Everyone deserves to live, work and spend time in clean air. Creating smoke-free spaces can reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and support healthier environments for everyone.

Whether you’re looking to make your home or apartment smoke free, help create a smoke-free workplace or make outdoor spaces more comfortable for your community, there are simple steps you can take. Creating smoke-free spaces doesn’t have to be complicated. A few clear expectations can go a long way toward creating spaces where everyone can breathe easier.

Why Smoke-Free Spaces Matter

Secondhand smoke can affect the health of people nearby. It contains thousands of chemicals, including chemicals known to cause cancer, and exposure can increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease and respiratory illness.

Some people may be more affected by secondhand smoke than others, including children, infants and people who are pregnant. Secondhand smoke exposure also carries its own risks during pregnancy, and children can be especially vulnerable because they may spend more time in the same indoor spaces as adults and may not be able to move away from smoke on their own.

Smoke-free spaces can help reduce exposure in the places where people spend their time every day — including homes, vehicles, workplaces and community spaces.

Oklahoma has made progress toward reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in many public indoor spaces, but smoke-free policies and practices can still make a difference in places where people live, work and gather.

The good news? Creating smoke-free spaces can start with small, practical changes.

How To Create Smoke-Free Spaces at Home

Your home is one of the most important places to create a smoke-free environment. Making your home and vehicle smoke free helps reduce exposure to secondhand smoke for everyone who spends time there.

Here are a few ways to get started:

• Set a smoke-free rule. Make your home and vehicle smoke free and let family members and guests know about the rule.
• Ask guests to smoke outdoors. If someone chooses to smoke, ask them to do so outside and away from doors, windows and areas where children play.
• Keep expectations simple. You don’t need a complicated policy. A clear, friendly reminder can help everyone understand what you expect in your space.
• Use reminders when helpful. A small sign near an entrance or another visible reminder can make it easier to communicate that your home or property is smoke free.

These steps can help protect family members, friends and visitors from secondhand smoke while making your home a more comfortable place for everyone.

If someone in your household smokes, creating a smoke-free home doesn’t have to mean having a conversation about quitting every time. A smoke-free rule can protect the people in your home while giving the person who smokes the space to decide if and when they’re ready for additional support, and there are resources to help you support them along the way.

Creating a Smoke-Free Workplace

Workplaces play a role in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, too, especially around shared entrances, break rooms and outdoor gathering spots. Here are a few ways employers and teams can help:

• Set definite indoor and entrance policies. Most workplaces are already smoke free indoors, but a written policy that also covers doorways and entrances helps keep smoke from drifting inside.
• Designate outdoor smoking areas thoughtfully. If a smoking area is allowed on site, placing it away from entrances, windows and walkways helps protect employees and visitors who don’t smoke.
• Communicate the policy clearly. Including it in onboarding materials, break room signage or an employee handbook makes expectations easy to find.
• Share support options with employees. Letting employees know about free programs like the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline gives them an easy next step if they’re ready to quit.

Creating Smoke-Free Spaces in Apartments and Multi-Unit Housing

Creating a smoke-free home can be a little more complicated when you live in an apartment or condominium. Smoke can sometimes move between units through openings, shared spaces or ventilation systems.

If smoke is entering your home, start by talking with your property manager or building management. Explain where you’re noticing smoke and when it happens, then ask what options may be available to reduce exposure.

You can also:

• Keep a simple record of when and where you’re noticing smoke.
• Review your lease or building’s current smoking policy.
• Talk with neighbors about whether they’re experiencing something similar.
• Ask building management about smoke-free policies or designated smoking areas.
• Work together with your neighbors and property manager to find a solution that works for your building.

A friendly conversation can be a good place to start. For example:

“Lately, I’ve been smelling smoke in my apartment. Have any other residents reported this issue? How can we address it?”

Creating smoke-free spaces everywhere takes cooperation, especially in shared housing, but even a conversation can be a meaningful first step.

Creating Smoke-Free Spaces Outdoors

A common misconception about secondhand smoke is that it’s only harmful indoors. Smoke-free spaces aren’t just important indoors. Outdoor areas such as parks, playgrounds, school grounds and workplace campuses are shared by people of all ages.

Creating smoke-free spaces outdoors can help make these areas more comfortable and welcoming for everyone.

Communities, workplaces and organizations can:

• Create smoke-free areas around playgrounds, schools and recreational spaces.
• Keep smoking areas away from entrances, windows and areas where children gather.
• Clearly communicate outdoor tobacco-free policies to visitors, employees and community members.
• Use simple signs to remind people where tobacco use isn’t allowed.

When outdoor smoking areas are needed, placing them farther away from entrances and children’s play areas can help reduce the amount of smoke others encounter. The goal isn’t to make anyone feel unwelcome. It’s to create shared spaces where people can enjoy being outside without having to be around tobacco smoke.

Protecting Children and Other People Who May Be More Vulnerable To Smoke

Children deserve smoke-free spaces wherever they live, learn or play. One of the simplest ways to help is to keep homes and vehicles smoke free and avoid smoking around children.

If someone in your household or family smokes, there are still ways to reduce children’s exposure. Ask them to smoke outdoors and away from doors and windows. Washing hands and changing clothes before spending time closely with young children can also help reduce exposure to smoke residue.

In multi-unit housing, smoke can sometimes travel between living spaces. If you’re noticing smoke in your home, talking with building management about ways to reduce smoke transfer can help.

Creating a smoke-free environment isn’t about judging people who use tobacco. Nicotine can be addictive, and quitting isn’t always easy. It’s about making the spaces we share as comfortable and healthy as possible for everyone.

Support From the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline

If you use tobacco and are thinking about quitting, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline offers FREE support for people who want to quit tobacco, including Coaching, text support and patches, gum or lozenges.

You can reach the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline at 1-800-QUIT NOW to get personalized support and learn more about options that may work for you.

And you don’t have to be ready to quit today to start making a difference. Creating a smoke-free home, vehicle or shared space is one way to reduce exposure while you decide what comes next.

Take the Next Step in Creating Smoke-Free Spaces

Whether you’re starting with a smoke-free home, talking with your apartment manager, creating a tobacco-free outdoor area or encouraging smoke-free practices at work, small changes can make shared spaces more comfortable for everyone.

Creating smoke-free spaces is something we can all contribute to. And if you’re thinking about quitting tobacco, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is here to help.

Call 1-800-QUIT NOW for free support.