Unfortunately, weed smell can be a dead giveaway that alerts others to your preferably private ritual. And while cannabis may be consumed for medicinal and adult-use purposes throughout the country, federal prohibition continues to influence public perception, which can be negative.
If you want to be mindful of your neighbors or simply want your cannabis habits to stay under the radar, respect and privacy can be preserved with a few handy tricks to hide the smell of cannabis on your person or inside your home.
How to get rid of weed smell in your house after smoking
The classic approach: Sai baba, satya, nag champa, agarbatti incense
Nag Champa is an incense commonly burnt in ashrams. Using the smoke of the incense is a great way to cover the smell of weed. The scent is neither masculine or feminine and usually contains a mixture of the following ingredients:
- Champa flower
- Benzoin resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis)
- Henna (Lawsonia inermis)
- Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
- Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)
- Vanilla
- Honey
The classic aroma was transplanted in the west at the end of the hippie trail and has remained a welcome scent for practitioners of yoga, meditation, and cannabis consumption. This is more than a great way to get rid of the smell of weed; the incense smoke can also pull double duty to visually mask the cannabis smoke if it’s still lingering.
The hippie approach: Patchouli oil
This aromatic oil is a hippie hallmark and doubles as a great way to hide weed smell. Made from the small pink and white flowers of the patchouli plant, this oil is known for its pleasant, lasting scent and supposed antidepressant and aphrodisiac qualities. Certainly makes sense: enjoy a doobie, dab some patchouli behind the ears, smell nice, and make love, not war.
The homemaker approach: Febreeze
A household staple for many Americans living with gassy pets and gassier spouses or roommates, Febreeze is a trigger-action odor eliminator. This is not the end-all, be-all of cannabis smell reduction or weed neutralizers, but for a fresh scent in a pinch, it’s a solid option.
The bathroom approach: Matches with the bathroom fan on
One of the sneakier moves to avoid weed smell on this list, smoke in the bathroom and bring along stick matches (preferably) and flip the switch on the fan. The combusting sulfur and wood smoke of the stick matches should cover a hit or two and the fan should take care of the rest.
The weed smoke eliminator approach: Ozium
Ozium is a classic smoke eliminator that every cannabis enthusiast can use. It’s an air freshener with a vanilla and lemon-type scent that grabs smoke out of the air and punches it into another realm. While it won’t completely mask the scent, it’s a great base for all of the scents you’re about to throw into the atmosphere.
The air freshener approach: Black Ice Little Trees Car Freshener
Black Ice is one of the most overwhelming scents known to man (and woman). Like, if someone would’ve had Black Ice on their person in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, they’d have had absolutely no chance of getting close enough to catch Blue—because you can seriously smell it from like, eight miles away.
Grab a pack and place them strategically around the area you need to render smell-less, and with the help of all your aforementioned other scents, it’s guaranteed to be the knockout punch for any remaining cannabis odors.
The last resort: Burnt popcorn
Few smells mask other odors better and linger in the air longer than an accidentally burnt bag of microwavable popcorn.
But beware! Respect the very delicate balance between burnt for effect and just burning the hell out of it. While the room may no longer smell of cannabis, the fire alarm is one of the loudest signals of domestic failure known to man, and that’s not the perception cannabis needs, either.
How can I get the smell of weed out of my car?
It’s important to note that it is illegal to drive when stoned, and it is illegal to smoke in your car, whether parked or in motion.
However, the smell of weed can linger on your body and carry into your car. Here are some ways to get rid of the smell of weed in your car:
- Roll down a window: Nature’s best way of clearing out the weed smell in a car.
- Air freshener: These are inconspicuous because they’re a common sight in cars. For a small space like a car, you may want something a little softer than the Black Ice scent mentioned above.
- Febreeze or Ozium: As mentioned above, try one of these to neutralize the odor of weed. Many households will have a bottle or Febreeze around; Ozium may be a little harder to find.
- Essential oils: Though not as strong, essential oils are easy to carry in your glovebox, and you can sprinkle them on your body and even car seats to hide the smell of weed.
- Clean your car: If you’re constantly going in and out of your car smelling like weed, you might need more drastic measures to get rid of a lingering weed scent. Don’t be afraid of the vacuum and some Armor All.
Transporting weed can also stink up your car. Laws for transporting weed vary by state, but generally speaking, we recommend keeping weed in the container from the dispensary, unopened, in the truck of your car.
For more info, check out our guide on traveling with weed in your car.
Preventing weed smell before and during smoking
Smoking in the shower
Another bathroom consumption method is to smoke your pot while the shower is running. Turn the shower to maximum hotness—the smoke smell will dissipate along with the steam into your bathroom fan. This is traditionally called a “Hawaiian Hotbox.”
For some added cannabis odor-masking, place a towel at the bottom of the door or even use a small spritz of your smell-good shower toiletries to replace the smell.
Airtight containers are not hard to come by
A good Tupperware, mason jar, or, if you’re in a pinch, a Ziploc bag inside another Ziploc bag, can really go the distance. There are also vacuum-sealed containers on the market, like OXO food storage containers, that will work extremely well for storing your pungent cannabis.
If you can, get a UV-protective airtight container and keep all cannabis plant matter out of both direct and indirect sunlight to preserve its quality over time.
Most weed bought at a dispensary will come in a plastic, airtight bag, which will do a good job of concealing the weed’s smell. Even if you get weed delivered to you, it’ll often come in an airtight container.
DIY sploof: Toilet paper roll + rubber band + dryer sheet
You can try making your own sploof.
Get a toilet paper or paper towel roll, place a fabric softener sheet at the end, and strap it to the roll with a rubber band. The idea is to fill the roll with smoke, so exhale slowly so smoke doesn’t shoot directly out the other end.
Know that cannabis smoke will escape either way, but if done correctly, much of the odor will be diffused.
Buy a spoof or smoke filter
Manufactured smoke filters, or sploofs, are becoming more popular. Try a Sploofy—this portable carbon filter is an excellent choice for travelers and cannabis consumers who need to conceal their weed smoke.
Sploofy’s replaceable filter system and nearly magical ability to swallow up enormous clouds of smoke make for potent camouflage on-the-go or at home.
Try vaping instead
A vape pen might not completely eliminate the smell of weed, but vaporizing weed will significantly diminish odors compared to smoking. Vape pens are cheap and easy to use and are great for minimizing the smell of weed wherever you happen to smoke.
- There are plenty of vape pens and vaporizer products available online with options available at multiple price points for a variety of budgets.
- Vape pens allow you to smoke wherever you want without having to fill the room with air fresheners, turn on all the fans in your house, or burn a perfectly good bag of microwave popcorn that, frankly, never did anything to deserve it.
- Learn to use a vape pen—note your preferred temperature, and ensure the battery stays charged and ready for use. Cannabis oil cartridges for vape pens tend to be more expensive than flower.
How to get rid of weed smell in your hair and on your body
If you don’t want your house or apartment to smell like weed, odds are that you don’t want your breath, hair, or body to smell like cannabis either. Fortunately, there are plenty of products available at just about every grocery store to help mask the smell.
When it comes to breath, your best options are a pungent chewing gum, possibly something mint-flavored. Alternatively, you can freshen up that breath by brushing your teeth or gargling some mouthwash.
Perfume, cologne, and body spray are excellent options for your body, and it’s important to remember that a little goes a long way.
This article was originally published on March 14, 2017; it was updated on March 23, 2022.
