Let’s be real: if you’re a stoner, you most likely enjoy the pungent, earthy aromas that are produced when you smoke. However, not everyone feels the same way about the sticky icky that we do. Whether you’re trying to be respectful of your relatives, roommates, neighbors, or landlords, it all boils down to being proactive and smart about your smoke seshes. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you avoid confrontation with “nosey” people!
Ditch the cigarillos
If you’ve ever been inside a cigarette smoker’s home, you know that the smell really sticks to everything; from the furniture to the walls! Tobacco smoke has a different chemical make-up than herbal smoke that causes it to be more resinous and cling to surfaces for longer. Although many people enjoy smoking out of cigarillos, they aren’t the best option when it comes to decreasing the smell in your residence. Luckily, we now have the option to smoke hemp-based wraps and papers! If you haven’t tried hemp wraps, they are gutless wraps that have a similar composition to cigarillos, but without harmful and smelly tobacco! These, as well as papers, are a good alternative if you want to roll up.
Pick the perfect spot
Where you choose to smoke in your residence is definitely a factor in people being able to pick up the smell. If your living room is by your front door, your neighbors will definitely catch a whiff of that good-good when you come and go. Similarly, your roommates may not like you smoking in common areas and it could cause unnecessary rifts. Keep the peace by sticking to your bedroom, or better yet, your bathroom!
A huge masking technique is using steam to act as a carrier for smoke and make it dissipate more quickly. A bathroom has great advantages because steam from hot showers produces a polarizing water vapor that herbal smoke clings to, thus making it easier to get rid of the smell. From personal experience, smoking before getting into a shower helps because any soap or shampoo you use also masks the odor well, and the fan in the bathroom sucks it up and out of the room!
But… I want to be comfortable when I smoke!
Not everyone wants to smoke in their bathrooms and that’s understandable! Smell-proofing your room is a little more complex, but with practice you can have a routine down in no time.
First and foremost, you’ll want to have a damp towel on hand to stuff under the door frame. This OG trick helps to keep odors from seeping out of the room you’re smoking in. Next, you’ll want to ventilate your area the most you can. Open a window and run a ceiling fan on the highest setting to promote circulation in the room. If you have any floor or tabletop fans, point them towards the window so air from the room gets sucked in and blown out of the window. For best results, blow right into the back of the fan so the smell doesn’t linger.
Time to freshen up
After your sesh is done, utilize room sprays, candles, or incense to further mask the smell of smoke. If you want to be a real pal to your housemates, ask them which fragrances they prefer, as some people are sensitive to certain smells - and you don’t want to replace one offensive odor with another!
Cannabolish is a great company that specializes in smoke odor eliminator products. They have natural active enzymes that “abolish” the smells you’re trying to get rid of. Other products can have harmful chemicals in them that aren’t safe to sit in an enclosed space with, but Cannabolish has both a spray and a candle that will work hard to eliminate odors.
Time to get crafty
If the stink is still sticking, it might be time to do a little DIY! You can create your own personal air filter with items that are easily found around the house. These are usually called “sploofs” depending on where you’re from, and can be a great tool to make your smoke smell better.
You’ll need an empty toilet paper roll, rubber bands, and your favorite scented dryer sheets. Cover the end of one of the openings on the toilet paper roll with a few dryer sheets, and band it down with a rubber band. Next, stuff as many dryer sheets into the roll as you can, leaving enough space for your mouth to fit into the tube. Next time you blow out your smoke, form a tight seal with your mouth on the open end of the tube and exhale. The smoke will pass through the dryer sheets and greatly decrease the herbal odor that seeps through!
Photo credit: Leafly
If a homemade sploof just isn’t cutting it, The Smoke Buddy is a personal air filter that is enhanced with carbon so that no smell passes through. They even have one made out of plant-based plastic, so when it’s time to get a new one, you’ll feel comfortable knowing it’s environmentally friendly!
Put out that bowl!
Smoking out of glass is the best way to prevent extra smoke smells. Joints and blunts continue to burn and emit a smoke that you can’t filter with a sploof. Bowls also put out a bit of smoke, and to prevent this from happening, you need to cut off the oxygen to the bowl after you take a hit!
The Lighter Charm is a band that goes around your lighter and has interchangeable, magnetic, glass charms that fit over the opening of your bowl. This prevents your bowl from continuing to let off smoke by essentially suffocating the embers of your herb. Not only does this help to conserve your product, but it also helps cut back on smoke odor! Another tool that is great at snuffing out bowls is the Toker Poker, which is also a lighter sleeve that also has an attached bowl scraper and hemp wick holder.
When in doubt, dab it out
If you’re traveling or in a place that is unfamiliar to you, it may be in your best interest to consume concentrates or oil pens! Generally, the vaporization of any herbal products is going to give off less of a smell; especially in terpene-enhanced products.These smells seem to linger even less, and are perfect for sleuthy smoke seshes.
The DIP Devices EVRI is a discreet vaporizer that is compatible with both concentrates and cartridges, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one consumption option! It’s small and compact so it won’t be suspicious if you decide to sneak off for a little bit to medicate when you’re out and about. These are also perfect to bring with you during the holidays and won’t raise suspicion to your family members.
Use a smell-proof pouch to stash your goods
Whether you choose to smoke on the go or stay at home, smell-proofing in and out of the sesh is crucial! Even non-combusted herb can be loud, and you can use these pouches to stop the smell at the source. The Formline bag is equipped with two strong velcro strips and is lined with carbon fiber to prevent smell leakage. If you’re looking for a fashionable choice, the GRAV Labs Wristlet is another affordable, yet stylish smell-proof choice.
Have a good time!
Staging a room to prevent odors from lingering can be daunting, but it definitely gets easier with practice. Some of these tips may be more helpful to you than others, so experiment with a few of them to achieve the result that is right for you. Being respectful to other people is a part of what makes our community so great, so try not to see it as a chore and more as you being a conscientious neighbor or tenant. We hope you find these tips useful, and as always, stay safe and stoney!