Whether you love it or hate it, cannabis odor can be a problem, and it’s one home growers have to contend with all the time while they’re growing their cannabis. Whether it’s neighbors who don’t appreciate the herbal aroma or you simply don’t want your whole house—and your clothes—constantly smelling of cannabis, it’s probably best to try to keep the smell from your home growing from taking over.
Thankfully, there are some proven ways to manage the smell from cannabis, but they aren’t all exactly cheap or easy. There are other important factors to keep in mind as well.
Cannabis mostly produces its distinct smell during the flowering phase. That means that during the vegetative phase, you won’t need to worry as much about managing the odor.
You’ll also need to consider the space where you’re growing. If you have a small indoor grow room, it might be much easier to eliminate the smell than if you’ve got significantly more plants in a larger space.
Carbon Filters and Ventilation
Easily the most effective way to stop the smell of cannabis is to keep the grow space well-ventilated and use carbon filters to neutralize the smell as it is sucked out of the room.
Carbon filters are made using activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is one of the best natural filters there is. It is commonly used across all sorts of filtration systems, including in most water filters for pulling out contaminants and heavy metals.
Ideally, you want a substantial fan venting air out of your grow space, pulling that air through a high-quality filter that’s large enough to cover the entire opening, so no air is escaping around the filter.
This method should work for virtually any growing space, whether you have a large grow room, a small indoor grow tent, or even a greenhouse. You just have to be sure you have an adequate carbon filter for the amount of air you’re moving.
Ozone Generators
Ozone is just charged oxygen. An ozone generator is a device that charges oxygen molecules and sends them out into the air. Those molecules then bind to odor molecules, effectively neutralizing them. It sounds like a perfect solution, and a lot of cannabis growers swear by ozone generators, but they aren’t without their downsides.
First, the science behind these devices isn’t exactly proven. While it makes science in principle, there really isn’t hard evidence that ozone generators actually work in practice. Sure, you’ll find plenty of people saying that they’re great, but there isn’t much proof.
In a time when climate change is a chief concern, it should also be noted that ozone generators are harmful to both the environment and the atmosphere. These devices are not a sustainable solution and probably shouldn’t be relied on for larger grows or long-term.
Low-Odor Strains
There are hundreds of cannabis strains, all bred to have different properties, including smells. Terpenes are a major factor that people use to choose their favorite cannabis strains, and they determine how a strain will smell and taste.
So, there are actually strains that have been bred to have terpene profiles that smell less pungent than most cannabis or produce minimal odors altogether. By growing strains that don’t produce as strong an odor, you’re already starting out ahead.
Popular low-odor strains include:
- Northern lights;
- Papaya;
- Jack Herer;
- Grandaddy purple;
- Durban poison;
- Blue mystic;
- Green ninja.
Odor Neutralizers and Air Purifiers
There are also products made specifically to neutralize odors. Common options include gels, sprays, and air purifiers. All of these are great at trapping odors from the air. Sprays are exactly what they sound like. They’re like air freshener sprays, but designed for neutralizing cannabis odors. There are also gel products that you can place in the grow space. The gel sits in the room, simultaneously absorbing cannabis odors and replacing them with whatever the gel is scented with.
Of course, there’s always your standard air purifier. The same air purifiers that people use for better air quality in their homes also work well to remove cannabis odors. Setting up a quality air purifier can help to reduce cannabis odors in the grow space. While these devices can certainly help, they’re probably not going to eliminate them entirely.
While all of these options work well independently, they will all probably work better together. Try combining smell-fighting strategies for the most effective defense against cannabis odors from your home cultivation setup.
