The smell of weed is notorious. That aromatic, kind of spicy, slightly skunky odor is known the world around for being the best indicator of nearby cannabis - which is exactly why you don’t want your clothes to smell like weed. Below, we'll cover how to eliminate, or at least, how to mask the smell of weed.
Weed smells so pungently because of two types of aromatic compounds: terpenes and volatile sulfur compounds. In nature, these compounds help plants prevent diseases, ward off predators, and attract pollinators. But, these compounds are also responsible for the dead giveaway scent that someone has been smoking.
(It is important to note that the smell of weed plants alive and growing is much more floral and delightfully fragrant compared to the musty funk that lingers after combusting cannabis flowers-- you'll know this when you grow your own weed at home.)
11 Ways to Get Rid of the Weed Smell During Your Smoke Sesh
The best way to keep weed odor out of your clothes is by preventing it from being there in the first place - and that means you have to neutralize the weed smell during your smoke sesh.
In many places, the smell of marijuana is still enough to be probable cause for police to search, which makes it important to neutralize the skunky scent.
First, the lowest hanging branch. If the smoke odor on your clothes bothers you or makes you paranoid, consider switching to a smoke-less method of consumption, like edibles, drinks, or capsules. But if you love to smoke, read on.
1. Don’t smoke with clothes on.
This option is the best for keeping any unwanted odors out of your clothes, but only works for people who have privacy during their smoke sesh. The easiest way to keep your clothes from smelling like smoke is not to smoke in them!
2. Use a sploof.
A sploof is a personal smoke filter. Traditionally homemade by stoners with a small cardboard tube, a rubber band, and scented dryer sheets-- and the classic still works! But today, you can also buy personal air filters that use a carbon filter. Blow your smoke through the carbon filter (or sploof) and you'll be amazed at how well it can neutralize the smoke odor.
(Important note: sploofs work best for bowls or bongs where most of the smoke is coming from you. They don’t work as well for joints that burn continuously and release odor the whole time they are lit.)
3. Smoke outside.
Smoking outside is the easiest way to keep weed smells from sinking into your clothes. Smoking on a balcony, patio, garden, or out on the sidewalk makes it easy for the breeze to blow the smell away.
4. Smoke in a ventilated space.
If you can’t smoke outside, make sure your space is well-ventilated. Whether in the car with the windows down, with the shower and vent fan running, blowing smoke out the window, or in front of a box fan, ventilation in the smoke space keeps the odor from lingering and setting into your clothes.
5. Use an air purifier.
Turning on an air purifier as an odor eliminator before you start your smoke sesh is a good way to keep weed smells from building up. Not only will this keep weed smells out of your clothes, but it will help keep your entire place from smelling like a stoner’s paradise.
6. Run the shower.
This is an old stoner’s trick. Move your smoke sesh to the bathroom and seal off the door with an old towel. Turn on the vent fan and the shower. Crank the shower up to the highest, hottest setting and let the room fill with steam before you light up.
7. Light incense or a candle.
Having something else aromatic burning during your smoke sesh can help cover and dissipate the weed smell. Nag Champa is a stoner-favorite scent, but any other scent from a strong candle or essential oils will work well too. Light it before you begin and leave it burning after you’re done to get the most out of it. You can also use air fresheners after your smoke sesh.
8. Smoke a bowl instead of a joint or a bong.
A bowl has less weed in it and a smaller surface area to burn, creating less smoke (and therefore odor) overall. A good rule of thumb is the bigger the bowl pack (or roll) the more odor you’ll deal with.
9. Wash your hands after.
Marijuana smell and resin linger on your fingers, creating what’s known as “joint hands.” Washing your hands immediately after smoking (and before touching your clothes) keeps the odor minimized. Bonus points for washing your face, too.
10. Clean up after you smoke.
Mask the scent of cannabis with the stench of multi-purpose cleaning products. If you Lysol or Clorox in your kitchen or bathroom after you’re done smoking, the chemical smell of the cleaning products can overtake the lingering weed smell.
11. Switch to a vape.
If you’re concerned about dealing with how to get the smoke smell out of clothes on an ongoing basis, consider switching to a vape. Both dry herb vapes and oil vape pens have significantly less of the notorious “weed smell” and can be more inconspicuous for ongoing consumption.
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How to Mask the Smell of Weed on Clothes
Use a Weed Smell Spray
One of the easiest ways to cover the scent of weed on your clothes is by masking it with another fragrance. Perfume, cologne, and body spray have been used by cannabis lovers for years at the end of a smoke sesh to cover the pungent marijuana smell. A little goes a long way, but these work best for a faint lingering odor, not a smell that’s sunk into the fabric. You can also try using a fabric-specific spray to mask and absorb the weed odor, like Febreze, or a cannabis-specific spray like Cannabolish.
Cook After Smoking
Cooking foods with strong fragrances, like onions, bacon, or garlic, can overtake any weed smell lingering in your clothes. This can also be helpful for dealing with the munchies! Don’t trust yourself to cook after lighting up? Pop in a bag of microwave popcorn (and if you’re really nervous about the smell, burn the popcorn. It’s not a great scent and it will take days to air out, but you certainly won’t be able to smell anything else!)
These are a few other ways to get rid of marijuana smell in clothes. They’re more time-intensive options and will take at least an hour up to overnight.
Air out your clothes. Allow any smelly clothes to hang outside for a few hours, or inside with a fan running on them.
Toss your clothes into the dryer with dryer sheets after the smoke session. This works best for faint odors, not old smelly clothes. Use at least one dryer sheet to create a new scent - letting the clothes tumble in the heat without a dryer sheet could actually make the smell stronger.
If the weed smell has really sunk in, it’s best to change your clothes and wash the old ones. Don’t let them sit in a hamper with other clothes - or everything will adopt the campfire smell. Use hot water and extra detergent or fabric soften. You can also throw in some baking soda or a ½ cup of white vinegar to the wash as well if the smell is really in there.
For smoke damage, soak your clothes in an odor-removing solution of warm water and a cup of baking soda. The clothes will need to sit for at least 8 - 12 hours and will need to be washed after, but this is a good way of getting rid of any unusually stuck smoky odors.
Important note: Don’t keep weed in your pockets. Keeping a permeable ziplock baggie of weed in your pocket is one of the fastest ways to start smelling like the devil’s lettuce. Keep your weed in a dark, airtight container in a temperature-stable place. If you can’t, keep your weed double-bagged and stored away somewhere other than on your person.
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FAQs about Hiding Weed Smell
How long does the smell of weed last in a room?
The time that the smell of weed lingers in a space is dependent on the terpene profile of the specific cannabis strain being smoked, the method of consumption, and the airflow and ventilation of the room. On average the marijuana smell clears within 3 to 5 hours but it can last up to a week if the smoke is heavily saturated into fabrics.
Is it hard to get the smell of weed out of clothes?
It can be - it depends on how strong the odor is and how long the clothes have sat with the funk trapped in the fibers. If you deal with the weed smell quickly, it shouldn’t be hard to get rid of it.
Do dryers get weed smell out of clothes?
A dryer alone may not be enough to remove the smell of weed from clothes. Use dryer sheets with fragrance to create a new aroma, but if the weed smell is particularly strong, put your clothes through a wash cycle first.
Can you get smoke smell out of clothes?
Yes, you can remove the smell of smoke from your clothes. There are many different ways to do this, depending on how strong the odor is and how long the clothes have been smelly. Options include hanging the clothes up to air out, a full wash and dry cycle, and soaking the clothes in baking soda. It is easier to remove the smell of weed from a garment than it is to eliminate cigarette smoke.
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