Condo Etiquette - Stop Food Smells From Traveling

Most condos constructed since the mid-1960s have corridor ventilation systems that deliver outdoor air to the hallway on each floor. This is done to ventilate the corridors, keep odours in the units, and provide make-up air for in-suite range hoods, bathroom fans and clothes dryers. Corridor air ventilation systems push air from the hallway into the units through gaps around the entry doors.

What to do when you are cooking:

• Always turn the kitchen exhaust fan on. Ensure the fan is working — it should be able to hold a piece of tissue paper to its grilles when operating. If it cannot do this, or little airflow is detectable, the exhaust fan, duct system or outside hood may require cleaning.

• Keep the windows closed. The open window reverses the intended airflow by pushing it back under the entry door and into the hallway. An elevator shaft allows air, driven by the stack effect, to move between the floors.

• Keep your entry door closed. While this prevents smells from dispersing into the hallway, it is also a fire code rule.

• Don't add weather stripping to the bottom of your entry door or, in any other way, discourage the fresh air from entering your unit.