When you smoke cannabis using a bong, a glass water pipe, the resin from the plant builds up over time. This leaves a sticky residue on the glass’s surfaces. If the stickiness builds up too much, the bong will eventually become unusable. It also discolors the water and masks the flavor of the marijuana you’re smoking. You must be thinking about how to clean a bong.
Mold and bacteria can grow in the water, posing a health risk. A filthy bong is dangerous to your health and can make a horrible first impression if you’re smoking in public. Fortunately, the things you’ll need to clean your bong are likely to be present in your home. There are also cleaning products designed exclusively for bongs on the market.
In this blog, I will tell you about how to clean a bong. So, let’s begin!
How often should you clean a bong?
You know it’s time to clean your bong when a ring forms around the waterline or when you pour purified water into it and see some little floaters of cannabis, resin, or residue in there.
That really unique bong scent is caused by these particles, which are coupled with bacteria and mildew. Once a week, both experts recommend cleaning your bong or pipe.
Many connoisseurs clean their bong every day. If you want to keep it clean and avoid problems like these, just dump the water when you’re done using your bong and clean it anyhow.
While we clean bongs (preferably while listening to some excellent tunes or listening to a podcast! ), it’s vital to reflect on all the sacrifices made by Black and Brown people in order to achieve legalization. The legalization that lets you worry-free clean your bong!”
What do you need?
- a huge plastic bag that can be resealed
- Isopropyl alcohol (91 percent to 99 percent) is the finest choice.
- Cleaner for pipes
- Soap for dishes
- Morton’s table salt, Epsom salt, rock salt, or Himalayan salt are examples of salt. Salt is gritty enough to brush away stuck-on resin while being soft enough to avoid scratching the glass.
- Gloves that can be discarded (optional)
How to clean a bong?
This simple and practical strategy always works. If you wish to avoid sticky residue on your fingertips, put on disposable gloves before starting these instructions.
Remove the bowl and stem.
The bowl and stem are the parts of the device where you put your marijuana. This section can be removed, making cleaning the bong much easier. When you pour the bong water out, you don’t want to get the bowl wet.
Pour out the old water.
If you can prevent it, don’t throw bong water down the drain because it’s sticky and resinous. If you have a properly sealed trash bag, you can pour it into it, or you can pour it into a sealed container to toss away. You can also dump your bong water outside, but don’t use it to irrigate your plants. Your plants will be harmed by the same germs and mold that can hurt you.
Place the bong in a zip-top bag.
A large gallon-size bag should suffice and will aid in the containment of the waste. If you don’t have a zip-top bag, perform the following instructions in a garbage bag or over your sink. Just watch out for the bong resin sticking to the sides of your sink.
Add isopropyl alcohol to the inside of the bong.
Fill the top of the bong with isopropyl alcohol. Depending on the size of your bong, use roughly 16 ounces or just enough alcohol to fill the bong halfway. If you’re using a special isopropyl combination for bong cleaning, pour that into the bong instead. If you don’t want to use isopropyl alcohol, white vinegar and baking soda can be substituted; simply soak it for longer.
Add salt to the bong.
This salt aids in the removal of resin from the inside of the bong by gently scrubbing it. The alcohol cleans it a little, but the salt gets rid of the build-up on the bong’s sides. Use a reasonable amount of salt to ensure that the resin is scrubbed clean.
Close the bag and shake.
Because shaking the alcohol and salt mixture about the interior of the bong might get messy, shut the bag. If you’re using a percolator bong, make sure the liquid gets into all of the chambers. To permeate all the crevices, you may need to tip the bong upside down a few times.
Let it soak for 30 minutes.
Allow 30 minutes for the alcohol mixture to rest in the bong. This step isn’t always essential, depending on how unclean your bong has become, but soaking it improves the alcohol’s ability to clean your glass.
Remove the bong and dispose of the bag.
Here’s why the bag is so important: you can simply close the bag and throw it away after it’s full with dirty bong water. This prevents the resin mess from accumulating in the sink.
Rinse bong with warm water and soap.
It’s recommended to empty the bong of all alcohol and salt before using it, especially since alcohol is combustible. To remove any remaining oil on the glass, use dish soap and warm water.
Soak the bowl and stem in alcohol to clean them.
Scrub any stuck-on resin out of the stem using a pipe cleaner. Before using it, thoroughly rinse it with hot water and allow it to dry completely before loading it with cannabis.
How to clean latex or acrylic bongs?
Cleaning latex, plastic, or acrylic bongs, unlike glass, requires extra caution. Only use hot water and a pipe cleaner or a large straw brush to clean the pipe. This is due to the fact that alcohol can degrade and strip acrylic and latex materials.
Fill the bong with hot water and run it under the faucet to clean it. Rinse and re-rinse until the water flows clear. Cleaning solutions for latex or acrylic bongs are also available.
The Bottom Line
It is critical to clean your bong for your health and enjoyment. While you may buy store-bought concoctions that promise to clean your bong quickly and efficiently, you can also clean your bong using a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and salt.
You’ll need to use a less abrasive procedure, such as hot water and dish soap, for other types of bongs, such as silicone or acrylic. Wear disposable gloves and avoid throwing dirty bong water down the drain because this is a sticky job. Hopefully now you are aware of how to clean a bong.
Please use the above methods and tell me about your experiences in the comment section. Thank You!