Does Incense Remove Odors? Find Out More about Unwanted Scents Elimination

Yes, when it comes to eliminating odors and making your home smell wonderful, incense can be a great alternative to scented sprays, candles and plug-ins.

Keeping your house smelling fresh is easy with incense. Incense neutralizes odors in your kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom in a wholesome and natural way.

However, please remember that while incense can hide unpleasant smells in a variety of ways, it cannot entirely eliminate them. This means it won’t take long for the smell to return after the incense burns out. 

The scent of incense varies, but is usually spicy and strong.

Some cheap incense smells are too overpowering, making them only compete with bad smells, rather than neutralizing them. Japanese incense usually does not have these issues though.

Even though I like the smell of traditional Indian incense – a combination of flower, plant, and herb scents – sometimes I felt that it was too smokey.

As for Japanese incense, it’s less smoky than Indian, and the scents are nature-based, which makes it more refreshing.

The smoke produced by Japanese incense is just enough to get rid of odors and they leave a somewhat subtle scent behind. I have tested them on several friends who have fragrance sensitivities and found it to be effective and reliable.

Does Incense Make Your House Smell Good?

The smell of incense does make your house smell good. It is a form of fragrance therapy. The scent of incense can improve a person’s mood.

You can use incense for many purposes. Incense sticks and similar products have long been used for religious purposes, but nowadays, they are more popular as fragrances.

Incense can be used as a form of natural air freshener. You can use them alone or in conjunction with other home fragrance products.

Incense is available in different variants and smells. The prices are usually quite reasonable. The fragrance of the incense depends on the ingredients used in it.

When incense burns, it sets a layer of smoke around the house, which, when mixed with the air inside, makes the house smell good. 

However, incense only makes your house smell good for a short period of time. After some time, the smell of incense tends to fade away and replace the original homely smell in your house.

You can burn the incense on an incense burner or ashtray. You should keep the burner or ashtray in a corner of the room or in any other place you want the scent to stay longer.

The smells of fish, cabbage, pork, and other foods that surround the kitchen can be eliminated using incense.

Also, incense is generally considered safe for use by adults, children, and pets.

Getting Rid of Kitchen Smells with Incense Burning

The kitchen is a place where you spend a particular part of the day cooking. During cooking, heat is generated which also causes moisture and makes the surrounding products oily. Such moisture or oily stains result in creating a bad odor. 

The hygiene and the environment of this place must be up to the mark for your physical and mental well-being.  As this place has all the spices, food items, and electronics  the chances of smell accumulation are high 

Here, again, incense burning plays a vital role in sorting out this problem to a significant level. Along with thorough cleaning sessions for removing dirt and moisture, burning these stocks helps mask the odor and create a pleasant atmosphere. Also, the smells of fish, cabbage, pork, and other foods that surround the kitchen can be eliminated by using incense.

Does Incense Get Rid of Cigarette Smell?

If you are trying to find a way to mask the smell of smoke, burning incense could be an option. 

Burn the incense on a non-flammable surface for as long as possible. Once the cigarette smell has disappeared, snuff it out.

According to my research, I have noticed that on several Facebook groups for smoking enthusiasts, incense is suggested as a potential solution that can temporarily mask the scent of cigarette smoke, which allows smokers to enjoy their guilty pleasure without exposing their secret.

Does Incense Get Rid of Weed Smells?

Yes, incense does help in getting rid of weed smell to some extent. However, it does not remove the smell completely. It just adds a different smell to the room and masks the smell of weed.

It is important to distinguish two different types of smells when it comes to weed. Fresh weed should have a skunky, pungent, flowery, sweet, or piney smell. If it isn’t good weed, it can smell somewhat like hay.

Another kind of smell is that of burning, musty ashtrays, normally associated with spent bowls or old roaches.

By burning incense, you can temporarily hide both types of weed smells.

However, despite its ability to mask smells, incense does have its limitations. As long as your roach, bong, or bowl is still around, the weed smell will come right back just as strong once your incense has been fully consumed.

Also, be aware that the potency of the incense is different from one type to another. The more potent the incense is, the more effective it is in absorbing weed scents.

While burning incense can be a hassle, it is always better than not using any at all. Although the room may still smell like weed, it will be much more pleasant with the incense burning.

Marijuana and Incense

Incense can be used to mask marijuana odors, especially if you don’t have time to deep clean the area. All you have to do is light an incense, and the incense smell will quickly overpower the pot smell. The solution isn’t ideal, but at the same time it is not a bad one.

Additionally, when cannabis smoke lingers in the air, the incense smoke acts as a camouflage for the smoke.

Burning incense before smoking helps to prevent the marijuana smell from taking over the room. Also, remember that natural incense can cover the smell of marijuana without being as noticeable as synthetic incense.

Ultimately, incense is only useful if you’re trying to mask the smell of marijuana from someone unfamiliar with its smell. Otherwise, they will just figure it out for themselves.

Suitable Time for Incense Burning

For the elimination of all the above-mentioned smells, you need to choose a specific time of the day to burn these sticks. Which time is most suitable for getting fast results? There is no hard and fast rule for the timing as it varies from person to person depending on personal lifestyle, or incense fragrance.

Some incense is great for making the mind relax so it is best to burn it in the evening or before bed. This way you will get double benefits: one is odor elimination and the second is sound sleep pattern.

Likewise, if you choose an incense that makes you feel energetic then try to use it early in the morning. This way, you will remain active throughout the day and your productivity improves along with masking bad odors. 

Selection of Incense and Place

Where do you need to put the incense holder and how to choose its fragrance? The answer lies in scentscaping. What is it? It is a practice where you choose various scents depending on the purpose and the environment.

If you are facing a bad odor issue from the kitchen then lemon incense is best to use there. It will give your kitchen a fresh environment by eliminating bad smells. Likewise, if you are facing issues in your bedroom or lounge then try incense like lavender, rose, etc that has a positive impact on the mind. Place the incense holder on a non-flammable surface in the bedroom or living room to get the maximum effects.

Remember to choose the incense on the base of your requirements and desired benefits as every type has its own impacts. Some fragrances are pleasant for you but irritate others. So, you need to be careful in selecting them.

Tips for Removing Odors with Incense Sticks Fast

The following are some useful tips that assist in making the indoor environment perfect fast with incense:

• Place the incense holder in the right place where there is proper ventilation and its fragrance can spread evenly through the room. 
• Don’t overuse the incense sticks as this practice will suffocate the environment and create health issues for you. 
• Give incense proper time to burn. the more time it takes, the more effectively it will mask the bad odor. 
• Fix a time of the day for burning sticks as this thing will continuously eliminate the bad odors. 

Useful Alternatives to Incense Sticks for Removing Odors

No doubt, incense is great for masking bad doors in both indoor and outdoor places. However, there are other options as well that you can utilize for the same purpose. These are the following:

Essential Oils

The market is full of different essential oils that come in various fragrances like Peppermint, Jasmine, Roman chamomile, Tea tree, Bergamot, etc. You need to put the oil in a diffuser to enjoy the fragrance. This is an effective way to remove bad smells from your house. 

Scented Candles

Such candles are high in demand and they come in beautiful aesthetics and fragrances. Just turning them on makes the place pleasant with their sweet smell. These candles are effective in removing smells from bathrooms or small rooms.

Room Sprays

Room sprays are great for providing quick relief against unpleasant smells in any room. Make sure to use the spray where there are no flammable objects nearby. In the kitchen, avoid spraying on food items or utensils as they contain chemicals. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ideal frequency for incense burning?

Incense sticks take an hour for complete burning and their fragrance remains inside the room for 2 to 3 hours. Usually,  burning 1 to 2 sticks once a day is enough to get the desired effects. Remember that too much incense smoke can have a bad impact on health and may result in breathing issues or allergies.

What are the possible side effects of incense burning?

Generally, these sticks have no side effects and people enjoy their fragrance with a sound mindset. However, Some individuals are sensitive to such smoke products and they face issues like itching in the eyes, breathing problems, etc. To minimize such side effects always choose a ventilated or open place to burn the sticks to prevent suffocation.

What is the average burning time of incense sticks?

The average burning time of an incense stick is around 60 minutes. The actual time varies depending on the length of the stick and its composition. 

What are the safety measures for burning incense?

Burning sticks can result in dangerous fire if you do not follow these instructions:

• Choose a ventilated place to burn incense
• Keep flammable objects away and place the holder on non-flammable surfaces
• Never leave the burning sticks unattended. 
• Put out the stick before sleep.

Do various incense sticks serve different purposes?

Yes, different fragrances of incense have their specific effects on the human mind and body. Rose and lavender are great in terms of mood-uplifting. Cinnamon incense helps a person have better concentration. Also, citrus fragrance makes you feel energetic and it serves an important role as an air freshener.

Bottom Line

Incense is effective in eliminating bad odors from your home or office with its variety of fragrances. Not just smell, these sticks improve mental and physical health and improve your productivity. Remember that incense sticks act as a helping agent in masking the bad smell only, They do not eradicate the reasons behind that smell. You need to figure out the cause of a permanent solution to this problem.