This question comes from Scott in Yarraville, Victoria: 

Hey Trev. First up Happy New Year to you & your family.
Got a question. Does farting into a vacuum cleaner (while it’s on) remove the smell or is that just ‘hot air’?

Well, this is one of the more unusual but interesting questions I’ve received but I’ll do my best.

I’m supposed to stick what into this?!?

First off, the composition of flatulence is not actually hot air as such but methane gas, caused by the breaking down of food particles in the stomach which then in turn travels through the lower intestine and is released by the anus when either appropriate or comically pleasing.

Now, as to whether having a vacuum cleaner in place will remove the smell.  You say farting into a vacuum cleaner; I’m assuming by this you mean having the nozzle placed outside the sphincter ready to go upon flatulence excretion, rather than just sucking the smell out of the air post eruption.  This shows that you are a still a young man, nearing 40 I don’t always have control of when I let one go, though I’ve found a beef vindaloo the night before will guarantee a plethora of gas as required the next morning.

 

To answer your question I tried the following experiments:

TEST 1: The Dog

Hypothesis: Dogs pass gas all the time, making them excellent to blame your own indiscretions on.

Experiment: Chasing the dog around with a vacuum cleaner switched on induces a great deal of fear from the dog, but little gas to suck up.  Also required a long extension cord and avoiding eye contact with the neighbors.

Result: Inconclusive.

 

TEST 2: My Children

Hypothesis: My kids poop – a lot!  Should be a simple matter of catching them mid-fart before the main show arrives.

Experiment: Following my children around with a vacuum cleaner switched on and pointed at their nappy-wearing bums resulted in a very irate babysitter threatening phone calls to child protective services.

Result:  Again, inconclusive.

 

TEST 3: Myself

Hypothesis: Following small creatures around waiting for them to pass gas was time consuming and seemed to irritate all concerned. Since a good 65% of the time I realize I’m about to pass gas before I actually do, catching myself in the act should be an easy matter.

Experiment: I loaded up on beer and curry, topping if off with a couple of hard-boiled eggs, then let my gut percolate.  After a few hours I could feel that the chamber was full and ready to vent.  So I excused myself to the bedroom, removed my trousers and underwear and got the nozzle ready.  However just as I was about to reap the gaseous gold of my lower intestine my wife walked in…

Result: …finding me standing there half naked, with a switched on vacuum cleaner nozzle near my nether’s and a surprised look on my face.  This seemed to disturb her.  When I informed her that I was ‘simply trying a scientific experiment in vapor removal so as to answer a blog question’, I was called a ‘filthy, lying, perverted f*ck!’ before she burst into tears, got the kids and her suitcases and went to a hotel.

 

So to answer your question – does farting into a vacuum cleaner remove the smell? – all I can say is that it probably does but remains unproven. However I did manage to prove it definitely removes all chance of you being intimate with your spouse for the next 6 months.

 

Thanks for your question.

 

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