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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Masking the smell of marijuana

By Tracy Damon EVERCANANNABIS CORRESPONDENT

Love the smell of pot? A lot of us do. But some people aren’t fans, and for others the scent is a giveaway that we may have been smoking when or where we weren’t supposed to. And others compare it to cooking – smells great at the time but once the meal is over, it’s time for the scent to go away.

If you need to cover the smell of your smoke sesh, there are several very affordable ways to do it; some classic that go back years and years, and others based on newer technology.

STASHLOGIX Smell Proof Bags resemble a small clutch or lunchbox, but with an odor trapping gasket and liner that contains the smell of weed. It’s also got a waterproof zipper and a combination lock to keep your pot safe at the beach, or from friends or family members who bum your bud without asking.

If you keep your kush in an old-school Ziploc bag or a cigar box, throw a Marsheepy Natural Bamboo Charcoal Bag in to absorb the smell. The sealed linen bag absorbs moisture in the air and holds it inside along with odors. Put them out in the sun to “recharge” once a month and they will continue to hide your secret for a long time. Available everywhere from Amazon to Walmart, these charcoal bags are affordable at a variety of price points, and come in several sizes.

One of the easiest ways to hide the smell of weed is to keep it from escaping into the environment around you. To do this, exhale through a sploof, a device that cleans the air you breathe out. You might remember making these in your younger days with a dryer sheet over the end of a toilet paper roll, but the older and wiser you will want to invest in a commercial version that comes with a HEPA filtration systems. Sploofs, like Smoke Trap, can be purchased online or in pot shops.

Another option for getting rid of smells in general is an air purifier. Air purifiers use a combination of four strategies, sometimes combined, to fight all kinds of pollutants in your home. Light-based purifiers use ultraviolet and LED light to sterilize air that passes through it, while ionic models use gravity to collect pollutants in a container. Carbon and HEPA filtration remove physical particles and eliminate smells. Purifiers are a more costly way to mask the smell of pot but probably worth it if treating a larger space, plus they can get rid of pet dander and particulate matter.

Cannabolish Smoke Odor Eliminating Candles are made of all natural ingredients like beeswax, soy wax and non-toxic plant oils, and claim to use a natural scent blend to eliminate unwanted smoke odors of all kinds. For the best results, light the candle about half an hour before you smoke.

Incense, on the other hand, is cheap and will cover up pretty much any smell, but unless you are an adherent to meditation or other cultural rituals associated with the aromatic material, most people know that its use is associated with disguising the scent of marijuana. Same with patchouli oil, although some people do say they like the smell of it. One benefit of incense is that you can get it anywhere at pretty much any price point.

If smell is an issue for you, you can also change the way you ingest weed. Rather than smoking a joint, pipe or bong that puts smoke into the air, vape pens are a lot less obvious. While some THC oils still have a scent, they aren’t as strong and distinctive as traditional smoking of pot.

Edibles are also a great way to get high on the sly. And the commercial edible market goes well beyond cookies and brownies now. You can get infused chips, mints, sodas – even bone broth!

Pot shops and online cannabis sites have many more ideas and products that help cover up the smell of marijuana. Ask your budtender for the products above or a recommendation.

Tracy Damon is a Spokane-based freelancer who has been writing professionally for 20 years. She has been covering i502 issues since recreational cannabis became legal in Washington.