Finding a spot to enjoy your favorite pastimes can be frustrating. Sometimes, smoking weed in the house isn’t an option, and when it gets cold, you may feel stuck, which can quickly get frustrating. So, what’s the next best option, smoking weed in your car?
While you may enjoy marijuana smoking, you don’t want your car to smell like a giant ashtray.
Here’s how to get the weed smell out of your car.
What Causes the Smell of Weed to Linger In Your Car?
If you’re in tune with cannabis vernacular, you’re familiar with the term “hotboxing”, which happens when you smoke marijuana with a group of people inside a vehicle with all the windows rolled up. The car fills with smoke as the marijuana is being smoked.
There’s no evidence that the hotboxing practice provides a stronger “high”, but one thing that’s certain is it makes your vehicle smell like what you’re smoking.
Marijuana smoke sticks to your vehicle’s surfaces, such as fabric seats and the material on the floor of your car. This weed smoke also travels into your vehicle’s air vents and can be stuck there for a while. When you smoke marijuana in your car, even if the windows are rolled down, your car will still smell like marijuana.
Can You Mask Odors?
When you mask an odor, you’re using strong scents to temporarily cover an odor. There are a variety of scents you can use to mask cannabis odors, such as body sprays, colognes, incense, and other scents. Essential oils will also get the job done. Keep in mind, masking odors will not completely get rid of the smell, it will only cover it up. You can cover the odor for four to six hours. Once this time is up, you’ll need to mask the odors again.
Tips For Using Odor Absorbers
Another way you can get rid of the smell of cannabis in your car is by using odor absorbers. One of the most effective odor absorbers is activated charcoal. This type of odor absorber is commonly used to eliminate pet, food, and trash odors. Why does activated charcoal work so well? There is carbon in the charcoal, and the carbon has a negative charge. The negative charge attracts dissolved toxins and gasses to its surface.
The good news is, activated charcoal is non-toxic, and it doesn’t have a scent of its own. Another good thing about activated charcoal is it prevents bacteria and mold growth. Activated charcoal also filters out allergens. This type of charcoal is affordable and found in many locations.
Using Odor Eliminators
You also have the option of odor eliminators. Air sanitizers are popular odor eliminators of weed and other non-desirable smells.
If you choose to use an air sanitizer, you will need to wait several hours before you can get back into your car, so make sure you don’t have anywhere to go for a while to give your car enough time to air out.
Why do you have to wait so long to get back in your car after using an air-sanitizing product? The chemicals in air sanitizing products are dangerous to inhale, so you must allow enough time for your car to air out properly.
What If You’re Vaping Marijuana?
If you’re vaping marijuana, you won’t have as much of a problem with a weed smell in your car. Using a vaporizer to smoke marijuana in your car doesn’t leave a strong weed smell lingering, and it’s healthier for your lungs. When it comes to vaporizers, there is a wide variety of designs, patterns, and colors, and they are easy to use.
How to Prevent Your Car From Smelling Like Weed
To prevent your vehicle from smelling like marijuana, you need to consider a few different factors.
Take these steps to prevent your car from smelling like cannabis:
- Roll down every window in your car and turn the fan on. When you turn on your air system, it blows the air out of the vents, preventing the marijuana smell from creeping into the vents.
- Keep an odor absorber in your car. You can use an open box of baking soda or a container of charcoal to help with the absorption of any odors before they have a chance to seep into the materials on the inside of your car.
- Once you’re done smoking, you can use an odor eliminator in your vehicle to eliminate lingering traces of weed in your car. If you choose to try the above-listed methods, you can skip this method.
Although these are the most common ways to rid your vehicle of the smell of weed, you still have other options.
More Tips For Eliminating the Weed Smell Out of Your Car
Did you know you can have serious legal problems if your vehicle smells like weed, and the police find out about it? Even if you are a medical marijuana patient, you may experience issues. In any event, it’s not a good idea to ride around with your vehicle wreaking the smell of weed.
Scented and Essential Oils
If you choose to use scented or essential oils to eliminate the smell of weed, they are best used with a diffuser. A lot of the time, these oils are used as an alternative to using candles to prevent the production and release of harmful carcinogens.
Use an Air Freshener
Classic air fresheners are great to use to remove the smell of weed from your car. You can purchase classic air fresheners from anywhere, such as a local car wash or dollar store. The air fresheners in the shape of trees also work for helping to remove the smell of weed from your car. You also have the option of using air fresheners that clip into your car’s air vents.
Ozone Generators
Ozone generators are a type of odor eliminator that removes foul odors, including the smell of marijuana. These generators obtain a unique compound that helps eliminate second-hand smoke. If you choose to use ozone generators, you need to be careful. These generators can be harmful when used on ground level and can harm human health.
Deep Clean Your Car
Deep cleaning your car is another great option to remove the marijuana smell from your vehicle. You can use a wet vacuum cleaner in the car’s interior and clean the interior surface in your car, such as corners, vents, and seats.
How to deep clean your car
Deep cleaning of your car can give you the best option to get rid of the weed smell out of your vehicle. The method may define using a wet vacuum cleaner throughout the car’s interior and cleaning the surfaces like vents, corners, and seats. Use Windex to clean the windshield and windows. You can also use Windex to clean the dashboard and armholes in your vehicle.
How To Get Weed Smell Out Of Car Vent
Getting the weed smell out of your car vent is urgent sometimes, especially if you plan on having other people riding with you. To get the weed smell out of your car vent, you can do the following:
- Air out your car completely by rolling down the windows
- Use a natural odor deodorizer or an air freshener to help the smell dissipate
- Use an essential oil diffuser by clipping it to your air vent
- Sprinkle generous amounts of baking soda inside your car or underneath the car mats
- Leave a piece of activated charcoal inside your car
- Wipe the hard surfaces of your car down with a vinegar and water solution
- Deep clean your vehicle using a vacuum and an upholstery shampoo
- Replace your vehicle’s air filter often
- Use a more pungent smell to mask the cannabis odor (this is a temporary fix, but it will override the scent for a little while)
How Long Does Smoke Smell Last In A Car
Smoke can linger in your vehicle for a few hours. The more ventilated your car is, the less time it will take for the smoke smell to leave. Make sure you roll down all the windows in your car and allow your car to air out for a few hours. If you’re pressed for time, keep the windows rolled down and spray perfume or any type of odor-eater, such as a neutralizing odor spray.
How to Get the Weed Smell Out of Your Car FAQs
How Can I Get Rid of the Weed Smell In a Car?
One of the simplest ways to get rid of the weed smell in your car is to purchase at least four boxes of baking soda and place them on the inside of your vehicle. Let your car rest for 48 hours to allow the baking soda to absorb any foul odors.
How Long Does Weed Stay In a Car After Hotboxing?
After hotboxing, the smell of weed can linger in your car for 40 minutes to one hour. You need to allow enough time for whatever odor eliminating method you’re using to work.
Does Driving With Windows Down Get Rid Of Weed Smell
Driving with the windows down helps the smell of smoke in your car dissipate. However, this can take some time.
