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Considerate useEveryday use

IQOS Indoors at Home: Smell, Ventilation, Children and Storage

By the iqoser team · Updated · 5 min read

ILUMA i ONE in Breeze Blue with its cap open

Home is where you'll use your device most, and where the people around you have the least choice about it. Heated tobacco makes some things easier: there's no ash on the furniture, no burn marks, and not the stale smoke smell that cigarettes leave in curtains and cushions. It doesn't make the air in your home the same as if nobody used anything. This guide is about using an ILUMA i ONE at home in a way that's fair to everyone you live with.

What changes at home, and what doesn't

Changes: no ash, no ashtrays, no lighter left lying around, and fabrics don't absorb smoke because there isn't any.

Doesn't change: there is still a smell while you use it, on your breath and around you. And there is an aerosol. Studies measure lower bystander exposure with heated tobacco than with cigarette smoke, but not zero, and exposure is higher in small, closed rooms. Our guide to secondhand aerosol sets out what's known.

Have the conversation first

If you live with family, a partner or flatmates, don't assume that "it's not smoke" means it's fine. Ask. A short conversation now avoids resentment later. Things worth agreeing:

  1. Where. The best answer is outside: a balcony, a terrace, the garden, the building compound. If that's not possible, one well-ventilated room, never a bedroom other people sleep in.
  2. When. Not during meals, not when guests who don't smoke are over, not when children are around.
  3. What happens to used sticks. A closed bin, emptied regularly.
  4. What's off-limits. Kitchen, children's rooms, the room an elderly relative uses, the car.

Children

This is where the rules should be strictest.

  • Never use it around children. Not in the same room, not with the window open, not "just quickly".
  • Store everything out of reach. The device, packs, cartons and the charging cable belong on a high shelf or in a drawer children can't open.
  • Used sticks are a hazard. TEREA sticks contain nicotine, which can be dangerous if a child swallows one, used or unused. Wrap used sticks and put them in a lidded bin. If a child swallows a stick, get medical help immediately. Our guide to nicotine in TEREA has more.
  • Don't let them play with the device. It isn't a toy, and the more familiar it becomes, the more normal it looks.

The same caution applies around pregnant people: step outside, well away.

Ventilation

If you do use your device indoors in a space everyone has agreed on:

  • Open a window, ideally two for a cross-breeze.
  • Use an exhaust fan if the room has one.
  • Avoid small, closed rooms such as bathrooms and box rooms, where aerosol builds up most.
  • Air the room afterwards before others come in.

During winter smog or the monsoon, the pull to stay indoors with windows shut is strong. Our IQOS guide for Delhi looks at exactly that problem.

Guests

Treat a guest the way you'd want to be treated in their home. Step out onto the balcony, and if a guest doesn't smoke, don't use it in the same room as them at all. Never offer the device to a guest who doesn't already smoke.

Pets

Animals live closer to the floor and can't leave the room. Keep them out of the room when you use the device, and make sure used sticks are in a bin they can't get into.

A home storage checklist

  • Device: cap closed, on a high shelf or in a drawer, away from heat and direct sun.
  • Packs: closed, cool, dry, out of children's reach.
  • Cartons: same, in a cupboard, not on a sunny windowsill.
  • Cable and adapter: unplugged when not charging, out of reach.
  • Used sticks: wrapped, in a lidded bin.

The bigger picture

You are already being considerate by reading this. The most considerate thing of all, for the people you live with and for yourself, is to stop using tobacco entirely. Heated tobacco is not risk-free, and TEREA contains nicotine, which is addictive. If home life is part of why you want to stop, our quit smoking guide for India and the free National Tobacco Quit Line on 1800-112-356 are good places to start. For a frank look at smell, see our smell and ash guide.

Questions

Can I use IQOS indoors at home?

Ask the people you live with first. Outside or on a balcony is best; if indoors, choose an agreed, well-ventilated room and never use it around children.

Does IQOS leave a smell in the house?

There's no ash and not the stale smoke smell in fabrics, but there is a smell during use and used sticks smell if left in an open bin.

How should I store IQOS and TEREA with children at home?

Keep the device, packs and cable on a high shelf or in a drawer children can't open, and wrap used sticks before putting them in a lidded bin.

Is the aerosol harmful to my family?

Bystander exposure is lower than with cigarette smoke but not zero, and long-term effects aren't known. Use it outside and away from others.

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