How to clean a Water-pipe 101. Bong and Bubbler Cleaning Basics
Image Title Exclusive by Richard Jones used with CC license
My first experience with a bong was amazing. I was 18 and I had just gotten my first apartment. My friend came over with an old acrylic bong. it was my first time to use one and I loved it but it was gunky. I don't think it had ever been cleaned. I wanted to taste the pure smoke.
So, I put the bong in the dishwasher.
My dishwasher was covered in resin for months.
I want to save you all from the trouble that I faced.
How to Clean Glass Bongs or Pipes
You can use a Pipe Cleaning Solution Like Randy's. Watch the video below for a demo
Cover your mouthpiece and stem with Glass Grips like in the above video or ResCaps shown below to keep the solution from sloshing out when you shake it up.
The best way to clean your glass bong on the cheap is to use salt and alcohol. This is the tried and true old stand by method
In the video below, you will see a demo on how to do it properly.
If your glass is really dirty, you may need to use pipe cleaners and a scrub brush or one of the cool new magnetic type cleaners available.
Other cleaners that some stoners recommend for really gunky glass are Oxi Clean mixed with a cup of water , denture tablets or straight acetone (use only in a well ventilated area and away from FLAMES). Just use the shake it like hell method and it will work.
William Breathes gives the Following Tips on Westword.com 's Ask a Stoner Column
- Run hot water through your pipes for a minute or two first to loosen up the resin. If the piece is small, get some bacon tongs so you don't scald yourself.
- Plastic Q-tips work great for tight spots. Paper Q-tips tend to break off, so avoid them.
- If you're having trouble with pieces like bowls and slides, let them soak in alcohol in an old jar overnight. In the morning, give them another hot-water bath, then try the alcohol-salt shake.
I personally always recommend a vinegar soak after washing your bong with either alcohol or cleaning solution. Just fill the bong with a little distilled or white wine vinegar and shake it all around until all the parts are coated. Let it sit for a few minutes and then fill the bong with hot water and dump. This makes the piece smell fresher and keeps resin from sticking to the bong as easily. It also just makes glass shinier.
Beware that if your bong or pipe is made of thin (cheap) glass, these cleaning methods may leave a hazy appearance.
You can avoid having a dirty bong by using RezBlock, a Glycerin based product that coats the top of the water. Sort of like poo-pourri for your bowl. It creates a thin membrane that makes the resin less likely to adhere to the glass. Some stoner purists believe that a few drops of lemon juice added to bong water will keep it clean longer.
Another fun and popular way to keep your bongs clean is by adding water beads. They are these little pellets that you soak in water until they get really fat. they grow 20 times their original size! It helps to smooth out your hit by keeping the air cooler and keeps your water clean by trapping the tar on the balls rather than the bong walls. Just float them on your bong water and toss them out after a few water changes.
How to Clean Acrylic -
Never Use Alcohol or Solvents
First fill the bong with a cup of vinegar and add hot water to the lip. squeeze in a tablespoon of dawn dish liquid. let it sit overnight. dump and scrub using a baby bottle brush that won't scratch. I use a bendy brush thing that looks like the one pictured below .
A few of the commercial bong cleaners are also safe for acrylic. One that gets consistently good reviews is called Effin Clean
If there is a metal bowl on your acrylic pice, you can soak that in alcohol overnight and then rinse well with hot water.
If you are just plum tired of cleaning your pieces, you can opt for a frozen bong that melts after use for zero clean up
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