How To Clean Your Bong & Pipes
It may be a chore, but cleaning your bong and pipes is necessary at one point or another. Over time, ash and other residue will accumulate inside your water pipe, bowl, bubbler, or other piece. Enough residue could be hazardous, and will cause each hit to be more carcinogenic. Cleaner pipes are more visually appealing -- and will enhance the allure of your smoking room, and will give you bigger bong hits.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to clean your pipe or bong, step by step.
The Materials You’ll Need to Clean Your Bong:
- Dirty Bong
- Sink & Hot Water
- Coarse Salt
- Cleaning Solution
- Res Caps
Step #1: Cleaning The Main Section
Before you get into the thick of the water pipe cleaning process, you’ll want to take it apart. This means removing the downstem, bowl, and anything else that may be included. For example, if your bong has an ash catcher attached, you’ll want to remove that as well. Be sure to place the pieces of your water pipe on a flat surface, so that they do not break.
If you’re cleaning a bowl or bubbler, then there should not be anything to disassemble.
Step #2: Rinse With HOT Water
After the pipe has been disassembled, the next step is to (carefully) rinse it in the sink. First, wait for the water temperature to rise. Then, thoroughly rinse the entire pipe to remove any ash, debris, or resin that is stuck to the glass. Keep the water at a low volume, so as to avoid burning yourself.
Step #3: Add Coarse Salt
After most of the debris stuck to the side of the pipe has been eliminated, begin adding salt. Coarse salt does not dissolve as quickly as standard table salt, and is slightly better for cleaning your pipe. Be sure to put salt in all of the different parts of your pipe, without going overboard.
Step #4: Pour In Cleaning Solution
Once you have put salt inside the bong, the next step is to pour in the cleaning solution. In order to effectively clean your glass pipe, you need a high-quality cleaning solution. But, many products on the market are overpriced.
We recommend using either 91% isopropyl alcohol or Green Glass Clean. Both of these low-price glass cleaning solutions will work wonders on your pipe, and we produce Green Glass Clean in house.
Step #5: Shake Like Crazy
Now, that everything has been placed within the bong, it’s almost time to shake the piece. Before doing so, though, plug all of the holes. One easy way to do this is with res caps. Taking this step ensures that the dirty water inside your bong or piece will not spill out, and dirty the room.
After plugging the holes, start the shaking process. Be careful to not shake too aggressively, as you do not want to drop the piece or break the res caps.
Step #6: Dump & Clean
Once the resin or debris has been fully eliminated, dump the cleaning solution and any excess salt that may not have dissolved. Gently rinse the water pipe under hot water again, to ensure that everything has been removed.
After doing so, lightly dry the pipe or bong with a paper towel. Then, put the downstem and bowl back in the original places.
Before smoking out of your piece again, be sure to let it sit. If you can still smell alcohol on the pipe even after cleaning it, then you may need to wash it out with even more hot water. Adding cold water while the piece is still hot could cause the glass to shatter.
Ready to move on to a new piece? Check out our online headshop! We carry bongs, bubblers, bowls, and any other smoking supplies that you might need.
Picture Source: wikihow