If you’re a former smoker who has just switched to vaping – or you’re thinking about making the switch – there are a few good reasons why you might want to know how long vape smoke stays in the air. You’re well aware of the fact that cigarette smoke can hover in the air for a very long time before it dissipates. It annoys the non-smokers around you. It also stains your walls and makes your entire home smell like smoke. One of the reasons why you might want to know how long vape smoke stays in the air is because you want to know if it’ll have a similar effect on your home and on the people around you.
Another reason why you might want to know how long vapor stays in the air is because you want to know if it’s possible to vape discreetly in public without bothering the people around you. We’d never condone “stealth vaping” in places where vaping isn’t allowed, but there are plenty of places where public vaping is still legal – and you might be curious about how to vape without drawing the ire of others.
The short answer to your question is that vape smoke usually stays in the air for at least a few seconds before dissipating. Exactly how long it hangs in the air, though, depends partially on your vape juice and partially on the type of equipment you’re using. In this guide, we’ll explain everything. As you read, you’ll learn about the factors that affect how long vape smoke stays in the air. You’ll learn how to stealth vape if you find yourself in a situation where you want to vape discreetly. You’ll also find out about the most discreet vapes on the market today. Let’s jump in!
The VG/PG Ratio of Your Vape Juice Affects How Long the Vapor Stays in the Air
The biggest factor that effects how long e-cigarette vapor stays in the air is the VG/PG ratio of your vape juice. Vegetable glycerin has more mass than propylene glycol, and it’s significantly more viscous. Therefore, a vape juice with a higher amount of VG will create clouds that hover in the air for much longer than what you’d experience with a high-PG blend.
Aside from your e-liquid’s VG/PG ratio, the next biggest factor determining how long the vapor hangs in the air is the power of your vaping device. If you use a large vape mod, your device will produce extremely large clouds – and bigger cloud production means that the clouds will hang in the air longer. With a small device like a disposable vape, on the other hand, it’s much easier to be discreet because the clouds are much smaller and dissipate more quickly as a result.
Not coincidentally, larger vapes are much more likely to work best with high-VG e-liquids. Smaller vapes, on the other hand, tend to use nicotine salt vape juice. Nic salt e-liquid is usually lower in VG. The fact that smaller devices typically use low-VG e-liquids helps to ensure that the vapor clouds disappear more quickly.
How to Stealth Vape
Before we discuss how to stealth vape, we think it’s important to stress that you should never attempt to vape in places where vaping isn’t allowed, such as in public buildings, on public transit and on airplanes. The only reason why you should ever want to stealth vape is because you’re in a place where vaping is allowed – like a public park, perhaps – but you want to vape without bothering the people around you. These days, everyone knows what vaping is and what it looks like when someone uses a vape. If you try to vape in a place where you’re not allowed to do so, you will get caught – and you will be in trouble.
With that out of the way, let’s suppose that you want to vape without drawing undue attention to yourself. The first thing you’ll need is a discreet vape that can fit in your closed hand. The two most common options here are disposable vapes and pod vapes, although we’ll discuss some specific products in a moment. Close your entire hand around the device, leaving only the mouthpiece exposed.
To stealth vape, you simply need to do the following.
- Take shorter puffs than you would normally take. If you take longer puffs, your device will produce bigger clouds. It’ll be harder for you to remain discreet in that case.
- Hold the vapor in your lungs for several seconds before exhaling it. As you hold the vapor in your lungs, it condenses and dissipates.
If you do those two things, you shouldn’t exhale a visible cloud. Just remember – you should never stealth vape in an attempt to subvert public smoking and vaping laws. If you’re going to be a in a situation where you won’t be able to vape for a while – at an airport with no smoking lounge, for instance – bring an alternative form of nicotine to ensure that your cravings won’t get out of control.
What Does a Vape Smell Like?
Although vaping does have a scent, the good news is that it doesn’t smell anything like smoking. In fact, it just smells like the flavor of whatever e-liquid you’re using. Learn more in our full-length article about what vapes smell like. As long as you’re not vaping in an extremely small space – and as long as there’s a bit of airflow – you generally don’t have to worry about the smell of the vapor lingering in your home or car.
Does Vape Smoke Stain Walls?
Vaping does leave residue on walls and other surfaces, but you’ll be glad to know that it doesn’t stain walls and ceilings permanently in the way that smoking does. If you see any staining on your walls from vaping, the reason is because e-liquid residue is slightly sticky and tends to attract dust. You can wipe the residue away with a soft cloth and a mild detergent. If you do this every few months, you shouldn’t notice any staining on your walls at all.
Does Vape Smoke Leave a Smell in Your Home?
No – vaping doesn’t leave a lingering smell in your home the way that smoking does. While you’re actively using your device, people in the same room will be able to smell the vapor. It won’t smell bad like cigarette smoke – it’ll just smell like whatever vape juice flavor you happen to be using at the moment. As soon as you stop vaping, the smell will dissipate quickly.
What Are the Most Discreet Disposable Vapes?
If you want to use a disposable vape discreetly, you’re looking for a device that’s simple. One of the recent trends in disposable vapes is that many devices are now featuring bright screens. Another trend is that many recent devices have dual-coil configurations and adjustable wattage. In other words, they can create enormous clouds that hover in the air for a long time before dissipating – not what you want. These small and simple disposable vapes don’t generate their own weather systems and don’t have eye-catching screens, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t satisfying. Try one of these devices if you want to vape discreetly.
- Bodega Bar: Containing 17 ml of e-liquid and lasting up to 8,000 puffs, the Bodega Bar is absolutely what you’re looking for if you want to enjoy your experience but don’t want to leave an enormous trail of clouds behind you. This simple puff-activated device also features a great flavor selection including some really interesting options like Banana Icy Runtz and Watermelon Bubblegum Gelato. The best part is that the Bodega Bar costs just $5.95 at the time of writing, making it one of the best values in all of vaping.
-
IJoy XP50000: On the surface, you might not think of a device with 20 ml of vape juice as being discreet. The IJoy XP50000 is much smaller than you'd expect, though, because it stores its e-liquid in a clear tank instead of a saturated wick like most other disposable vapes. The XP50000 is small enough that you can just about wrap your entire hand around it -- and since it lasts up to 50,000 puffs, you'll be using it for quite a long time before you'll need to start thinking about replacing it. With its clear tank, there's never any question as to how much vape juice is left.
- Rodman Vape: Speaking of well-known flavor creators, the Rodman vape is a collaboration between NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman and well-known vape brand Aloha Sun. Filled with 16 ml of vape juice and lasting up to 9,100 puffs, the Rodman vape is super discreet and looks absolutely spectacular in basic black. You’ll also appreciate the fact that it has an adjustable airflow tab, which can allow you to make the clouds even smaller if you like. With a huge flavor selection including tobacco, menthol, candy and fruit options, the Rodman vape isn’t just great for discreet vaping – it’s also one of the best disposable vapes on the market.
What Are the Most Discreet Pod Vapes?
If you prefer to choose your own e-liquid flavors and aren’t a fan of disposables, you’ll probably be happier with a pod system. Many pod systems are just as small as disposable vapes, ensuring that you can vape in complete privacy. These are the most discreet pod vapes.
- 7 Daze Clickmate: Although most of the pod vapes on the market today are ones that you fill yourself with bottled e-liquid, there are a few pre-filled pod systems that present alternatives to the dull devices available at gas stations and convenience stores. The 7 Daze Clickmate is perhaps the best one of them all. Made by the well-known e-liquid maker behind the famous Reds Apple e-juice, the 7 Daze Clickmate uses a pre-filled pod that lasts up to 7,500 puffs. Between the long-lasting pod and the large flavor selection, the Clickmate presents a perfect halfway point between disposable vapes and refillable pod systems. When a pod is empty, just pop it out of the device and click a new one in.
- Vaporesso XROS 4 Nano: The Vaporesso XROS 4 Nano is almost impossibly small for a vape that provides so many features. The XROS 4 Nano offers such advanced features as adjustable airflow and variable wattage up to a maximum of 30 watts, but it’s so small that you can easily close your entire hand around it. Thanks to modern high-density battery technology, the XROS 4 Nano also has an incredibly high battery capacity of 1,350 mAh packed into its sleek metal shell. That’s almost triple the battery power of most rechargeable disposable vapes. Vaporesso offers XROS pods in a wide range of resistances, so you’re free to select a higher-resistance pod if you want your device to produce small clouds that don’t hover in the air for long.
-
Vaporesso XROS 5: The latest generation of the famed XROS series is finally here. The XROS 5 features Vaporesso's brand-new COREX 3.0 technology for the best flavor that you've ever experienced from a small pod system. It also supports a maximum charging rate of 3 amps, which means that you can get a decent amount of vaping time after just a few minutes of charging when the battery dies. The XROS 5 features a high-resolution screen that's tiny but very easy to read. It also has adjustable power and operates at up to 30 watts.