I'm tired of the smell from the ventilation! But I used the old trick and the smell is gone

It is not very pleasant when smells from neighboring apartments penetrate into the apartment. Cigarette smoke, the smell of fried onions, burnt food and other unappetizing "aromas" reduce the comfort of life. How to get rid of them?

Why is the ventilation duct not fulfilling its purpose?

Often, ventilation ducts become sources of odors, through which reverse draft occurs. To understand how to stop the flow of annoying, and even harmful aromas, you need to understand why the ventilation ducts, designed to draw air out of the apartment, on the contrary, force it into room. This happens for several reasons.

The narrowing of the lumen of the channel due to the formation of ice.

Residents of apartment buildings face such a problem in winter. The fact is that due to the temperature difference between the lower part of the ventilation duct in the heated basement and the upper part, condensate forms, which is not so easy to get rid of. At low temperatures, this condensate turns into ice, which reduces the lumen of the channel. The only way out is to insulate the ventilation ducts. This will also eliminate the formation of wet smudges on the walls.

Exhaust duct contamination

Dust, dirt enters the exhaust duct from above, but mostly from apartments. Therefore, the exhaust opening must be looked after - at least once every six months, wash the grate and the window of the ventilation duct. Dirt is scraped off with a scraper. The vacuum cleaner will help remove the dust.

Sealing doors and windows

The operation of the exhaust system was designed to allow air to flow through leaky windows and balcony doors. However, the installation of plastic windows and metal doors with rubber seals have caused modern apartments to turn into thermoses. As a result, the exhaust ventilation duct began to turn into a supply one.

The influx of stale air is also facilitated by exhaust fans installed by neighbors in bathrooms and toilets, and powerful hoods in kitchens.

How to solve a problem?

Is there a way out of this situation? After all, if you close the ventilation duct, then the air exchange will be disturbed and your own odors will accumulate in the apartment.

Open vents help to reduce the return flow of air. At the same time, ventilation windows with grilles fulfill their intended purpose.

If you prudently install a grill with removable frames, then the problem can be solved. At the very least, reduce the influx of bad smell into the apartment.

Here is how I solved this problem. I first dismantled the ventilation grille.

Then, according to the size of the frame, I cut out a plastic film and, like a curtain, put its last grille on the side of the ventilation duct. The film is bent onto the grate only along the upper edge. The rest of its edges are free.

In this way, when the air leaves the room, the film will rise and the air from the kitchen will escape unhindered. With the reverse flow of air from the ventilation duct, the film will be pressed against the grate and, thus, access will be blocked, and smells from neighbors from the upper floors will not be able to penetrate into the apartment.

We collect the lattice in the reverse order.

When you insert the last frame, carefully cut off the excess film that is peeking out with a knife so that it does not spoil the neat look of the lattice.