27 Ways to Mask that Weed Smell When You Smoke Marijuana

Updated on June 7, 2024

Even though the majority of states have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use, cannabis users may still have many reasons for wanting to cover up the smell of weed after smoking. 

Marijuana plants have terpenes that cause the scents weed gives off. While there are some low-odor cannabis strains, most can be quite potent. This powerful scent can seep into your clothes, furniture, carpets, you name it. Weed users may want to mask the smell of weed in a room if they have company drop by unexpectedly — or if they have parents, neighbors, or landlords who don’t approve of their recreational marijuana use. 

Whatever the reason for needing to mask the enticing aroma of cannabis, here are some quick tips on how to stop smelling of weed before, during, and after smoking — or prevent the smell altogether. Try one or more of these tips when you want to smoke your weed undercover — experiment to see what works best for covering up that marijuana smoke smell from your favorite sticky strain.

How to Prevent the Smell of Weed Before Smoking

Here are some things you can do before starting a smoke session to help reduce the scent of cannabis in your home, or in some cases, prevent it altogether.

1. Smoke Outdoors Where Legal. The easiest way to prevent the smell of weed in your house is to not smoke marijuana in your house. However, since most states that have legalized marijuana for use still have some laws against smoking outdoors and in public, it’s safest to smoke in the comfort of your home.  
2. Open Windows and Turn on the Fans. This should be a no-brainer. A good draft can help keep airflow moving and if you have portable fans such as standing or box fans, pointing them out the window can help ventilate the room you got lifted. 
3. Hide the Smell of Weed by smoking in the Bathroom in the bathroom instead. Turn on the shower, let the water reach a hot temperature creating steam, and turn on the bathroom fan. This will help the smoke from weed evaporate. This is a good trick to use if you are in a hotel room, too, if they allow smoking.
4. Do Edibles Smell Like Smoking Weed? Whether gummies, brownies, or other edible treats, edibles are a great choice to avoid the smell of weed altogether. You can purchase edibles from dispensaries, like our EarthMed dispensary near O’Hare airport. Edible weed does not produce smoke, and therefore, there is no unpleasant odor associated with edibles. 
5. Does Vaporizing Weed Smell Less than Smoking it? Yes! Most of the time, weed vaporizers tend to have much less of an odor than burning or combusting weed. While they still might smell, it tends to dissipate sooner and much faster than burning weed would.
6. Do Vape Pens Smell Like Cannabis? Using vape pens with cannabis oil doesn’t give off much smoke, and the odor is significantly less pungent than smoking weed. While it may have some odor, it also goes away sooner than traditional smoking methods.
7. Do Air Purifiers Help with the Weed Smell? While not as effective as a carbon filter, you can invest in a quality air purifier or filter for your home to help reduce the weed smell. A good quality air purification system can help neutralize and eliminate any weed odor in your home over time. 
8. Do Odor-Absorbing Gels Work on Cannabis? Yes, odor-absorbing gels are designed to neutralize strong smells in your home. Place these around the room you are smoking in. They should help take care of the smoke produced from marijuana use and cover the smell of weed. 
9. Use a Smoke Neutralizer. Lots of head shops and some dispensaries sell marijuana smoke-related products that can help eliminate or prevent odors from weed use. Be sure to ask the next time you visit a dispensary.
10. Marijuana Storage with No Smell. When deciding what to put weed in so it doesn’t smell, try an airtight sealed container so that smell doesn’t linger. Things like vacuum-sealed bags, Ziploc bags, mason jars, or Rubbermaid containers are great for storing marijuana and keeping the odors from escaping. 

How to Hide the Smell of Weed During a Smoke Session

If you’ve followed the previous steps, you should be primed and ready for a less odorous smoke session, but there are still things you can do to help reduce the smell of weed even further. Here are some things you can do to try and reduce the smell of marijuana once you’ve started your smoke session.

1. Does a Carbon Filter Prevent the Weed Smell? Yes, carbon filters are effective at reducing the scent of marijuana. Depending on the kind of carbon filer you are using, you may be able to blow smoke into it, helping to reduce the scent. If you grow marijuana inside your home, a carbon filter can keep the scent down too.
2. Create Your Own Homemade Sploof. A sploof is a more economical type of air filter that uses household objects to filter the smoke when you exhale your weed. If you have a washcloth, paper towel, or toilet paper around as well as a dryer sheet and a rubber band, you can easily make one. Once assembled, you can block your smoke straight into it. The smoke passes through the dryer sheets, helping to mask it with the scent of the sheet instead.
3. Are One-Hitters Smell Proof? While they do not hide the smell, one-hitters significantly reduce the amount of weed you combust at a time. These smaller amounts of weed allow you to only burn the amount you are consuming, reducing the amount of overall smoke. Combined with the other methods provided, using one-hitters can help reduce the weed smell.
4. Do Weed Pipes Make You Smell Less? Smoking with a pipe produces less marijuana smoke than a bong or a joint since it is only lit as you’re hitting it. It also doesn’t include the use of paper or wraps, which helps to reduce the amount of smoke as well. 
5. Use a Smoke Neutralizer. Lots of stores sell marijuana smoke-related products that can help eliminate or prevent odors from weed use. While they will vary by type of product they all help reduce the smell of weed to some degree. Be sure to ask for guidance if you are not sure what smell-reducing product
6. Smoke Indica Strains of Marijuana. Indica is a strain of weed that doesn’t smell as intensely as others. While they will still smell, indica strains flower with fewer buds, and also typically give off tame odors when smoked. Some types of indica include Granddaddy Purple, Northern Lights, and Rockstar. 

Getting Rid of the Weed Smell After Smoking

You prepped your space as much as you could and used all the smell-reduction methods during your smoke session, but you want to help clear off any lingering trace of cannabis scent? Fear not as here are some things you can do after your smoke session to help cover up and eliminate the weed smell after your smoke session

1. Cook Some Type of Strong Smelling Food: Food that has garlic, spices, or onions can give off a strong scent and mask the smell of weed. If you don’t have time to cook something, throwing a bag of microwave popcorn in the microwave for a bit too long will surely do the trick. Keep in mind that the smell of burnt popcorn can take days to get rid of. 
2. Use Vinegar to Mask the Smell of Marijuana. It might seem drastic, but vinegar is a great odor neutralizer. Pour some into a shallow dish and let it evaporate in a well-ventilated area to make a room not smell like weed. 
3. Get Weed Items Out of the House. Empty any used ashtrays, bong water, and take the trash out. Getting rid of marijuana will help ease the smell faster than if you were to leave it sitting around. 
4. Keep up with Personal Hygiene. Remember that smoking weed can make your clothes and breath smell like marijuana. Brush your teeth, use mouthwash, breath strips, or chew mint-flavored gum shortly after smoking cannabis. Also, if you have time, take a shower — your hair and skin can absorb smoke from weed. 
5. Does Body Spray to Cover Up the Weed Smell? Use a minimal amount of perfume, cologne, or body spray for a quick fix if you can’t change your clothes. The aroma of weed can permeate your clothes, and a good-smelling scent can mask the smell. 
6. Does Incense Get Rid of Weed Smells? Yes, incense has a potent aroma that can help mask the smell of weed. If you burn incense before smoking, you can help hide the marijuana smell and keep it from being too prominent. Bonus: incense smoke may act as a visual camouflage if there is cannabis smoke still lingering in the air. 
7. Can Candles Get Rid of Weed Smells? Yes, you can light scented candles before getting started and after smoking to help hide the weed smell. Candles are great because they cause less of a mess than incense and still give off a good aroma that will cover up the smell of marijuana. 
8. Essential oils are another aromatic way to help get ready for a smoke session. Not only do they smell great, but their scent is often strong enough to mask the scent of cannabis. Patchouli oil is a common choice that isn’t terribly strong or overpowering but will still hide the smell of weed. Other good scent choices include peppermint, lavender, and lemongrass. 
9. Do  Air Fresheners Kill Weed Smells? Yes! Plug-in air fresheners give off aromatic scents throughout the day, while spray air fresheners can help mask the weed smell on demand. Try using odor eliminators that you probably already have lying around at home (that famous one with the “F” comes to mind). Try both air freshener varieties and see which combination works best to get rid of the weed smell in your house.
10. Do Cleaning Products Get Rid of Weed Smells? Cleaning products can have strong scents that will help make the smell of weed go away on any surface since smoke from marijuana can linger on all types of surfaces. This helps cover up the smell until it dissipates on its own. Just be sure to follow the instructions and not overuse it.
11. Does Carpet Cleaner Reduce the Smell of Cannabis? Yes! If you’ve spilled bong water (yikes!) or just have smells that have permeated into your carpet and upholstery, a carpet cleaner can help remove those odors that have seeped into the carpet. You can also invest in a carpet shampoo which will help get rid of the smell of weed in your home, as opposed to just covering the smell of weed temporarily. 
12. Use Air Sanitizing Spray for the Weed Smell. Invest in a smoke eliminator to get rid of lingering marijuana smoke. Since it comes in many different sizes, air sanitizing spray is a great choice for traveling.

While this list is not exhaustive, it does give you a pretty idea of where to start when you want to hide the smell of your blazing. Keep these tips in mind the next time you want to spark up on the DL. Using these methods before, during, and after smoking should help reduce and sometimes remove the smell of weed in your space. Do you know how to get rid of weed smells in a room? Be sure to let us know your secret remedies in the comments.