settling for a long time.

We have recently been blessed with a new neighbor.  I will say that our neighbor is very friendly, and I have no problem with her at all.

Except. For. The. Odor.  The cigarette smoke odor.

We have since learned that this has been an issue before.  Apparently, side by side neighbors share some part of the ventilation system...or something like that.  Because we can smell the horrid smell.  I was nearly knocked down when I opened my door the other day.  Yuck!  It's worse in certain parts of our apartment.  We have talked with management, who in turn talked to our neighbor yesterday afternoon.  She was very nice and wanted to apologize, but our manager didn't tell her who complained.  She also said she was trying to quit.  The manager suggested she leave her windows open with a fan or smoke outside.  I was satisfied with the result of that conversation.

Until.  This morning.

Russ and I both had headaches and began to smell the pungent odor.  Now, if we could smell it after sleeping there and sitting in it all night and morning, I know it must've been strong.  Meaning...if we had just arrived home, we would be knocked down upon opening the door.  I was near tears with frustration and worry.  What if my clothes smell like it?  What if our furniture smells like it?  What if the baby's room smells like it?  How can I bring a baby home to this stench?  We went to the apartment office to get a copy of our lease and explain our dissatisfaction.  We asked about the option of switching apartments, and I suggested designated smoking and non-smoking apartments.  That seemed like a common sense solution to a problem that has happened before.  And the idea of packing up and moving again wears me out!  Plus, why would I move to another apartment if it could happen again?  So far, we have gotten a scented filter to put on our air filter.  Big whoop!

So, we took it upon ourselves to find some sort of solution to get us through until at least tomorrow.  I did what anyone who wants suggestions does...I posted on Facebook.  I got advice immediately!  I'll try them one at a time.

The second suggestion was to set bowls of white vinegar around the home, especially where the smell is strongest.  I had already read this online, and it was something I already had in the pantry.  So, I began.

I poured white vinegar into bowls, and I began to set them around the apartment. 

The strongest smelling areas are the ones against the adjoining wall to our neighbor.  So, I placed one bowl in our kitchen, one in our laundry closet, and one bowl in our dining room.

I placed bowls in our bathrooms too.  These are the worst areas.  We think she may use her bathroom as her smoking quarters.

We also made a trip to Lowe's to try to find some sort of inexpensive air purifier.  We came across this plug in the wall air filter.  It is supposed to eliminate odors...not mask them.  We shall see.

I have lived in apartments for many of my young adult years...7 to be exact, and this is the first time I have encountered this problem.  If we had moved in after a smoker, I wouldn't be quite as overwhelmed because I would trust that the odor would eventually leave.  However, with a smoker next door...and the odor filtering through our vents...I'm not quite sure how to solve this!

We will try this for now.  I hope it works and that there is no "Part Two," but I'm not feeling too optimistic.  Our second option is to set charcoal around the apartment.  Wondering if we will smell like a barbeque pit....

Any suggestions?