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Just one incident can be enough to motivate you to invest in a cigarette smoke detector. Even the friendliest of guests could end up smoking in a living room or bedroom, resulting in you having to pay for a costly deep clean and absorb a loss in revenue because of downtime.
Without the right tool, it can be hard to monitor if guests are smoking, especially because traditional smoke alarms don’t often pick up on cigarette smoke. Plus, you need a way to prove that guests have been smoking in the case of a dispute where they don’t want to pay your additional cleaning fee.
Cigarette smoke sensors are the solution to this problem, which is why this article walks you through the best cigarette smoke detectors for vacation rental hosts and property managers. We also touch on:
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The best way to detect cigarette smoke in your vacation rentals is by utilizing the latest smart home technology tools. Here are the top three cigarette smoke detectors for short-term rentals. We’ll give you an overview of each solution and will go over what features they offer, battery information, and pricing.
The Minut sensor is highly sensitive to cigarette smoke, meaning no false alarms from burnt toast or incense smoke. That’s because the sensor’s cigarette detection system is powered by machine learning, so it gathers real-world data and continuously learns from it.
The device’s real-time precision means that as soon as cigarette smoke is detected in one of your units, you’ll get a push notification within the Minut app. This allows you to address the issue as quickly as possible and minimize damage.
Plus, you get access to a historical log of data, so you can review information about any smoking events that have occurred in the past. This protects you in the event of a guest dispute and helps you avoid renting to problematic guests again in the future.
On top of cigarette detection, the Minut device monitors noise and occupancy levels, tracks temperature and humidity, and serves as a home alarm system, among other features. At Minut, we pride ourselves on protecting guest privacy, meaning the device never records conversations or stores any personal data.
Finally, you can rest assured knowing the device won’t fail you, as it’s tamper-safe and has a battery life of about a year. That means you can just set it and forget it—all you have to do is track property information and alerts on your mobile device or desktop dashboard.
The Minut sensor’s battery can last for up to a year with a single charge. And, since charging the device only takes one to four hours, you can easily get the sensor back up to full charge during a turnover.
Minut has three pricing plans available to users:
WYND Sentry is a dual-sensor smoking and noise detector built for both short-term rentals and hotels. The device is capable of detecting cigarette, marijuana, and vape smoke, and monitors noise decibel levels at your properties.
The device sends you instant alerts when smoke is detected in your unit, meaning you can immediately address the issue. It’s also equipped with tamper detection and alerts, and provides incident reports for any smoking or noise events that take place.
When unplugged, the WYND Sentry tamper protection battery backup lasts around 48 hours. Otherwise, it has to be plugged into a power source via a USB-C cable.
The WYND website states that pricing for the Sentry monitor starts at $15/month/home, billed yearly as $180/year/home. WYND requires a minimum one-year subscription.
The FreshAir Sensor was designed for both hotels and vacation rentals, and it detects tobacco and marijuana smoke. The sensor covers an area of up to 500 square feet, connecting to WiFi via a cloud-based platform.
When a smoking event happens, you immediately get alerted via email, computer desktop, and/or mobile push notification. Plus, you can access timestamped charts to record smoking events in the case of a guest dispute.
The FreshAir Sensor has to be plugged into a North American (Type B) outlet or hardwired into a ceiling or wall.
There is no explicit pricing information available on the FreshAir website, but according to the savings calculator, the sensor costs $12/month/home. You can also contact a sales rep for more detailed pricing information.
When making your choice of cigarette smoke detector, here are the features and characteristics you should look out for:
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Once you choose a sensor, you want to make sure you get the most out of it. Follow these tips for installation and maintenance so you can effectively prevent smoking in your units:
When it comes to traditional fire alarms, we suggest you install them in your unit to ensure guest and home safety. Actual regulations regarding smoke alarms depend on where your property is located, so be sure to inform yourself of the local laws where you operate your short-term rental.
Airbnb highly recommends hosts install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in their units, even offering eligible hosts a free smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. But when it comes to cigarette smoke detectors, whether or not you choose to install one is up to you.
Just know that many booking platforms, like Airbnb, require you to disclose to guests if you use a noise monitoring sensor or similar devices. Therefore, if you use an all-in-one device like the Minut sensor, which comes with features like noise and occupancy monitoring in addition to cigarette smoke detection, you should disclose to your guests that you’re using the device.
You can include a paragraph like the following example in your listing to inform potential guests that your unit is equipped with a Minut sensor:
“This home is equipped with a device that monitors the environment inside the property (including noise levels, temperature, motion, and cigarette smoke) to ensure guests have a safe and pleasant stay."
Check out our guest welcome letter to get some ideas on how you can explain your Minut device to your guests.
Whether you’ve already had an issue with guests smoking in your unit or are trying to be proactive in protecting your properties, a cigarette smoke detector is a smart investment that saves stress, time, cleaning, and downtime. All the tools we recommended are specifically designed for detecting cigarette smoke, will alert you of smoke activity, and keep a record of all your smoking events.
But to get the most out of your solution, you want to choose a robust device like the Minut sensor. In addition to cigarette smoke detection, it comes with other features that protect your properties, from noise monitoring to window break detection. So whether you’re fully booked year-round or vacant during a long off-season, you can rest assured that your units are safe.
A traditional smoke alarm is a fire safety device, and it won’t likely pick up on cigarette smoke. So if you run a vacation rental, you need a cigarette smoke detector that alerts you when guests are smoking in your unit, helping you prevent costly damage.
While some traditional fire alarms can detect cigarette smoke, their ability to do so depends on the sensitivity of the sensor and the placement of the device. Many types of smoke detectors are specifically to detect flaming fires and smoldering fires and don’t often pick up on cigarette smoke.
That’s why it’s so important for vacation rental property managers and hosts to use smart home technology for vacation rentals specifically designed to detect cigarette smoke particles, like the Minut sensor.
Traditional smoke alarms in vacation rental properties typically have a lifespan of eight to ten years. Some smoke detectors have recommended replacement or expiry dates, which you should pay close attention to. Additionally, you should check the batteries in your smoke detector every six months. Some smoke detectors, however, have a 10-year battery life (if they’re using a 9V lithium battery).
When it comes to cigarette smoke detectors, it depends on the device you’re using. The Minut sensor, for example, just needs to be charged about once a year.
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