Hide the Fact That You Smoke from Your Parents

Whether you don't want to disappoint your parents or are simply afraid of the possible punishment for your habit, you can follow these easy steps to ensure your parents don't find out.

Steps

  1. Don't feel bad about yourself. Your parents will still love you even if you smoke, but they won't like it as it is very damaging to your physical and mental health. Consider telling them the truth. Even though you might get punished, they might at least appreciate your honesty, especially if you want them to help you quit. Or, consider giving up smoking altogether so you have one less thing to worry about.
  2. Keep your cigarettes and lighters hidden. Clean up after smoking a cigarette. Try not to use matches; instead try to get your hands on a lighter. Matches have a distinct scent to them.
  3. Try not to smoke inside or immediately outside the house.
  4. Don't throw away those empty toilet paper rolls! Stuff them with crumpled dryer sheets on one end, and blow the the smoke through there. The sheets will act as a filter for the smoke. Or you can also take a rubber band and put the sheet over one end then put the rubber band over it, and it will have the same effect.
    • Take a walk around the block or smoke at the corner where your parents won't see.
    • Smoke only when you are out with your friends, or when your parents are 'out of the house.'
    • Some neighborhoods have houses for sale or lease, don't be stupid and smoke in there, it is illegal and you can go to jail if you get caught.
    • If you're smoking in a car, crack your windows a few inches and make sure the cigarette is out the window, but behind the mirror. Crank up the heat or AC, depending on the weather, and aim the vents toward the nearest window to keep the smoke outside. Wear a sweatshirt, hood up, while smoking. Be sure to exhale the smoke with a strong whoosh out the open window. After you're done, roll the windows down more, leave the air on, and air out the sweatshirt after removing it, then turn it inside out. Drink Gatorade or Powerade during and after, as it soothes your throat and helps with your breath. Afterward, chew gum and use a small amount of perfume, cologne, or air freshener on your hands. Always wash with hot water and soap as soon as possible. Cruise around for awhile to air out the vehicle, yourself, and other passengers. Don't leave your windows cracked when parked at your house since it's a dead giveaway, unless it is the summer time. If you are in the UK, do not attempt to smoke in a car as it is illegal.
  5. Eliminate the cigarette odor from yourself before entering the house. Cigarette smoke takes 45 minutes to get off your clothes if you smoke one, every time you smoke another, add 15 minutes. But keep in mind that the smell of smoke is on your skin and hair so take a shower after every single cigarette or you will smell strongly of it for the rest of the day. Also, your breath and whole mouth will smell so eat several mints constantly.
    • Keep several cans of cologne or a lot of odor eliminator in your car for convenience.
    • Similarly, take several breath mint or chew a lot of gum to get rid of your smoke breath, chocolate also works wonders for smokey breath. If you spray too much though, your parents might get suspicious, if you need to drink to get rid of the smell, don't drink soda or water, drink a dairy product like milk.
    • Oranges and orange oil also masks the scent of cigarettes very well. If you can do so convincingly, carry an orange with you as a snack. After smoking, peel and eat the orange, simultaneously covering your fingers and your breath with the scent of oranges. Or wear some rubber gloves, and dispose once you have used them.
    • Clean the smell off of your fingers, because parents who have smoked tend to ask to smell your fingers before anything else. Getting rid of the smell can be done with scented soap or rubbing your hands in a clump of grass before entering your home. If they ask why your hands have grass stains, tell them you tripped and fell. De greaser for your hands also works wonders at removing the cigarette smell from your fingers.
    • If you don't want your fingers to smell like smoke you should not hold on to the filter when you inhale.
    • If your parents say you smell of smoke, tell them either that you were in a smoky place (for example, a bar), at a friend's house whose parents smoke in the house, or that some of your friends smoke. However, your parents might not be happy about those things either, so be careful.
    • Smoke clings to hair a lot. Before you need to be in your parents company, try to find a sink, and splash water through your hair. If at all possible, take a shower.
  6. Act calmly and naturally around your parents, as if you never smoked and have nothing to hide. Stand proud; don't be nervous around them. That will only create a suspicion that you are trying to hide something.
  7. If you have long hair, put it up in a bun, so that the odor doesn't cling to it as much. Also have a hoodie that you can wear and take off before you go inside, so your top underneath won't stink.
  8. Eat peppermint patties, at least 4 they are very good at hiding the smell.
  9. If Smoking marijuana, you should have nothing to worry about, since the scent of weed does not stick to the skin
  10. If you smoke and drive be sure to wipe your dash, handles, steering wheel down with a rag or your hand because the ash tends to rest in those areas most. Be aware of spraying a lot of cologne on your self because the sudden smell of cologne with cause suspicion. If you happen to stop by a gas station before you get home wash your hands face and nostrils (the smell seems to get caught in them and you think that everything around you smells like smoke) and instead of cologne use soap and water and rub in on your clothes. It masks the smell and causes less suspicion. chew gum but make sure you throw away all your empty packages of gum. Also, know that your parents will find out. It is inevitable, so if you're going to make it a habit, it may be a lot easier just to come clean.

Tips

  • Delete the history of this article off the family computer to prevent further suspicion if seen. If they find this in the history, say you were just "surfing" wikiHow (By hitting the Random Article link) and you just "stumbled" across it. You weren't reading it!
  • If you are smoking outside, take off your sweater when smoking, then once you are finished with the cigarette, put your sweater back on. This will cover the smell of cigarettes on your shirt.
  • Stay calm... they shouldn't expect a thing if you stay normal.
  • If your parents find you smelling of smoke, claim other people were smoking near you when you were at a bus stop or ran into a friend that smokes.
  • Learn to roll cigarettes. They smell less than manufactured ones because they have fewer additives; rolling tobacco and papers will last much longer than a pack of cigarettes; and they are much cheaper.
  • Don't throw your used cigarette butts on the front porch or lawn. Dispose of all evidence.
  • Make U-shaped paper grips for cigarettes. They will cut down the contact your hand makes with the cigarette so your hands will smell less.
  • There are a handful of brands of aerosol-based deodorizers that are specifically used for relinquishing the scent of cigarette/pot smoke.
  • In your room, hide your cigarettes where they can't be seen - such as under furniture or in a drawer.
  • If you smoke menthol cigarettes, chewing mint/menthol gum, or using other mint/menthol products, may reduce suspicion.
  • If you don't mind cutting a cigarette down to size a bit. You can cut a cigarette about half an inch shorter to fit it into an Altoids container. But don't take it out in front of friends, everybody will want a "mint".
  • If your parents find your cigarettes have an 18+ year old friend to blame it on (they should be in on it so if your parents call them up they know and can say something like "Oh gee I left that pack there thanks so much I will pick them up tomorrow!")
  • Put your clothes in a dryer for a few minutes with fabric sheets.
  • If you know a friend that has a mom or dad that smoke you can use this as an excuse if you get caught for smelling like cigarettes.
  • Wash your hair regularly. That smoky smell will linger in your hair, especially if your hair is long.
  • Light some incense in your room/house to help hide the scent; not only can it provide a potent aroma, but also can have a similar burning smell.
  • Don't hide your cigarettes in your sock drawer. As seen in many television sitcoms, your mother will probably stumble upon them while packing away your underwear.
  • If you are caught with cigarettes in your pocket you could say that you swapped coats with a friend that smokes and they forgot to take them out.
  • If possible, have some extra clothes (shirt or hat) with you since smoke lingers on fabrics after the cologne/perfume has worn off.
  • It will not be hard to keep this from your parents if you lie often.
  • If you are a boy then do not wear a shirt, smoke does not stick to skin so easily and you can always shower, whilst your parents will probably come into contact with your dirty laundry.
  • Do not litter your cigarette butts.
  • Wear a glove on the hand you hold the cigarette in.
  • The inside pockets of Jackets and Coats are great places to hide cigarettes and lighters.
  • Have a jacket on zip it all the way up and when you are done take it off and flip it inside out. this hides the smell from your shirt very well.
  • If you quit smoking or don't start, you won't have anything to hide.
  • Wear a shower cap when you smoke. It keeps the smell off your hair if you tuck it all away.
  • If you have a removable picture on your wall you can place your individual cigarettes and lighter behind the picture and put it back on the wall.

Warnings

  • If your parents are nonsmokers, they will be able to smell your smoke eventually, no matter how hard you try to clean yourself and your belongings. Even if you can't smell it, they can. This is because people who don't smoke have healthier, more sensitive noses. And super-sniffers will smell it straight away - if you have such a parent, you'll know it already!
  • Some ex-smokers are extremely sensitive to the smell of cigarettes. If your parents used to smoke but quit, they may notice it even more than if they never smoked before.
  • Some brands have a smell that lingers more than others. Parliaments, Marlboro Reds/Mediums, and Camel Filters tend to be more pungent. Marlboro Menthol Lights do not tend to smell as bad.
  • Remember, when or if your parents found out that you have lied to them, they may have difficulty trusting you again.
  • Cotton clothing retains smells more than most other fabrics.
  • The cologne trick doesn't always work. If you spray too much, they may think you're getting high off of Axe or whatever substance you use to cover up the smell. Parents with good noses (especially ex-smokers themselves) will be able to smell through it. Scrape your tongue with your teeth to eliminate the odor, and make sure they know a couple of your friends smoke. This way, you can always pull the old, "Oh, yeah, I was hanging out with so-and-so. It's so disgusting, isn't it?" when they ask you why you smell like an ashtray. Also, you can say something like "Oh, Cool!" to be funny. If you are joking around and show you are not nervous they will be less suspicious.
  • Smoking causes mouth, throat, and lung cancer, and can kill. Do not use if you are pregnant or under-age (this age is usually 16 in Europe and 18 in Australia, 18 or 19 in Canada and 18 in NZ, UK and the USA.). It also makes your hands and teeth yellow with nicotine and creates wrinkles and lines around your lips from sucking on the cigarette.
  • The smell of a single cigarette lasts about an hour, add 15 minutes for each additional cigarette smoked consecutively.
  • Do not smoke in bed under any circumstances. It is extremely dangerous!!! When in bed, it's easy to fall asleep and drop your cigarette allowing it to set fire to the carpet or furniture.

Things You'll Need

  • Mini Cologne/Perfume
  • Mini toothpaste
  • A clean change of clothes nearby
  • Cigarettes
  • A lighter or matches.
  • A great hiding spot. Don't hide your smokes or lighter in video game cases because parents know this very well. It's an old trick used by the hippie youth of the sixties, seventies, and eighties. Your parents probably grew up with that trick.

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