How to Avoid Getting Caught Smoking by Your Parents

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 23, 2024 Approved

If you live with your parents and decide to smoke, getting caught is a real risk. Even though they have your best interests in mind, having angry parents is never fun. There are several methods that will help to hide the fact that you have been smoking. Picking the right location to smoke, preventing your clothes from smelling, and removing the smoky odor from your hair, body, and breath will all help to prevent your parents from discovering your secret habit. If you need help to quit smoking, read How to Quit Smoking or visit the CDC website.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Picking the Right Location

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1
Don’t smoke in your house. The smell of smoke will give you away, and your parents will catch you. You might be able to mask the odor with air-fresheners, but this is only a temporary fix, and the smell will linger. Also, smoking in the vicinity of your parents will increase the chance of them catching you.^{[1]
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- If someone else in the household smokes, then smoking in the house is less risky. There is still the danger that your parents will see you smoking or find your cigarettes.
- Don’t keep your cigarettes or other smoking supplies in the house; your parents may discover them. Hide them outside or give them to a friend to hold.
2
Stand by an open window if you do decide to smoke in the house. Have a fan pointed out the window to blow the smoke out of the house. Use activated charcoal, available at hardware or pet stores, to absorb any smell of smoke that remains within the house. Air-filters will also help to prevent the smoky odor from spreading through the house. Burning a citronella or other scented candle may mask the smell, but your parents might also be suspicious that you are trying to hide an odor, especially if you don’t normally burn candles.^{[2]
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- Make sure you collect the ashes and then dispose of them, preferably down the toilet or in a trash can away from your house.
- Use a mug or other ash tray to catch the ashes to keep them from falling to the floor or getting on your clothes. Make sure to sweep or vacuum up any errant ashes that do get on the floor or furniture.
Smoking too close to home will raise the risk that your parents will see you. Also, there is a chance that one of your neighbors will see you smoking, and they may inform your parents.
Schools are usually drug-free zones, which means the penalty for smoking is greater than in other places. Also, if a teacher catches you smoking, your parents will almost certainly be informed.
5
Choose someplace private to smoke. Even if you are nowhere near your house, smoking in public, particularly if you are under 18, is not a good idea. There is the chance that someone you know will see you, and your parents will find out.
- If you have a friend who is allowed to smoke, go to their house. Parks that are not visible from the street, or the rear of stores are also good places to smoke out of sight. Just make sure that smoking is not prohibited in these areas.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Protecting Your Clothes

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Then, before you return home, take off the jacket or sweatshirt and hide it. The outer layers will absorb most of the cigarette smell, and will also protect your clothes from falling ash.
Take the tube from an empty paper towel roll, and place several dryer sheets at the end. As you smoke, exhale through the tube. The dryer sheets help to prevent the smoke from dispersing and clinging to your clothes and hair.^{[3]
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Bring extra clothes if you don't have time to change at home. When you are done smoking, completely change into the fresh, clean clothes. Hide the dirty clothes until you have the opportunity to launder them.
- Make sure that your spare clothes are in a completely sealed bag. If you don't have a bag, make sure you place your extra clothes a good distance away from where you are smoking. If the smoke gets onto the spare clothes, they won't do you much good.
4
Wash dirty clothes. If your clothes smell of smoke, you will need to either discard them or find a way to remove the smell. Body sprays and air-fresheners will only temporarily mask the scent; your clothing will need to be washed. If your clothes smell strongly of smoke, place them in a large bag (preferably a large zippered bag) and add at least ½ cup of baking soda. Shake the bag and then seal it as tightly as possible. Let the clothes sit overnight, and the baking soda will absorb the odors. Then, shake the clothes and run them through the washing machine.^{[4]
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- Pre-soaking your clothes in vinegar also helps to remove the smell of smoke. Fill a sink with warm water, and then add 1 cup of vinegar. Let the clothes soak for 30-60 minutes, and then wash them as usual.
- If you are using these special laundry techniques, make sure your parents don’t see you. They may be suspicious that you are trying to cover up incriminating smells.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Cleaning Your Hair and Body

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This will help to protect your hair from the smoke. Keeping your hair from smelling like smoke is a good way to prevent being caught by your parents. If you don’t have time to shampoo your hair, pull it back and cover it up.^{[5]
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Showering and washing your hair are the best ways to remove the smell of smoke. Look for soaps, body-washes, and shampoos with a citrus scent. Citrus is great at removing odors and will help counteract the smell of smoke.^{[6]
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Wash your hair with apple cider vinegar. If your hair is smelling strongly of smoke, mix a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a gentle shampoo and wash your hair thoroughly. Vinegar is great at cleaning and deodorizing, and the apple-cider vinegar can actually make your hair healthier.^{[7]
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- You can buy apple cider vinegar at most grocery stores.
4
Use a dryer sheet if you are desperate. If smoke got into your hair, or onto your body, and you don’t have time to shower, rub a dryer sheet over your head and body. The dryer sheet will absorb at least some of the odors.^{[8]
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- You can also spray perfumes or body mists onto yourself, but they will only cover up the smell. Your parents may still be able to smell the smoke and know you are trying to mask the scent.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Freshening Your Breath

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Dry mouths tend to hold more odors, so have some water or another beverage before you smoke. This will not prevent your mouth from smelling like cigarettes, but it may lessen the strength of the smell.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source

Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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Cigarette breath is a tell-tale sign that you have been smoking. Make sure you thoroughly brush your teeth after smoking, and use a mouthwash as well. This will also help to remove the cigarette taste from your mouth. Smoking also causes you to be at a much higher risk for mouth disease, so adequate oral hygiene is a good idea all around.^{[10]
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Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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3
Chew mints or gum. If you don’t have time to brush your teeth, make sure you have mints or gum to help cover up the smell of smoke on your breath. They won't remove the smell, but they might be able to cover it up.^{[11]
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- Even if you do brush your teeth, the mints and gum will help to further freshen your breath.
Coffee will help to mask the smell of smoke on your breath. If you don't have coffee, look for tea or soda that have strong scents. These will help to cover the smell of cigarette smoke.^{[12]
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Citrus is a strong scent and eating oranges will help to cover the smell of smoke on your breath. Peeling citrus fruits, especially smaller juicier ones like mandarins, satsumas, or tangerines will help to remove the smoky smell from your hands.^{[13]
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Tips

Try avoiding smoking for 1 hour before returning home. Even the best gum will not mask the smell of a recently smoked cigarette.

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Helpful 7 Not Helpful 0
Don't wait for your parents to catch you. Inform them yourself after a month or so. Being honest about smoking and telling your parents yourself is admirable. Be carefull though, not all parents handle it well.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Instead of brushing your teeth or using gum, you can also eat smelly foods after smoking like Doritos chips. It can be very obvious if you are always chewing gum or brush your teeth very often.
Your hair and hands hold onto the smoke smell the longest, so try to cover them up when you smoke. Try wearing a hoodie when you smoke and keeping it in your car so they won't smell it.
While smoking, wear those latex cleaning gloves. They are cheap and you will smell nothing. Throw them away after.

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Warnings

Never smoke where there are any fumes of any kind. If you are unsure, just don't light up.

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Helpful 131 Not Helpful 4
There is no foolproof method to avoid being caught. Remember that each time you smoke, you are risking your parents finding out and punishing you.

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Helpful 135 Not Helpful 31
Smoking leads to a much greater risk of developing serious illnesses including heart, lung, mouth, and throat diseases. Remember that second-hand smoke is dangerous to the people around you. Not smoking is by far the safest bet, but if you do decide to smoke, try to prevent exposing people around you to second-hand smoke.

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Helpful 94 Not Helpful 70
Do not smoke if you are under the legal age for your country. If caught by authorities you will face at least a fine and possibly arrest or probation.

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