Curious how to make a stink bomb at home? You’ve come to the right place. Below is the most widely used household method for cooking up that classic rotten-egg funk — the kind that clears a room in seconds. Ever cracked open one of those little glass stink bombs from the joke shop? Peek inside and you’ll find the same basic chemistry we’re about to walk through: sulfur, the element responsible for the smell of rotten eggs.
Before we start: this is the safe, low-toxicity household version. We are making a mild ammonium-sulfide stench — a strong irritant that smells terrible, not a poison gas. There are far nastier “recipes” floating around the internet; we don’t do those, and neither should you. Read the safety section below before you mix anything.
Stink Bomb Supplies
- Household ammonia — the reactant. Ammonia
- A book of paper matches (your sulfur source) — Matches. Or, if you have it, food-grade sulfur powder — Sulfur
- A capped plastic bottle or other non-breakable sealed container — Plastic bottle
- Scissors (only needed if you’re cutting match heads)
- Disposable gloves — strongly recommended
Ammonia is a pungent gas with the formula NH3; dissolved in water it becomes the ammonium hydroxide sold as household cleaner. Here it’s the reactant that pairs with sulfur to create the stinky ammonium-sulfide smell. It’s harsh on its own — work in fresh air and never inhale it directly.
Match heads are an easy household source of sulfur compounds. A single book is plenty. Plain paper matchbooks like the ones pictured are exactly what you want.
You can skip the matches and use actual sulfur powder if you happen to have the food-grade yellow stuff, but matches are cheaper and easier to find, which is why we default to them.
How To Make The Stink Bomb
Do this step outdoors, in fresh air, wearing gloves.
1. Cut the match heads. Using scissors, snip the heads off a book of matches and drop them into your bottle. (Skip this step entirely if you’re using loose sulfur powder — just add a small spoonful instead.)
2. Add the ammonia. Carefully pour in enough household ammonia to cover the match heads. Pour slowly and don’t splash — keep your face out of the fumes.
3. Cap it tightly. Screw the lid on firmly so nothing leaks or evaporates.
4. Let it steep. Set the sealed bottle somewhere safe, out of reach of kids and pets, for one to two days. The ammonia slowly reacts with the sulfur compounds to form smelly ammonium sulfide.
5. Deploy carefully. When it’s ripe, uncap it outdoors and pour it where you want the funk — then walk away.
Safety First — Read This
- NEVER mix ammonia with bleach. Combined, they create chlorine gas, which is genuinely toxic and can kill you. Keep bleach nowhere near this project.
- Ventilate. Mix and open the bottle outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, never in a small enclosed room.
- Don’t aim it at anyone’s face. This is a room-clearer, not something to spray or throw at a person. The fumes are irritating to eyes, nose, and lungs.
- Keep it out of school. Setting off a stink bomb indoors at a school, workplace, or public building is a great way to earn a suspension or an actual legal charge. Keep pranks to your own space with the target in on the joke.
- Adult supervision. Because it involves ammonia and match chemicals, this is not a solo kids’ project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a homemade stink bomb dangerous?
The ammonium-sulfide version here is an irritant, not a poison, so it’s on the safer end as long as you follow the rules: work outside, don’t inhale it, wear gloves, and above all never combine ammonia with bleach. Treat it with the same respect you’d give any household cleaner.
How long until the stink bomb is ready, and how long does it last?
Give it one to two days sealed up for the smell to fully develop. Once poured out, the odor can linger on surfaces for hours or even days — which is exactly why you should only deploy it somewhere you’re allowed to and can clean up afterward.
Is there an even milder version?
Yes. For a lower-key rotten-egg smell you can steep just match heads (or a pinch of sulfur) in warm water and skip the ammonia entirely — it’s weaker but far gentler to handle. Want a ready-made option instead of mixing chemicals? Compare notes with our review of Liquid Ass spray.
Want more harmless mayhem? Try our classic saran wrap pranks or go for maximum sparkle with a glitter prank. We’ll cover more stink bomb prank ideas soon — until then, give this a try and let us know how yours turns out!