Smoke-Free Pubs in England may Stink Worse than Before

With the recent legislation prohibiting smoking in pubs in England, your favorite British pub will no longer smell like smoke. The problem, however, is that it might smell a whole lot worse.

Shortly after a similar smoke-free law went into effect in California nearly ten years ago, I visited my favorite neighborhood bar in Venice Beach excited that I would no longer be accosted by wafts of stinky cigarette smoke. The moment I walked in, however, I was overwhelmed by a far worse smell: cat piss. Apparently the two cats who lived in the bar regularly did their duty their as well. All the cigarette smoke had masked their little secret over the years.

I had never imagined a bar might smell worse after cigarettes were banned but this often the case. Usually it’s not cats, though. Bodies sweat, people throw up, food goes bad, carpets grow moldy–a lot can turn foul in a bar or nightclub.

With this in mind, one company is trying to capitalize on the new funky smell of smoke-free bars in England. According to a recent Reuters article, Ambius is a company that normally produces and sells scents to casinos and hotels. The company is now targeting pubs in England with promises of making their watering holes smell as wholesome as crisp apples or rose petals.

Nice! It sure beats cat piss, if you ask me!

(Photo: Wsogmm on Flickr)