How to Get Rid of Weed Smell: 5 Tips No BS Guide

Most advice on how to get rid of weed smell just has you covering it up with another scent. Don’t waste time with quick fixes that don’t work.

And often end up smelling worse.

Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to get rid of weed smoke smells and cannabis odors.

In this blog post, I will discuss five tips that will help you quickly and easily eliminate the weed smell.

I’ll also recommend some of the best products available to help. Follow these tips, and your home or car will smell fresh.

If you are dealing with bad odors in general in your home, check out my 25 Tips on how to get rid of bad smells in your house.

Table of Contents

How to get rid of weed smell

Key points:

To eliminate weed smell, you must remove the weed smell source. Avoid wasting time with products and methods that either (a) treat the air or (b) just cover up the smell.
Homemade products can help eliminate weed smell in situations with light odor problems. Products like vinegar can attack and break down the smoke proteins, but setting out bowls of vinegar and sprinkling baking soda will never be as effective as professional products designed to eliminate the cannabis proteins.
Because cannabis smell particles get everywhere, it is often difficult, if impossible, to wipe all the areas down where they are. Likewise, there will be different levels of smoke or contamination depending on how much smoking has occurred.
There is a big difference between treating an apartment or vehicle with a long-term smoking issue versus trying to remove a light smell just after toking up. I often recommend a combination of methods for the most severe cases, including wiping, spraying, and even using a vapor treatment.

Tip #1: Use a chlorine dioxide vapor treatment when deep odor remediation is needed.

Suppose you have a severe weed smoke odor problem. In that case, it is almost certain that natural odor absorbers and even commercial spray and airborne products won’t be enough to eliminate the problem because the sticky cannabis particles will have penetrated everything.

Don’t waste time on “maintenance” methods when you need to resolve a bad smoke odor problem.

I recommend you perform a chlorine dioxide vapor treatment when you need to get your space back to a baseline of freshness. From there, you can implement the other tips in mind in this article to keep it smelling fresh.

I’m a massive fan of chlorine dioxide vapor (gas) treatments. CLO2 has been around for a long time as an eco-friendly solution to treat our drinking water, and it is also a great odor eliminator.

The CLO2 gas breaks down odor-causing molecules, like smoke proteins, very efficiently. Today there are products on the market that allow you to implement a CLO2 treatment yourself instead of calling in a pro.

If you want to dive deeper into dealing with a bad cannabis smoke odor problem, check out my article on how to remove smoke odors from an apartment.

Do you have an issue with the weed smell in a car? If so, check out my article on how to get rid of the weed smell in your vehicle. The techniques are similar to what you would do for a home but on a smaller scale.

Best product for performing a chlorine dioxide vapor treatment

Reset Chlorine Dioxide Kit

CLO2 is my go-to product for removing the smoke smell, and I use it exclusively to remove cigarette smoke odors.

The CLO2 gas is commonly created by combining two A + B chemicals (one at a time!) with water in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. The gas is produced and escapes the water over several hours, and you let it sit overnight to do its thing.

Once the gas dissipates, an environmentally safe salt water solution is left in the buckets, which you can flush down a toilet.

Another advantage of using CLO2 in gas form is that the dwell time (when the gas is in contact with the odor particles) is longer than thermal fogging. The system continuously creates gas for several hours, providing an extended period of odor-destroying coverage. And unlike other methods, including thermal fogging, once the CLO2 gas has extinguished itself, no surface residue is left on the surfaces. This is a significant benefit of using CLO2.

Pros

Manual set-up is easy with minimal equipment needed
CLO2 gas will penetrate the entire house.
CLO2 is a strong oxidizer but, unlike ozone, will not harm fixtures in the home.
Gas-off occurs over several hours, so the dwell-time
In the majority of smoke odor cases, you will not need a separate duct cleaning when you use CLO2 vapor

Cons

Must cover smoke alarm
Pets, plants, and people must evacuate the area during treatment.
The area will have a slight swimming pool smell once the
Proper eye and respiratory protection (full-face respirator) are required. Although CLO2 is not toxic to the skin, gloves and other safeguards should be worn as a safety measure.

Here is a short video on using Reset’s CLO2 products to create a vapor that will eliminate your smoke smell problem! Please note that while the speaker talks about using tablets, that is only for CLO2 packaged in less than 500 g kits, and the 500 g kits are sold as A + B packets.

Reset explains the procedure for using a CLO2 vapor treatment to resolve deep smoke odor problems

You will want to use 500 g CLO2-sized packets for smoke odor removal applications. The product is mixed with water in a 5-gallon bucket. For more efficiency, set up a simple fish tank aerator with a bubble stone to oxygenate the solution, so it produces CLO2 faster.

A good rule is that you will need one 500g packet for every 500 sq. ft. of living space you want to treat. This assumes standard ceiling height, and you might need to use more in rooms with vaulted ceilings. Use this CLO2 product calculator if you want to get more precise. (Be sure to select “Vapor” and “Mold and Smoke.”

Bottom Line:

You will not find a more effective smoke odor eliminator than chlorine dioxide on the market today. Like any chemical product, it does come with precautions, and you must follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for use. You must also invest in and wear the proper personal protective equipment when mixing and performing the vapor treatment. That said, the process for performing a vapor treatment is straightforward, and with the products available on the market today, it is very doable.

Reset's 500 g CLO2 packets — Reset’s 500 g CLO2 packet

Standard aquarium aerator increases CLO2 production efficiency

Tip #2: Use true odor eliminators to keep the smell away

Odor absorbers work best when you want something working in the background to keep the smell down, and they are great for maintaining a fresh-smelling environment. Don’t expect an odor absorber to do deep odor removal.

Odor absorbers are most helpful in helping to keep the odor from building up to where it becomes a significant issue.

A genuine odor absorber will work in one of two ways, either passively or actively.

A passive odor absorber sits and waits for the weed smoke molecules to come into contact with the odor absorber, then it grabs onto and destroys the odor. A bowl of activated charcoal on your end table is an example of a passive odor absorber.

An active odor absorber is different as it continually releases odor-destroying molecules into the air. Or you could have an air purifier with activated charcoal filtration draws air across the filters that adsorb (grab onto and hold) the smoke particles. You’ll get more efficiency from an active odor absorber than a passive one.

I’m not a big fan of using natural ingredients or DIY odor absorbers because I have not found them effective at removing smoking odors. (That doesn’t mean you have to use harsh chemicals.)

But, if you want to give it a shot, here are a few natural DIY odor absorbers you can try:

Place a bowl, water, and a few drops of essential oil. Essential plant oils like rosemary, eucalyptus, or peppermint can sometimes help to neutralize the weed smell.
Another way is to place bowls of white vinegar around the area, and the vinegar will absorb the smoke smell.
A third option is to place bowls on coffee grounds, which will help prevent weed smell and other odors.
You can also sprinkle baking soda on your carpets before vacuuming them. Baking soda is a natural odor absorber.

The best commercial odor absorbers on the market today

I cannot say enough good things about the Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator Canister 365 and Odor Eliminator 101 products.

The main advantage is that each product is an odor absorber rather than an odor disguiser.

Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator Canister 365

The Canister 365 is ideal for a fast-fix (higher kick to get rid of an odor).

Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator 365 Canister

Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator 101

The Odor Eliminator 101 pouch lasts 30-90 days, depending on the daily load to remove the odor.

Odor Eliminator 101 Pouch lasts 60-90 days.

After using the deep clean technique above to remove the initial bad odor, these two items are excellent for keeping your vehicle smelling fresh.

These products are very affordable, eco-friendly, and safe to use around people and pets.

Try them now to keep your space smelling fresh. You won’t be disappointed!

Tip #3: Invest in a good air purifier

A high-quality air purifier with HEPA filtration can help remove airborne particles before they settle out and stick to the surfaces in your home. If you are going to buy an air purifier, here are several guidelines to follow:

Be sure to get a cleaner with HEPA filtration.
Even HEPA filtration will not remove all smoking particles because they are so small. Look for an air purifier that has activated charcoal filtration in addition to HEPA.
Make sure your cleaner has enough air circulation capacity to cover your area. Don’t expect one cleaner to cover the entire house.
When comparing models, consider the operating cost that includes replacing filters. Opt for a model with less frequent need to replace expensive filters.

Best air purifiers for smoke removal

Austin Air Purifiers

Austin Air purifiers are top-of-line systmes that remove particulates and VOCs. The medical-grade HEPA filtration combines with a carbon layer that removes VOCs like cannabis and tobacco smoke.

The Austin Air Bedroom Machine®

Austin’s top-of-line air purifier.

Pro’s

Authentic medical grade HEPA has shown excellent results in clinical trials to remove particulates and VOCs.
It covers 1,500 sq. ft.
Five-year warranty
One filter lasts five years – this is huge!
5-stage filtration captures gases and particulates at the nano level – this is the size of the smoke particles.
Metal frame – very well made

Cons:

Expensive upfront cost (although 5 year shelf life of filter makes the unit comparable , or less, in cost as compared to other top=of-the-line air purifiers).

Price: $995

Austin Air HealthMate

Austin’s “every day” system is still above any other air purifier on the market.

Pros:

Medical grade HEPA
15 lbs. of carbon and zeolite for highly effective VOC (smoke gas) removal!
Five year warranty
Filter lasts five years – this is huge!
Metal frame – very well made

Cons:

Moderately expensive upfront cost (although 5 year shelf life of filter makes the unit comparable , or less, in cost as compared to other premium air purifiers).

Price: $715

Bottom Line:

The bedroom machine will give you the best smoke removal capability. It will also be more efficient with the added 5-stage filter. The Austin Air HealthMate® will improve your air quality.

Austin also sells a product called the HealthMate Plus. The healthmate Plus has an additional Potassium Iodide layer of filtration which is highly effective at removing formaldehyde. This is not an issue unless you are concerned about off-gassing from new construction materials. So don’t consider the Plus model for smoke odor removal.

Tip #4: Don’t fall for quick fixes and gimmicks

Hey, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with using an air freshener or other products like essential oils to cover the weed smell, but I just don’t find them very effective. Plus, this article is about how to eliminate odors, not cover them up, which is what most air fresheners do.

Fundamentally, the only way to prevent weed smell is to eliminate the cannabis odor source. You can do that by physically removing it (cleaning) or changing it at a molecular level so it doesn’t smell anymore.

That is what true odor eliminators do.

Most retail air fresheners merely contain fragrances just try to cover up the smell by substituting another scent. Baking soda will eliminate odors, but it isn’t strong enough to eliminate the smelly particles which adhere to surfaces. In other words, air fresheners and baking soda won’t do the trick when it comes to removing.

You can also apply some tricks of the trade. Sploofs, which are meant to help capture the smoke particles when you exhale (for example, exhaling through toilet paper or a paper towel), can help reduce the fallout from the weed smoke particles getting out into your home. But, just be aware that neither a paper towel nor toilet paper are HEPA filter products, so the effect overall is going to be minimal.

And our noses often detect both odors, and sometimes the aromas combine and create a worse smell. So you can see, I am not a fan of masks, which I call odor disguisers!

Tip #5: Keep up with the basics

To prevent indoor weed odor issues in the first place, don’t smoke pot indoors. But, putting the obvious aside, you can do a few simple things to keep the marijuana smoke particles from building up in your abode.

Ventilate the area.

If you smoke weed indoors, it’s best to get as much fresh air circulating during and after the event as possible. An open window letting in the fresh air can do wonders to remove the marijuana odor.

Although ventilation dilutes the cannabis odor molecules in the air and won’t remove the source of the smell, the idea is to keep the particles from settling out on your furniture, walls, and everywhere.

That’s when you have the problem.

Cannabis proteins are very sticky, and once they attach, they are hard to remove. Do this over time, and the marijuana smell builds up and won’t disappear.

Keep up with routine cleaning.

Vacuuming per se will not remove smoke odor directly. Still, it is essential to keep soot and ashes off carpets as they contribute to the smell and also increase the unhealthiness of your exposure to allergens.

Carpets are excellent air filters that trap particles and hold them, so you aren’t breathing them. But when they get dirt buildup, they begin to release these particles into the air when you walk on them.

With vacuuming, you are trying to remove any dirt, ashes, or debris. Sprinkling baking soda on the carpets before vacuuming can also help keep the cannabis smell (baking soda is an excellent odor absorber). If you have pets make sure your vacuum cleaner is designed for picking up pet hair, as your pets hair and dander can often exacerbate the odor and allergen problem.

Getting your carpets cleaned every 12 – 18 months can improve the air quality in your home, but if you smoke weed you might need to do it more often. Make sure you choose a carpet cleaner who can explain exactly what they will do to eliminate smoke odors.

You don’t want to hear that they will add an air freshener (remember most air fresheners are nothing more than fragrances that mask the smell; often making it worse) versus just adding air fresheners to the rinse solution.

If you want to go cheap, you can make a dilute mixture of white distilled vinegar and use that to spray that onto the surfaces when you clean. That will help manage the odor-causing particles as well.

Keep your weed and paraphernalia stored in an airtight container.

It just makes sense to keep your stuff stored so it doesn’t generate unwanted smells you’ll only have to deal with later. Although a Ziploc bag isn’t smell proof and won’t eliminate or remove weed smell, it is better than nothing! (A mason jar would be better.)

FAQ’s

Ozone can be an effective odor eliminator, but you must remove as much of the source as possible. So, you will need to clean the area with an effective odor eliminator product. Ozone is an excellent oxidizer when it comes into contact with smoke particles, but it is not as effective of a penetrator as chlorine dioxide. Imagine a gas molecule of ozone being a more significant match than CLO2 but burning for less time. So ozone will hit the surface issue hard but fail to penetrate to remove all of the sources of the smell. This means you must run the ozone for long periods, up to days, for heavy smoke contamination. Since ozone is harmful to certain materials like rubber insulation on windows and refrigerators, this can cause problems for your fixtures in the long run. Pets and people will be necessary to follow the manufacturers’ guidelines on the safe use of the machine.

Here is an ozone article that explains the method’s pros and cons. The report is for pet odor but applies to smoke odors as well.

White vinegar is an odor eliminator and can remove very light weed smell on surfaces. For bad smells that have permeated everywhere, you will need to use a vapor treatment to reach and destroy the odor particles.

Please don’t try to use bleach to get rid of the weed smell. It’s just going to make things worse. Not only will the weed smell be even more potent, but you’ll also have to deal with the harsh chemicals in the bleach. Trust us; it’s not worth it.

Also, when you combine ammonia and bleach, chloramine vapor is created, which can kill you or make you sick. (Generally, do not mix cleaning supplies unless the label says it is OK.)

The best all-around product to get rid of weed smell is chlorine dioxide. You can use it as a spray. Or for severe weed smell issues, as a vapor to perform a deep shock treatment.

The short answer is, unfortunately, no. While a scented candle can help to mask the smell of weed, it will not eliminate it if you’re looking for a more effective way to stop the weed smell. Read the tips in this post.

Yes, true odor eliminators will remove weed smell. But be aware of gimmicky products that aren’t actual odor eliminators and only mask the smell. These usually don’t work and can actually combine with weed smell to make it worse.

Whatever you do, don’t try to mask the smell of weed with air fresheners. All that will do is make your bathroom smell like a combination of weed and a cheap air freshener. Not good.

The first thing you need to do is identify how the weed smell is getting into your bathroom. Is it coming from your clothes? If the weed smell is coming from your clothes, the best thing you can do is to wash them. But sometimes, even washing your clothes isn’t enough. If that’s the case, you may need to invest in a good-quality clothing odor eliminator.

Some essential oils that can help neutralize the smell of weed are lemon, lavender, and peppermint. You can use either diffuser these oils or make a spray by combining them with water in a small spray bottle.

Febreze does not work well for weed smell. The chemicals in Febreze will only temporarily mask the smell of weed, and it is not an effective long-term solution.

Wrap-Up

In conclusion, getting rid of the weed smell is not as difficult as it may seem. Following the tips above and using the recommended products, you can say goodbye to weed smell for good!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck in your journey to becoming odor-free.

How to Get Rid of Weed Smell: 5 Tips No BS Guide