In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of sploofs, show you how to make your very own using either dryer sheets or activated carbon filters, and ask the real questions. Do sploofs really work?
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The obvious smell of cannabis can be delicious for some, while others can find it to be quite a nuisance. Whether you need to hide your nefarious activities, or you just want to be polite to those around you, there are many reasons you might want to hide the smell of weed. Today we’ll show you how to make a sploof, a simple and fairly effective way to reduce the smell of smoking bongs and pipes.
What Is A Sploof?
Sploofs, what exactly are they? The name might seem a little silly, however, a sploof is a handy device designed to absorb the infamous smell of your precious herb, allowing you to smoke stealthily, and without annoying the neighbours.
Who invented this device? Nobody really knows. They seem to be one of those things which gradually snuck into existence, with no obvious origin. Various companies have been selling sploofs for years, but DIY ones likely predate these significantly. Alas, the exact origin of the sploof is lost to the annals of time.
How does a sploof work? Usually, they employ either dryer sheets or activated charcoal. Dryer sheets are used to reduce static build-up in clothing in tumble dryers. In this instance, they act as filters to help absorb most of the smell of cannabis. Alternatively, activated charcoal fulfils the same purpose.
Sploofs: Store-Bought Or DIY?
Sploofs are very easy to make at home, but you can also buy them ready-made and usually more efficient. Let us highlight their differences to help you choose what might work better for you.
The pros of bought sploofs are:
- Very effective
- Long-lasting
- Aesthetically refined
The pros of homemade sploofs are:
- Very cheap
- Can be created on demand
Unless you’re particularly handy, a homemade sploof is unlikely to be as good as a manufactured one. So, if covering every last hint of cannabis scent is crucial to you, spending a little more and buying yourself a professional one might be worth it. You can easily pick one up for under £50 (roughly $65/€60), and they’ll last a very long time.
If absolute effectiveness isn’t so important to you, or you need a sploof right now, then a homemade one is a great option. What’s more, they should cost you under £5. Depending on how they’re made, they might be little more than a single-use object, or they could get you through a couple of heavy sessions before they need to be binned.
How Many Times Can You Use A Sploof?
Store-bought sploofs tend to run out of filtering power after 300–500 exhales. Many products' filters can be replaced, rather than having to buy a whole new device. Replacement filters cost around £5 each, so factor this into your overall pricing.
How long does a homemade sploof last? It’s hard to say. A toilet roll tube stuffed with dryer sheets probably isn’t going to last very long. Not only do the dryer sheets have limited absorbent capabilities, but the tube itself will begin to break over time.
Those made from plastic bottles and using activated charcoal on the other hand will last longer. Once the smell begins to leak, the activated charcoal can be replaced, thus making your sploof reusable. Although the reusable part is only a simple plastic bottle, at least you’ve found a second life for it.
DIY: How To Make A Sploof
Making a sploof is very easy. Whether you opt for the incredibly simple version that uses dryer sheets, or a slightly more advanced one using an activated carbon filter, both are cheap and do not require advanced skills to make!
Simple DIY Sploof
The simple sploof requires just a few things that most of us have laying around the house!
Hardware
- Dryer sheets/paper towel sprayed with air freshener
- A toilet roll tube/plastic bottle
- Scissors
- Rubber bands
Directions
- Poke 5–10 holes in the bottom of the plastic bottle. Either cut the mouth off or use a bottle with a wide opening. If using a toilet roll tube, you can skip this step.
- Fill your plastic bottle/toilet roll tube with 5 dryer sheets. Alternatively, spray the toilet roll with an air fresher, and pack these in. If you do this, you must do it right before use.
- Place either one dryer sheet or a piece of freshened toilet paper over one end of the toilet roll, or the end of the plastic bottle with the holes in it. Secure this with a rubber band. Now your sploof is ready!
Advanced DIY Sploof
The advanced sploof utilises the absorbent powers of activated charcoal and tends to be a little more robust. This makes it a more sustainable choice than the version above.
Hardware
- A plastic bottle
- Scissors
- Activated charcoal
Directions
- Store-bought charcoal is often full of dust. To remove it, simply rinse it in water, drain it and dry it. It is now ready to be used!
- As before, poke holes in the bottom of the bottle and either cut off the mouthpiece or use one with a wide mouthpiece.
- Fill your bottle with activated charcoal. You can either put the charcoal straight in or wrap it up in a wet paper towel.
How To Smoke With Your Sploof
Despite sploof sounding like spliff, they don’t really work with spliffs or joints. Rather, they work better with bongs and pipes.
Before we continue, it’s important only ever to exhale into a sploof. Inhaling, especially if it’s full of air freshener, could cause irritation and ruin your smoking session.
To use a sploof, simply exhale into it. Take your hit from your pipe or bong and breathe out through the sploof. The filter inside it should absorb most of the smoke, thereby trapping the scent.
Now, a sploof can’t absorb anything which isn’t exhaled through it, so excess smoke leaking from the carb hole of your bong is still going to smell. This is why it doesn’t work for joints, as the smoke pouring off the end is still going to drift off into the air.
Does A Sploof Really Work?
It’s debatable. A sploof isn’t going to totally remove the smell of your smoke. It should dramatically reduce It. You should now have a lingering aroma rather than a pungent stench. Although, if zero smell is your ultimate goal, there are better options.
Top tip: Your best chance is still smoking outdoors!
By all means, use a sploof to reduce the smell, and a good one will help tremendously. Just remember that a sploof can only go as far, and you shouldn't put your faith in it if what you require is total stealth.
