This New Air Purifying Filter Can Remove the Smell of Marijuana Smoke, As of 4/20
In the US and around the world, April 20 it has become an illegal holiday for weed smokers. While blowinggums and edibles are becoming more popular, a fair number of people still light up the smoke, and that can cause a lingering smell that many find unpleasant.
I’m one of those people, along with GermGuardian’s new FLT420B air purifier the filter is designed to filter cannabis smoke more effectively than standard air purifier filters.
“As marijuana use becomes more widely accepted, we saw a real gap in the market for a filter designed to combat the smell of marijuana smoke, not just mask it,” said Rukky Ojakovo, senior director of heaters and air quality at Guardian Technologies. “In our two-week home test, over 90% of users rated it effective in reducing the smell of marijuana.”
I was using a FLT420B filter in my home with GermGuardian AC4880B air purifier a few weeks now, and I’m impressed with how effectively it combats the smell of smoke. In my case, the smell comes from cigarette smoke rather than marijuana (I’ve had the worst luck with smokers coming into my basement). The FLT420B filter was effective in combating odors.
GermGuardian says the filter can remove the smell of marijuana for about 90 minutes. It is also compatible with a wide range of company models.
“While the FLT420B is designed specifically for cannabis smoke, its advanced odor control media focuses on VOCs. [volatile organic compounds] more widely, making it applicable to other medicinal smokes as well,” Ojakovo said by email.
According to GermGuardian, the filter is 300 times more efficient than standard HEPA smoke filters and targets odor-causing VOCs at the “cellular” level. The company claims it can remove the smell of marijuana within 90 minutes. Although I’m not a weed smoker myself — I’m very sensitive to bad smells, and I have two asthmatic cats — I plan to test this soon by using cannabis-scented incense sticks.
In the meantime, to test this, I placed the entire AC4880B air purifier unit, with the smoke filter included, in a cabinet in my wife’s office and closed the door. With a UV-C cleaning light, which may produce a small amount of safe ozone, the entire cabin was deodorized in about 24 hours.
I asked Ojakovo what played the biggest role in removing the smell from the closet. The filter was the main driver.
“The advanced FLT420B odor control media is designed to capture VOCs and odors such as cigarette smoke,” says Ojakovo. “UV-C light is great for reducing airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores, but it’s not particularly good for chemical-based smoke odors.”
The Germ Guardian AC4300 also supports the company’s cannabis smoke filter.
Interestingly, even after I took it out of the closet, the air inside did not smell, although sealing the gaps and cracks may have helped.
To further test how well the filter removed odors, I moved the GermGuardian unit to my galley kitchen and placed it next to my garbage cans. There’s not much air there, and I have gas rangetherefore there are many VOCs. I’ve left it there for over a week now, and since then, I’ve noticed a distinct reduction in stale cooking smells and a general improvement in air quality, confirmed by air quality monitoring.
“Since the FLT420B is designed to deal with VOCs, it can certainly help with cooking-related odors and gases,” Ojakovo said, while also pointing out that the company sells filters specifically designed for kitchen use. “For heavy kitchen use around the gas range, we would recommend checking out our wide range of filters, designed for specific use cases.”
Now, if you those suffering from allergiesyou may want to consider a different air purifier modelbut for VOCs, it has been one of the most effective I’ve used.
Price and availability
The FLT420B will work with GermGuardian’s most popular air purifiers, including the AC4880, AC4825E, AC4300, AC4825, AC4870, AC4820, AC4900, AC4850PT, CDAP4500 and AP2200CA. If you own one of those models, it’s just a matter of buying the FLT420B filter for it Amazon (currently out of stock) or directly from Guardian Technologies for $40.
If you are a new customer, you can purchase the model and features of your choice and pair it with the filter that works for your use case.
Editor’s note: Although marijuana is legal for medical and even recreational use in some states, marijuana and THC-containing products are still a Schedule I drug under US federal law. Always use caution and judgment when using cannabis or another controlled substance.
