Just because you can't see the vape cloud anymore doesn't mean it's gone. The chemicals don't just disappear. They settle into the air, furniture, carpets, clothes, blankets, and walls long after the Do electronic cigarettes create thirdhand chemical residue? Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center Vape residue on clothes and furniture can be absorbed through skin, says Professor ABC listen Vaping or Cigarettes: What's Better for You?