The gentleman’s guide to vaping etiquette for every vaper

• Ask first, every time, indoors. Smoke-free laws cover tobacco smoke, not vapour, so the owner of the home, venue or workplace sets the rules.
• Keep clouds small in public. A discreet pod kit on a low setting is the polite choice for streets, beer gardens and busy spaces.
• Step away from queues, doorways and children. Move a few steps to the side, and check which way the wind is blowing before you exhale.
• Leave no trace. Empty bottles, pods and coils go in a bin, and batteries go to an electrical recycling point.
• Do not preach. Nobody enjoys a lecture. If a smoker asks about vaping, answer the question and leave it there.

Why vaping etiquette still matters

Vaping is common enough now that most people barely notice it. That is exactly why manners matter: the vapers people do notice are the ones blowing a cloud across a bus stop or into a doorway. A little consideration keeps it that way.

There is also a practical reason. The UK’s smoke-free laws were written for tobacco smoke, not vapour, so there is no single national rule about where you can vape indoors. Instead, each pub, restaurant, employer, train operator and homeowner makes their own call. Etiquette fills the gap. The title of this guide may be old-fashioned, but everything in it applies to every adult vaper.

Ask before you vape indoors

In someone else’s home, the answer is always to ask, even if you have seen them vape there before. The same goes for a friend’s car. Many people are fine with it; others would rather you stepped outside, and a quick question saves any awkwardness.

In cafes, pubs and restaurants, look for a sign, and if there is none, ask the staff. Many venues treat vaping exactly like smoking, and it is best not to assume otherwise. If the answer is no, take it outside without fuss. Beer gardens and terraces usually have their own rules too, especially where food is served.

Social occasions deserve the same care. At a dinner party, wait until the meal is over and step outside with anyone else who wants to smoke or vape, rather than vaping at the table between courses. At weddings, christenings and funerals, follow the lead of the hosts and the venue, and keep it well away from photographs, speeches and the ceremony itself. At a friend’s barbecue, stand downwind of the food and the other guests. None of this is complicated: if you would not light a cigarette there, do not vape there without asking.

Keep vaping well away from children, whether at home, in the car or in public. It is simply good form, and the NHS says children and non-smokers should never vape.

Keep it discreet in public

A 200W box mod with a sub-ohm tank is built to make big clouds, and that is fine at home or in a vape-friendly space. On a busy street it is not. Kits such as the Geekvape Aegis X 200W mod from our box mods range are best kept for private use.

For out and about, a small mouth-to-lung pod kit produces a modest amount of vapour and fits in a pocket. The Vaporesso Xros 4 Mini, the Vaporesso Xros 3 Mini and the Oxva Xlim Pro 2 are all low-powered pod kits that suit this kind of use.

Your liquid makes a difference as well. Nic salts are made for these low-powered pods, and a 50/50 liquid in a mouth-to-lung coil gives a far smaller exhale than a high-VG shortfill in a sub-ohm tank. A lighter flavour such as Elux Legend Menthol also leaves less of a lingering sweet smell than a candy or dessert profile.

Queue up, do not cloud up

Bus stops, taxi ranks, shop queues, station platforms and doorways are all places where people cannot easily move away from you. Even outdoors, vaping in a tight group of strangers is poor form. Step a few paces to the side, or wait until you have moved on.

Check the wind before you exhale, and blow downwards or away from people rather than straight ahead. Never vape near an entrance, where everyone going in and out has to walk through it. Smoking shelters and marked areas exist for a reason, but not every smoker wants your flavoured cloud either, so give them a little space too.

At work and on the move

Employers set their own vaping policies, and many treat vapes the same as cigarettes. Even where vaping at your desk is technically allowed, step outside or use the designated area. Shared offices, meeting rooms and vehicles are not the place for it.

Trains, buses, taxis and planes generally do not allow vaping on board, and airlines are strict about it. If you are travelling, our guide to whether you can vape on a plane explains the airline rules, and our guide to the best vapes to take on holiday covers what to pack. Festivals have their own etiquette as well, set out in our guide to vaping at festivals.

When you are driving, keep your attention on the road. Anything that distracts you or clouds your view has no place behind the wheel, so wait until you have stopped somewhere safe.

Keep your kit clean and your manners cleaner

A sticky, leaking device is not a good look on a table or in a meeting. Wipe the mouthpiece and the pod contacts regularly, refill somewhere sensible rather than on a restaurant table, and carry a tissue for condensation. Our guide to cleaning a pod device properly shows you how in about ten minutes, and if yours keeps leaking, this leak guide will help.

Do not share your vape. It is unhygienic, and passing a device around a table is not the done thing. Offer to tell a friend which kit you use instead.

When something is finished, leave no trace:

1. 1
   Empty bottles and pods go in a bin. Never on the pavement, in a hedge or down a drain.
2. 2
   Coils go in with general waste once cool. Wait until a used coil has cooled before binning it.
3. 3
   Batteries and devices go to electrical recycling. Do not put a vape battery in household rubbish. Use your local electrical recycling point.
4. 4
   Choose kit you can keep. A rechargeable kit with refillable pods means far less waste than single-use products. Our guide to environmentally friendly alternatives to disposable vapes has more ideas.

Do not lecture smokers

If you have moved from smoking to vaping, it is natural to want to talk about it. Resist the urge to preach. Most smokers have heard every argument already, and an unrequested lecture rarely lands well.

If someone asks you about vaping, answer the question honestly and simply, tell them which kit you use if they want to know, and leave it there. If they want to read more, our article on making the switch from smoking to vaping is there, and for any health questions their GP, pharmacist or local NHS stop smoking service is the right place to ask.

The same courtesy works the other way. Do not criticise other vapers’ kit, flavours or cloud sizes. Everyone has their own set-up, and good etiquette is about how you treat people, not what you vape.

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