How to Get Weed Smell Out of Clothes

If you are someone who works in the cannabis industry, someone who frequently uses marijuana for medical reasons, or even someone who lives in a state where recreational marijuana is legal, then you will understand the strength and durability of weed smell as it hangs in the airspace. The smell that is produced from cannabis is a highly recognizable scent that will permeate rapidly throughout an environment, attaching to almost anything in its line of path. When weed smoke is produced into the air it will cling to nearly every absorptive surface within reach including furniture, flooring, hair, and even clothing that are all in close proximity to the emission of this weed smoke in the air.

Weed smoke odors will collect and gather on the fabric of your clothing, making your next attempt at laundry more challenging than your average laundry cycle. Today, there are many different laundry products available that provide fragrant masking smells that will replace the stench of B.O. and other noxious odors on your clothing with an engineered fragrant aroma. However, when it comes to the full-strength smell of weed odor, that will cling to the fibers of your clothing, the removal process of this odor will not be an easy one that goes away with the simple use of floral scents to mask its scents.

In this article we are going to discuss what causes the strong smell of marijuana smoke and how you can properly remove this potent smell from your clothing.

Why Does Weed Smell So Bad?

The smell of cannabis is not a cookie-cutter odor, as the smell produced from the marijuana will depend on the strain that will elicit a unique scent into the air when being smoked. When marijuana is being grown and cultivated it is filled with terpenes, a type of organic compound that is found in a variety of plants including the cannabis plant. There are many terpenes that can be found in a cannabis plant, nearly hundreds of them, and each of these terpenes will release a different odor into the air as the weed smoke is produced. Why do weed plants smell?

Terpenes often smell like thiols, a chemical that is commonly produced from skunks to emit the potent aroma of “skunk spray”. This compound is characterized by a strong smell, that is often compared to rotten eggs or garlic. When cannabis is cultivated, some of the strains produced will contain terpenes that will produce the smell of thiols into the environment, and thus the potent smell of weed is created.

How Far Can Weed Smell Travel

With the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana in many states in the Country, the issue of odor control has been called into question, since the smell of marijuana can travel rapidly throughout the environment. Although the actual distance that weed smell can travel is unknown, it is safe to say it can travel quite the distance – as it can contaminate an entire house, spreading onto furniture, flooring, and even clothing that is within reach of the smoke.

Those individuals who are in the cannabis industry or that are frequently exposed to weed smoke will understand the strength of this odor, as it will collect and gather on surfaces, spreading throughout the air. The issue of weed smell has become a major problem in the cannabis industry, according to the Cannabis Business Times, that talked about a recent case involving odor control in the cannabis industry, “In late October 2018, a federal jury ruled that a Colorado cannabis grower whose cultivation facility has allegedly drove down property values of neighbors beside this facility”. The problems associated with cannabis grow odor issues aren’t the only weed odor problems though. Weed smell can also get stuck in your personal environments and taint items in the home like clothing, this is also something else to consider, as beating this odor out is not a cake-walk.

Marijuana Odor Absorbing Clothing Fabric Types

The type of clothing that you wear can drastically impact the ability of weed smoke smell to collect on the fibers of the material and emit the odor far after its initial exposure to the weed smell. The fabrics that are used today in the manufacturing of clothing can range from synthetic fibers like polyester to natural fibers like cotton. These different types of fabrics ability to absorb odors and scents will vary, especially when talking about natural and synthetic fibers.

Natural fabrics are created from the fibers of animals, bugs, or plants – with the most common natural fabric being cotton fabric. Cotton fabric is a well-known odor adsorbing fabric that takes a long time to dry and will hold body odors and other smells (including weed smell) in the fabric in the meanwhile. This fabric holds odors due to the fibers that swell with moisture that reduces the pores of the fabric.

Synthetic fabrics, compared to natural fabrics, is known to trap odors at a greater rate, but this will create a growing odor issue deep within the fabric. A popular synthetic fabric, polyester, is a type of fabric that is quick to wick moisture away from the skin and quickly dry the fabric. However, due to this construction the material will also easily build-up odors on the fibers that will produce a pungent aroma that can be difficult to eradicate from the material. This fabrics odor absorbing capabilities is a major downfall when it comes to contact with weed smell, which can easily be obtained and trapped within the material of the fabric, leaving a stench that will carry on even after multiple washes.

How to Get Rid of Weed Smell on Clothes

When the smell of weed travels in the air, it has the high potential to attach to the fabric of your clothing and soak the entire material with the strong aroma of weed. Although the smell of weed can be favored by some, most of us prefer not to strut around with the distinctive odor lingering on our clothes. If you have ever attempted the process of eradicating your clothing of this scent, you will know the sheer effort it takes to attack this odor and try to shield the scent from seeping from the fabric of the clothing, either through the use of masking agents, vinegar-solutions, or even a little baking in the sun to beat the stink out.

Which solution is the best to properly get rid of weed smell on clothes? Below we are going to compare these go-to weed odor solutions for smelly fabrics and determine which is the best to use to completely eradicate weed smell.

1. Masking Agents: Many laundry detergents and air freshening sprays that are used on smelly clothing are designed to work to “mask” the scent with an engineered fragrance that is selected by the consumer, from lilacs, ocean breeze, lavender, etc. These solutions can be successful, depending on the odor that is being covered, as some are easily masked and others like weed smell, that have a strong aroma are not as easy to mask. Often times, the result of masking agents on heavily soiled weed aroma clothing will just be a strange mix of weed smell and fragrances that will do little to rid the smell of weed from the fabric.
2. Vinegar-Solution: Vinegar is a commonly used odor solution for clothing that is often used to brighten, soften, and remove odors on fabrics. The key component of vinegar that gives it the ability to accomplish these important fabric upgrades is the ingredient acetic acid. Although this solution will work on most odors trapped on clothing, the smell of weed is simply not like other odors, as the chemistry behind this odor is much different and not easily eliminated. Similar to masking agents, vinegar will nearly mix with the aroma of weed to construct a far worse odor that will permeate from the fabric of the clothing.
3. Airing Clothing Out in the Sun: The sun and fresh air is known to work wonders on clothing, as the odors will be released from the material with the high heats of the sun and airflow. When it comes to removing the smell of weed from clothing, hanging the clothes out in the sun can work but the time that it requires is ambiguous and may be a lengthy process overall.
4. EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer: EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer is a safe and effective laundry additive that is capable of removing stubborn laundry odors from the material of clothing, including musty and mildew smells, fragrance detergents and fabric softeners, perfume smells, and even weed smoke odors and smells from the fabric of your clothing. The EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer works in conjunction with your normal, non-scented laundry detergent to provide a full cleaning and deodorization of the materials. EnviroKlenz works on a variety of clothing fabrics from cotton, nylon, polyester, spandex, performance gear, wool, etc. The simple use of EnviroKlenz Laundry in your washing machine with your smelly, weed smelling clothes will be eradicated from the fabric of your clothing – an easy and effective product for weed smoke smell on clothes.

Article Sources:

1. WikiLeaf: Why Does Pot Smell Like Skunk? (link)
2. Cannabis Business Times: 7 Tips to Neutralize Cannabis Odor Now (link)

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