No, we are not encouraging you to make a bad habit worse by bringing it indoors; we are addressing a real problem for many homeowners. Smoke in your house is never a good thing, and it soon permeates carpets and drapes, so solving the problem quickly is essential. Assuming the smoke is coming from your fireplace and not impolite guests, the quickest way to deal with it is to call a professional. The only things to do first are crack your windows, confirm the damper is open, and re-set your smoke alarm.
Chimney Blockages
Any homeowner who has seen gutters overflowing with leaves, twigs, and even large branches can easily imagine the blockages that might exist in their chimney. Less easy is clearing them, especially if nesting birds are taking advantage of your chimney’s warmth while morning frost makes roof tiles slippery. Even in perfect conditions, working on a roof can be challenging, so why risk it when affordable chimney professionals can do the job for you?
Quite possibly the problem, blockages can occur even in well-protected chimneys left suddenly exposed by wind taking a chimney cap or squirrels lifting it off. Left open to accommodate one and all, chimneys are sought-after homes in a prime location for critters and birds. You might as well put out a Free Room sign and sprinkle a little birdseed around with the sticks they are likely to need for bedding.
Improper Sizing
Even less amusing than critters and the debris that comes with them in your chimney is the possibility of improper flue sizing. Masonry fireplaces require flue liners of different sizes dependent on the size of the openings beneath them. Bigger fireplaces need bigger flue liners to achieve the same updraft; if the flue is too small, the space beneath them needs to be reduced. Smoke guards may need to be inserted to reduce the size of the fireplace opening, or a remodel of the fireplace might be in order.
Somewhere between those two likely causes of smoke in your house is an improperly sized chimney. It may need to be taller to allow sufficient updraft for smoke to be carried away from the house. Chimney height may comply with local code and still be inadequate, but that is just the kind of thing a chimney professional knows.