{{Short description|Handheld smoke filter}} {{For|the defunct trivia website|Sploofus}} thumb|Sploof made from a cardboard toilet paper tube and multiple dryer sheets A '''sploof''' is a type of handheld filter used for mitigating the smell of exhaled marijuana smoke. They are typically handmade and improvised. One common configuration is a toilet paper tube stuffed with deodorizing dryer sheets, through which the user exhales smoke. They are a fixture of stoner culture.
==Purpose== Cannabis smoking creates a distinct, lingering scent. This makes the activity easily detectable. Due to local laws or social norms, concealing the smell of marijuana smoke may be desirable. This is especially true when users smoke indoors or wish to remain inconspicuous in non-smoking spaces.<ref name="ww">{{cite news |last1=Yoshiko |first1=Lauren |title=Want to Spark up in Your Apartment Without Violating Your Lease? Try These Commercial Weed Filters—or Go the Classic DIY Route |url=https://www.wweek.com/potlander/2021/04/14/want-to-spark-up-in-your-apartment-without-violating-your-lease-try-these-commercial-weed-filters-or-go-the-classic-diy-route/ |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=Willamette Week |date=14 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
Even in localities where marijuana consumption is legal, the pungent odor may be considered a nuisance in certain situations. Sploofs are commonly employed by smokers in shared living spaces such as dorm rooms or apartment complexes.<ref name="ww"/><ref name=bg>{{cite news |last1=Giacobbe |first1=Alyssa |title=Smoke Screen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/495467073/?terms=sploof&match=1 |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=The Boston Globe |date=24 June 2018 |page=A19 |language=en}}</ref>
==Types and usage== thumb|A sploof, constructed from a water bottle, dryer sheets, and rubber bands. The residue near the top is indication of prior use. The most common type of sploof is an improvised device composed of multiple scented dryer sheets placed within a cardboard toilet paper tube.<ref name="ww"/> However, different configurations and materials may be used. Other cardboard tubes, such as those found inside paper towel rolls, are common.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Damon |first1=Travis |title=Masking the Smell of Marijuana |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/725573383/ |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=The Spokesman-Review |date=2 April 2021 |page=k16 |language=en}}</ref> Plastic bottles can be used in lieu of a cardboard tube.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kohut |first1=Tim |title=What Is a Sploof and How Do You Make One?|url=https://hightimes.com/guides/what-sploof-how-do-you-make-one/ |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=High Times |date=9 December 2019}}</ref> Alternative stuffing materials may include fabric soaked in deodorizing sprays such as Febreze.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hall |first1=Allison |title=A smelly situation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/583832080/ |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=The Spokesman-Review |date=30 June 2017 |page=ec6 |language=en}}</ref> A sock may be fitted around the device for an added layer of filtration.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Furrer |first1=Nikki |title=A Woman's Guide to Cannabis: Using Marijuana to Feel Better, Look Better, Sleep Better–and Get High Like a Lady |date=25 December 2018 |publisher=Workman Publishing |isbn=978-1-5235-0200-4 |page=209 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Woman_s_Guide_to_Cannabis/pj1yDwAAQBAJ |access-date=1 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Commercial handheld smoke filters have also gained popularity. These may be more efficient at filtering smoke than DIY options. Some include replaceable HEPA-grade filters, and are marketed to remove up to 99% of exhaled smoke.<ref name="ww"/>
To work, the user intentionally inhales smoke and holds their breath. Then, they place the tube around their mouth. The user then expels the smoke out of their mouth, blowing it into the tube and through the filtering fabric.<ref name=mel/>
==Efficacy== Dryer sheets, typically made of polyester or fabric, are coated in hydrophobic substances and are positively charged. Marijuana smoke comprises oil-based cannabinoids, which are captured by the fibers of the dryer sheet and neutralized by the hydrophobic agents. The smell of any remaining smoke may be masked by the artificial scent of the dryer sheet.<ref name=mel>{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Quinn |title=The Deeply Chill Science Behind the Sploof |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/do-sploofs-work |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=MEL Magazine |date=17 February 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== {{wikt|sploof}} *{{cite web |title=How to Mask the Smell of Weed with a DIY Artisanal Sploof |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-to-make-an-artisanal-sploof-smokeables/ |website=VICE |access-date=1 September 2025 |date=18 April 2018}}
Category:Cannabis culture Category:Cannabis smoking