How to remove marijuana smell?

Peggy0628

Hi, long story short, our next door neighbour and his mates smoke a lot of weed indoors and the smell is getting inside our house.
In the summer we kept the windows open whenever possible, had the carpets professionally cleaned, washed all curtains and used the heavy duty febreeze to keep the smell under control.

The smell was sometimes so bad, it was giving us headaches, making us feel dizzy and making us throw up (and friends eventually stopped visiting because it was making them ill too). Over time (after all the cleaning) it either got better or we got used to it but now it's winter and we can't have the windows opened as much.
Also, neighbour is now keeping his windows closed, so all the smell is trapped in his house for ages.
The houses are old early 1900's terraces so the walls are quite thin. I'm pretty sure the smell is getting in through the floors (the carpets were reeking of the smell).

The neighbour and his mates are known to the police (they raided his house and found drugs, marijuana and spice, and some weapons) and made some arrests but apart from that, they do nothing to stop him smoking weed and causing misery to us (the house attached to his on the other side is unoccupied). My partner is disabled and suffers with mental problems (depression, anxiety) and the smell seems to be making it worse (he is getting hallucinations now but did not get them in previous house). We're spending most of our time in the living room (the only room downstairs that is not directly attached to next door's so we can keep it relatively weed smell-free) as the rest of the rooms stink of weed even though we're regularly opening windows and spraying with febreeze. We had the carpers cleaned again before Christmas and the weed smell came back in less than a week (we can't afford to have the carpets cleaned every week and it's not practical anyway).

We can't move as we're barely half way through our 12 month rental contract and don't have money for another deposit, letting agent fees etc. even if the landlord allowed us to move out early without penalty.

Another problem is: Our clothes smell of weed too and I'm worried that it's going to cause me trouble at work. My employer can asks me to take a drug test (urine or blood). I'm not sure it the second-hand smell could somehow be detected by them. There are bound to be some chemicals in the smoke that could give a positive result if tested for them (I know they're messing up with my head as sometimes I'm feeling dizzy, have blurry vision and my brain seems to be working slower than is should.).

Is there something we can do to eliminate the smell? I'm not too keen on spraying chemicals (febreeze) around all the time (we go through 2 cans per week) and it's expensive (£4 per can, sometimes less if on offer). The fancy smelling ones (lavender, vanilla etc) are cheaper but only cover the smell for a short time whereas the 'heavy duty' version is eliminating the smell for longer.
Talking to the neighbour is not an option, he's an idiot who doesn't care about anyone but himself and just swears at people if they say something he doesn't like/agree with.

Thanks for reading this and all responses.

jk0

I think I would lift the floorboards along the boundary and use expanding foam to block up any holes to next door. Same in the loft.


Edit: Just noticed you are renting. Maybe okay this with landlord first.

Guerillatoker

The symptoms you note are atypical of cannabis so might be psychosomatic. However, they could be down to spice. I have heard stories of prison officers becoming sick due to proximity. The reason I note this is that (on a physical health basis) second-hand cannabis smoke is harmless, but the same cannot be said of Spice smoke, with evidence suggesting otherwise. If this is the case you will need to prioritise keeping it out your airspace rather than covering the fragrance, I'm not sure how to control the air quality of your household but perhaps someone can advise?

It also may excite the police into action if you live in a place where Spice has recently become a hot button issue. You could provide anonymous tips that will accumulate and possibly encourage the police into action.

Don't worry about a drug test, it is near impossible to get a positive result from second hand smoke.

EDIT: I also see covering the smell as an effort of diminishing returns. You might get used to the air freshener but doubt you will get used to the smoke smell if you find it irritable, so you need a permanent solution.

PhilE

Nothing to worry about in a drug test.

If your renting next to criminals, you can move anytime.

Norman_Castle

I'm pretty sure the smell is getting in through the floors (the carpets were reeking of the smell).

Sealing the gap between the skirting and floor all around the room is very likely to help. Use sealant in a mastic gun or twist plastic bags into a rope like shape and push into the gap.
Ideally putting a plastic membrane under the carpet should be done but that depends on how difficult removing and refitting the carpet is.