How to Kill the Smell of Weed

Updated: Mar 14, 2022

Let's face it, the smell of weed isn't for everyone. While it's true that some people love that skunky, dank aroma that comes along with some cannabis flower, a pre-roll, or a powerful concentrate, others can do without it. Different strokes (and strains) for different folks, right? Whether you need to mask the dank smell of pot smoke from your landlord, parents, co-workers, or cops, it's always good to know how to control the odor of your cannabis smoke.

As cannabis legalization spurs rapid advancements in product quality, weed is only getting more pungent, making the struggle for an odorless smoke session even more pertinent. Thankfully, the marijuana accessories market has also expanded recently, and there are now more options for sprays, sploofs, sanitizers, and smoke filtration than ever before.

Of course, if you want to hotbox your house or let the whole block hear how loud your newest nugs are, we support you wholeheartedly. After all, polls show that the vast majority of Americans overwhelmingly approve of legal weed, so sparking up is certainly not the scarlet letter that it used to be. After all, it's no accident that legal weed is as popular now as it's ever been. Sometimes, however, keeping things low-key is necessary. But for everyone trying their hardest to figure out how to eliminate weed odor, we've got you covered.

Why Does Weed Smell The Way It Does

Before we get into how to eliminate or dampen the smell of weed, let's get into why weed smells the way it does in the first place. From strong smells of gasoline to whiffs of a pine forest or sweet fruit, marijuana's unique scents are all due to the presence of essential oils called terpenes.

Terpenes are the flavonoids that make up each strain's unique smell and taste profile. And if you've ever noted how a strain like Tangie smells exactly like oranges or Lemon Skunk smells exactly like lemons, that's because the same terpenes that are in weed are also in fruits, spices, and other organic material. These days, in addition to THC and CBD percentages, legal cannabis brands add terpene quantities to cannabis packaging to offer a full picture of the pot products. It's like an extra layer of the cannabis experience to enjoy, much like how a wine sommelier can appreciate the finer nuances of a glass of wine that others might miss as they gulp it down. But with such strong and recognizable smells of skunky funk, fuel, and citrus, cannabis terpenes can often overwhelm a living room, hotel room, or public park. That's why we here at Where's Weed have your back when it comes to some effective and fool-proof ways to get rid of and dampen the smell of that loud you've been enjoying! 

How To Get Rid Of Weed Smell

Gum & Mints

If you're looking for answers about how to cover the smell of weed after smoking, your body is a great place to start. Weed likes to linger on your breath, so if you're smoking at home, brushing your teeth before you leave the door is a surefire way to kick that lingering blunt or bowl out of your mouth. If you're out and about, a pack of gum or mints will help you smell fresh and beat dry mouth at the same time.

Hand Sanitizer

Just like your mouth, your hands are a huge source of lingering weed smell. When we roll and hold joints and blunts in our handsand pack bowls until our fingers are sticky - it's no wonder that our digits smell like dank. Use some hand sanitizer to completely kill the smell of weed from your hands and stay safe in the process. After all, you can never be too sanitized.

Bring a Change of Clothes

Even more so than on the body, cannabis odors love to stick on clothes. If you're really worried about carrying your last smoke session when you clock into work or head to your significant other's parents' house, a change of clothes will switch up your whole scent. If you're really determined to keep things low-key then make 100 percent sure that you bring a change of clothes with you!

Cologne

If your last blunt was extra pungent and you're wondering how to mask the smell of weed without changing your clothes, a little cologne goes a long way. Don't bathe yourself in the stuff, but a dash on the wrist and the neck will tackle two of weed's favorite lingering zones and draw inquiring noses away from the smell of roaches and cashed bowls. Just keep in mind that cologne can be pungent, so don't go nuts with the stuff. 

Odor Killing Spray

If you're more worried about your surroundings than you are your body or clothes, odor-eliminating sprays are often what absorbs the smell of smoke the quickest. And while some people swear that products like Febreeze are the best air freshener for weed, if you ask us, a specialty product like Cannabolish is the absolute best spray to get rid of weed smell. If you need to know how do you get the smell of smoke out of your house fast, a few sprays of minty Cannabolish will not only mask but also destroy marijuana odors.

Incense and Candles

Scented candles and incense are a great way to mask the smell of weed after you smoke, but for an even more subtle covering, burn your favorite wax or your best incense for weed on a daily basis. Especially if you live in an apartment or with anti-weed roommates, having the room that always smells like a lavender breeze or Tahitian vanilla will knock even the nosiest neighbors off your scent.

How To Smoke Without Smell

Sometimes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That's definitely the approach you should take when it comes to cannabis smell. If you go through the effort of making sure that you're dampening the smell before you ever even light up, it will make the process of greeting rid of that stench that much easier. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy cannabis without that dreaded weed smell! 

Edibles/Vapes/Dabs

If you want to eliminate smell before you even consume your cannabis, there are a few ways to skip odor altogether. First, and most foolproof, stop smoking and grab an edible, vape pen, dry herb vaporizer or dab rig. Vapes and dabs will still have a cannabis smell, but the scent dissipates much quicker than combusted smoke. For a 100% smell-free experience, take an edible and enjoy your high without any suspicion... minus your behavior of course.

Make a Sploof

For as long as stoners have been smoking out college dorm rooms, sploofs have helped mask the smell of weed. Beyond the silly name, a sploof is a simple machine made by rubber banding a dryer sheet or scented cloth to the end of a cardboard toilet paper or paper towel roll. Simply blow every hit into the open end of the sploof and the smoke will exit through the fresh-scented dryer sheet, masking the smell as you exhale.

Charcoal Filter

Lastly, if you're looking for the best answer to what kills the smell of smoke fastest, pick up a handheld charcoal filter from a brand like Smokebuddy. Using the same exhale method as a homemade sploof, a personal charcoal filter will eliminate any cannabis odor as soon as you exhale.

Smell-Proof Storage

Weed's smell doesn't only come out when you're smoking, and if your cannabis storage isn't secure, there's a chance someone will find your stash before you even burn it. For smell-proof storage make sure your bud is kept in an air-tight container. We prefer glass mason jars, but heavy-duty mylar zipper bags or oxygen-free plastic bins will also do the trick.

Isolate Your Smoke Session

Lastly, be strategic about where you smoke. If you're indoors but don't want to disturb roommates or neighbors, smoking weed in the bathroom is your best bet. Turn on the fan, put a rolled-up towel under the door, and mask the smoke with steam from the shower and a few squeezes of soap or shampoo.

And if you want to make sure that you exit your bathroom smoke session smelling even better than when you entered, hop in the shower, wash your hair and scrub your body. Sometimes a deep clean is the only thing to get the dank out.

Do you have any other suggestions for how to eliminate cannabis odors or a favorite scent of incense to recommend? Let us know in the comments below.