Buzz
The smoke from cigarettes and marijuana has a strong, unpleasant odor that can easily draw attention. While smoking indoors is never the best option, sometimes it can be better than smoking outside. If you're willing to take the risk of being caught, there are several steps you can take to minimize the chances, such as smoking in the bathroom, blowing the smoke outside, using a smoke filter, and properly disposing of the evidence.
Steps
Smoke in the Bathroom
Use a Towel to Block the Gap Under the Door. To prevent the smoke from escaping through the door gap, roll a towel and place it at the bottom of the door. Make sure the towel stretches across the entire width of the door and presses tightly against the gap.
Turn on the Shower. Taking a shower is a reasonable excuse to spend more time in the bathroom. The steam will blend with the cigarette smoke, helping to mask the unpleasant smell. The sound of the shower will also cover up the noise of lighting a match or the sound of inhaling and exhaling smoke.
- It’s a good idea to play music on your phone to add an extra layer of sound protection.
- Make sure to actually take a shower to avoid suspicion (or at least wet your hair to make it seem like you just showered).
Blow Smoke Outside or Towards a Vent, If Possible. While smoking, make sure to blow the smoke out of the window or direct it towards a vent. Be sure to check outside the window to ensure no one can see the smoke you’re exhaling.
Shampoo Your Hair. If you have time for a full shower, don’t forget to shampoo your hair. The fragrance of the shampoo will quickly spread and overpower the smell of cigarette smoke.
- If you’re in a rush, you can pour some shampoo into the sink and run hot water to mimic washing your hair.
Flush Ashes or Other Evidence. After smoking, make sure to empty the pipe or dispose of any remaining cigarette butts in the toilet and flush. Do a final check of the bathroom to ensure there are no ashes on the floor or anything else that could alert others to your smoking.
Use Air Freshener to Cover Up the Lingering Smoke Smell. Try to find a strong-scented air freshener to neutralize the unpleasant smell of smoke. Spray generously before leaving the bathroom.
- If you don’t have air freshener, you can also use body spray (for men or women). Spray it on yourself and around the bathroom.
Smoking in the bedroom
Protect your hair. Hair tends to absorb odors more than skin, so tie your hair back and cover it with a bandana or towel to keep smoke from clinging to it.
- If you have a plastic shower cap, that works great since plastic can protect your hair while not trapping smoke smells.
Protect your clothes. The more clothes you wear, the more smoke odor will cling to you. Consider going shirtless when smoking or at least rolling up your sleeves.
- It's a good idea to have a dedicated jacket for smoking. You can stash it in the room and wear it when you need to smoke. Be sure to wash it at least once a week to keep it from holding onto strong odors.
Seal the gap under the door to keep smoke in. To prevent smoke from escaping the bedroom, place a damp towel along the gap at the bottom of the door. The damp towel not only keeps smoke from escaping but also helps absorb some of the cigarette odor.
Open the window. You should try to release the smoke outside as much as possible. If the smoke can't escape through the window or vent, it will linger and leave odors on the walls, carpet, furniture, and fabrics.
- If there happens to be a chimney flue in the room, that's great. Chimneys are designed to carry smoke out of the house, so having one in the room will make it easier to push the smoke outside.
Use a fan to blow the smoke outside. The better ventilated the room, the less likely it is that anyone will notice you're smoking. Turn on a fan to push the smoke toward the window, helping to disperse it after you exhale. It's best to use a tabletop fan and direct the airflow toward the window.
- If you're smoking in a bathroom with an exhaust fan or ventilation system, turn it on and blow the smoke into it to quickly clear the air. This specialized system will pull out excess humidity and smoke.
Handle lingering smoke smells. Even if you always push the smoke out of the room while smoking, your body is still likely to carry the odor. There are several ways to deal with the smoke that stays on your skin.
- For example, you can apply a bit of facial moisturizer to your fingertips, peel an orange and eat it, or use a strong-scented body spray to mask the smell.
Use a smoke filter
Gather necessary supplies. From now on, start saving toilet paper rolls and prepare a scented paper box to use while smoking. You’ll stuff the scented tissue into the toilet roll and blow the smoke through it so the smoke smells like the paper's fragrance.
- You can also use a soda bottle by cutting off the bottom as a substitute for the toilet roll. This works well since soda bottles are made to the right size for this purpose.
Stuff three to four sheets of scented paper into the tube. Try to evenly distribute the paper across the entire length of the tube so that the smoke passes through it. If you're making a smoke filter from a soda bottle, use six to seven sheets of scented paper.
Exhale smoke into the filter. After taking a drag, place one end of the smoke filter to your mouth and exhale the smoke into it. Try to blow all the smoke into the tube. When the smoke exits from the other side, it will smell like the scented paper.
- If you're unsure how to make a smoke filter, you can simply blow the smoke into a wet cloth, T-shirt, or piece of fabric. Wet materials will absorb the smoke and its odor. Be sure to use a cloth that you don't frequently use and wash it immediately after smoking.
Dispose of the evidence
Put out the fire on the leftover cigarette or pipe. If you've finished smoking but there's still a burning cigarette or pipe, make sure to extinguish it right away. The best way to put out a cigarette is to stub it in an ashtray or dip it in water.
- To put out the fire in a pipe, simply stop smoking and it will go out on its own after a few minutes. You can also cover the pipe bowl with your hand (if it's not too hot), and the fire will go out due to lack of oxygen. If the pipe bowl is too hot, you can drop a few drops of water on it.
- For marijuana cigarettes, you can stub them out in an ashtray or drip water on the burning tip. Be careful not to wet the entire joint, as it may ruin the rest of it.
Clean the ashtray. If you're using a plate, cup, or jar as an ashtray, make sure to clean it thoroughly with hot water and some soap until no more ashes are left.
- If you're using a disposable item like an empty can, simply throw it away. Be sure to discard it in the bottom of the trash so no one can see it. You should also clean the container before throwing it away to avoid any lingering smoke odors.
The easiest way to dispose of cigarette ashes or leftover cigarette butts is by flushing them down the toilet. To prevent the ashes and cigarette butts from floating back up, wrap them in toilet paper before disposing of them. If you are not comfortable discarding the evidence in the toilet, you can place the ashes or cigarette butts in a plastic bag and throw them away in a public trash bin when you're out.
After smoking, the smell of cigarettes can linger on your hands, breath, and clothes. Washing your hands, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, and changing clothes will help remove the lingering cigarette odor.
- Wash your hands: Clean your hands thoroughly with soap after smoking. Simply washing with hot water isn't enough to eliminate the smoke odor. If you can't immediately access a bathroom, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Brush your teeth: Your teeth and breath will hold onto the cigarette smoke smell after smoking. Make sure to brush your teeth for at least two minutes, paying attention to your tongue and gums. You can also use mouthwash or chew mint gum to freshen your breath.
- Shower: Smoke can cling to any part of your body it comes into contact with, so a shower is essential after smoking. Use plenty of soap, shampoo, and body wash, paying special attention to your hair as it tends to absorb the most smoke odor.
- Change your clothes: After showering, change into a fresh set of clothes. Even if you've been careful about moving the smoke outside, some smoke odor will still cling to your clothing. Be sure to wash the clothes you change out of to avoid others detecting the smell.
Advice
- After brushing your teeth, apply hand lotion to your hands to neutralize the smoke smell.
- Use air purifying sprays to deodorize the room where you've been smoking. You can even buy odorless air fresheners designed specifically to eliminate cigarette smells.
- Change the scented paper in your smoke filter after smoking five cigarettes. Even if the paper still smells fresh, it's best to replace it, as new paper will have a stronger scent that better neutralizes the smoke.
- Wrap a plastic bag around your smoke detector until the cigarette smoke clears. Just remember to remove the bag once the smoke is gone.
Warning
- Don't attempt to smoke in restricted areas, like airplane bathrooms or courthouses. While you might trick people, you can't fool smoke detectors, and this can lead to fines or even imprisonment.
- Avoid spraying aerosol products near a lit cigarette or flame as they are highly flammable.
Things You'll Need
- Cigarettes or cannabis
- Gas lighter/matches
- Air freshener or odor eliminator
- Incense (optional)
- Soap or hand sanitizer
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Mouthwash or mint gum (optional)
- Fresh clothes
- Open windows or ventilation ducts
- Fan
- Ashtray
- Toilet paper roll (optional)
- Fragrance paper (optional)
