smudge bomb in a green ceramic incense burner

What is A Smudge Bomb & How Do You Use It?

February 11, 2025 Rebecca Haynes

A smudge bomb is basically a ball of dried resin & herbs designed for smoke cleansing. Smudge bombs can be used as an alternative to using smudge sticks and smoke cleansing bundles and are designed for specific intentions such as cleansing/ harmony etc.

How to Use A Smudge Bomb:

Smudge bombs are used similarly to smoke cleansing herb bundles or smudge sticks.

To use your smudge bomb, follow these steps:

Choose your smudge bomb based on your desired intention.
Take your smudge bomb out of its packet.
Place the smudge bomb into a heatproof, fireproof container such as a censer, cauldron or smudge bowl.
Ensure it is away from anything flammable
Light the side of the incense ball (same as you would with a smudge stick) until it is smouldering.
Enjoy the fragrance
If you need to extinguish your smudge bomb for any reason you can cover it in dirt or extinguish it in water they will not relight after being extinguished in this way).

As with any loose incense, smudge bombs require a heat proof & fireproof container for burning, such as a cauldron, censer, thurible or ceramic smudge bowl. Other accessories that may be useful (but not necessary) are charcoal tongs for handling the smudge bomb.

What Are The Pros & Cons Of Using Smudge Bombs?

The Pros of using Smudge Bombs are as follows:

Great for smoke cleansing/ smudging- because the smudge bombs produce a lot of smoke, they are great for smoke cleansing.
Designed for specific intentions- because they are ready made, manufacturers have selected specific herbs/resins designed for specific intentions. Therefore if you want to perform a cleansing to bring harmony into your home, for instance, you can find a smudge bomb that has been specifically selected for this purpose.
Quick and easy to use- Due to their size, smudge bombs burn fairly quickly and are easy to use.

The Cons Of Using Smudge Bombs are:

They produce a LOT of smoke- like most loose incense, smudge bombs produce a lot of smoke which can make them unsuitable for small areas (think small apartments granny flats etc) and/or people who are particularly sensitive to smoke such as asthmatics and individuals with COPD.
They can be finicky to light: as with smudge sticks, smudge bombs can sometimes be problematic to light.
They can easily extinguish if not fully lit- if your smudge bomb is not fully lit, it will sometimes not continue to smoulder and will extinguish altogether.

Troubleshooting Smudge Bombs:

Some of the common problems that people have with smudge bombs and/or incense are easily corrected with the correct know how. Common problems and solutions are listed below and include:

My smudge bomb won't stay lit- Sometimes you have to literally set the smudge bomb on fire. Make sure there is flame so that when you extinguish the flame, the dried herbs will continue to smoulder with the heat.

My smudge bomb produces too much smoke- As stated previously, smudge bombs

will produce a lot of smoke. That is the nature of burning dried plant material. If you want to, however you can help to diffuse some of the smoke. To do this, place your smudge bomb in a fireproof/heatproof container with holes in it, such as a thurible/censer. This way you will not get the massive plumes of smoke that you will if the smudging material is left open to the air.

My smudge bomb refuses to light- If your incense/smudge bomb refuses to light at all, t is possible that it has become damp. To remedy this you can always set it in a dry sunny place (such as the dashboard of your car) or in the oven on a super low heat (and keep an eye on it) to dry it out again.

Notes on using smudge bombs:

There are certain things that you need to keep in mind when using Smudge bombs including:

Keep them away from children and pets. Even in their dried forms they can look like edible treats (such as the popular protein balls). For this reason, even in their unlit form they should be kept away from children and pets.
Keep them away from flammable material.
Ensure you burn them in a well-ventilated area
Do not use smudge bombs near asthmatics and people with COPD
Do not burn them near animals/birds
Do not burn them near a smoke alarm (unless you really like the fire brigade :) )
Never pick up a lit smudge bomb with your bare hands- always use tongs and be careful as they may crumble and drop hot embers. If you need to extinguish your smudge bomb, you are better off leaving it where it is and covering it with dirt to snuff it out.
Keep your smudge bombs in a cool dry place away from moisture to prolong their life.