How to Clean a Bong? – Detailed Guidance
Even experienced marijuana smokers don’t always know how to clean a bong. After some time, it becomes a problem, and many people prefer to buy a new one. Yet, it costs money, and you have to waste time while looking for a new instrument. I suggest using my advice and learning how to clean a glass bong, so you don’t have to buy a new one. This is unavoidable, as any bong can get stinky and dirty after some time of use. The more time you waste avoiding cleaning, the thicker layer of resin inside. Don’t wait until you are no longer able to clean it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Contents
To avoid the situation when the taste of medical cannabis is spoiled, and the bong is dirty and smelling bad, you simply have to clean it. However, it is not always as simple as it may seem. You need to master several skills on how to get resin out of a bong.
Instruments you may need:
- Towels;
- Bong plugs;
- Storage bags with zippers.
What to use to clean a bong:
- Rubbing alcohol;
- Any coarse salt from the kitchen;
- Sea salt;
- Filtered water.
Step 1. Remove all the parts of the bong
Separate the downstem and bowl and place them in the bags I’ve mentioned before. It is extremely important for cleaning a bong that these bags are with zippers. If you are not sure that zippers are reliable, change bags. They will be filled with the liquid in the next step, so they must be strong.
Step 2. Mix sea salt and alcohol in the bag
Both of these substances are amazing cleaners and sanitizers. Put salt and pour alcohol inside both bags. You can use 99 percent isopropyl, which is rubbing alcohol. If you are looking for how to clean a bong without alcohol, you may use vinegar instead. However, rubbing alcohol is a great option to consider, mainly because it is well-known, easy to get in every drug store, and can be used for multiple other purposes, like house cleaning or disinfection. During the pandemic, rubbing alcohol is widely used in versatile sanitizers.
As for the sea salt, you will find it in a drug store or any supermarket with a beauty products department. Salt crystals help you gently remove the resin on the glass. You have to make sure that both the downstem and the bowl are covered with this mix completely.
Step 3. Get rid of old water
The best way to clean a bong is to move step by step. And one of the main steps is to pour out all the water in the bong. Some people weirdly forget about it. Actually, I advise you to change the water every day if you use the bong often. This way, the resin will not build up on the class, and you will not have to use sea salt to scratch it out.
Step 4. Clean the bong itself
The combination of alcohol and salt is the most reliable and checked by many people’s bong cleaning solution. This time, use good old coarse salt. Pour it inside the bong until it covers the base surface. Now put ¼ cup of alcohol inside. Let both substances “rest” there for a while. Several minutes will be more than enough.
Step 5. Use the plugs
The plugs are the must-have details at your home if you smoke medical cannabis. If you don’t have one, buy them. They are so important; I can’t even start teaching you how to clean a bong without them. I recommend ordering standard stoppers, made of rubber. Make sure that the diameter is suitable with downstem and mouthpiece holes. But normally, they are universal. I suggest you buy a set if you can since you will have to use them a lot. Now, put plugs on the holes.
Step 6. Shake it
No matter whether you choose alcohol or vinegar washing bong, you still have to clean the bong and all its parts. Shake bong, bowl, and downstem inside their packages. Be careful with the bong, and don’t go closer to the metal sink as you can simply break the glass. Don’t rush with it. Lightly shake the tool until the resin is falling down from the glass inside. Once the resin is off, you can pour the liquid out.
Step 7. Wash out all the details of the bong
Now, when all the resin is gone, you can get rid of the salt and alcohol mix from the bong’s details. I advise you to wash them with warm, not hot and not cold water. Shake the bong with the water to make sure that there is nothing left on the glass. You may probably want to do this until the water inside becomes crystal clear.
Wash all the pieces, so the alcohol or salt wouldn’t mix with cannabis. If there is still resin inside, repeat the whole procedure. However, if you can’t get rid of it, you may find cotton swabs and cleaners for pipes extremely useful. They will help you to get to the places you can’t reach with your fingers.
Alcohol-Free Options
If you don’t want to use alcohol inside the bong, there are several options for you. One is the vinegar, which I’ve already mentioned. I want to underline that alcohol is still stronger than vinegar. Yet, the decision is yours. Let’s find out how to clean a bong with vinegar:
- Take the baking soda and vinegar instead of alcohol and salt;
- Pout them inside the bong and in the bags with downstem and bowl;
- Shake all these parts;
- Wash out with the warm water.
If you have problems with washing away the handmade cleaner from the bong, you can add several drops of lemon juice into the water. Lemon also helps to remove the water stains. However, you have to rinse the bong after the lemon several times as well.
Preventive Measures
Owners of bongs usually do not care about these instruments, until they become visibly dirty, ruin the taste, or smell awful. Till this time, the class is almost black from resin, which is hard to wash out, and you have to use versatile helpers to clean the glass. If you want to avoid unnecessary moves, take care of your bong in advance. Here are a few simple tips for you:
- Make sure that the water you are using is filtered. Unfiltered tap water is rich in minerals, which may be good for the health, but cause hard to clean stains on the glass. They are dark and look unpleasantly. So, the best and most reliable option is to change the water to the filtered one. I suggest you wash the bong with filtered water as well.
- Change the water every day. Stale water leads to the appearance of resin and stains. Besides, it messes with the taste of cannabis. The old water can also form a mold inside the bong. Even if you don’t smoke marijuana every day, change the water in time.
- Clean the instrument once a week. No matter how often you use it, you have to clean bong at least one time per week. This is how you prevent mold from spreading inside the bong. You don’t need to spend many hours cleaning it. The whole procedure takes less than half an hour if you are new to it, and several minutes if you are an experienced user.
- Keep the bong in a specific case. You need to store it separately from the dishes. It is made of glass and extremely fragile, so you can’t keep it near instruments or on your bookshelf. Order a protective case, which is not that expensive, but may save you from having to buy a new bong. This case will be helpful for those who have to travel a lot and can’t go without the bong. This case will protect the instrument from damage and save it from dust.
- Keep the bong far from pets or kids. It is made of breakable glass. If you don’t want to buy a new one, make sure that no one can easily access it. I recommend keeping it locked if you can. If you can’t do this, at least separate it from the other world with a door.
Bongs of high quality have more chances to withstand various challenges and guarantee better health effects. However, you have to make sure you take care of it. Weekly cleaning saves you from the deep clean measures.
Timely Cleaning Extends Bong’s Life
I hope my recommendations were useful to you. If you still wonder whether you need to pour fresh water in the bong every day or clean it once a week, you may check out the quality of the water inside and the mold on the glass. I strongly advise you not to wait until it is too late, and the bong is out of use. If you have more cleaning tips to share, you can do this in the comments below. I will be happy to hear from those who have tried my advice here. Was it successful? What ingredients have you used?
