How To Clean a Bong
When it comes to the numerous ways you can consume cannabis, smoking is easily the most popular. As far as how people smoke their weed, there are many options, with bongs being one of the most popular.
However, unlike when you smoke a joint and end up with nothing but a roach (the remains of a smoked joint), when you smoke from a bong, it will get dirty after repeated use. Therefore, the flavor of your hits will become unpleasant due to the filthy water and resin-covered interior.
Now, you have two ways to go about resolving this issue. You can either a) purchase a brand-new water pipe and start a new, or b) bust out the elbow grease for a proper bong cleaning. If you’re Mr. Moneybags, then the first choice may be a viable option.
For the rest of us who don’t have money growing on trees, we have to go with the DIY option. To help you better understand, we’ll cover how to clean a dirty bong, why it’s essential to keep your bong clean, and how often you should clean it.
Why You Need To Clean Your Bong
Whether you’re a daily bong smoker or someone who seldom uses their water pipe, the time will come when you have to clean it. If you don’t clean it and continue to use it, the dirtier it will become, and complications will arise.
Your bong will emit a foul odor, your hits won’t be as smooth, and you’ll end up wasting your cannabis, just to name a few of the problems. Let’s elaborate on these issues so you can better understand the importance of a clean water pipe.
Improved Hits
Most smokers would agree that smoothness is a top priority when taking bong rips. In fact, smooth rips are why many gravitate toward water pipes in the first place. This is due, in large part, to the water in the bong’s chamber, which filters and cools the smoke before it reaches your lips.
After repeated use, the water in your bong becomes murky from the ash and any other particles that fall through. And the dirtier the water is, the more adverse effect it will have on your sessions. You’ll more than likely begin to cough and notice a distinct change in taste.
That change is your rips taking on the disgusting flavor of the dirty bong water and the grimy interior of your bong. When the smoke travels through the filthy water, it’s also being filtered through all that nastiness. It’s also coming into contact with the resin that’s built up over time on the interior of the bong.
This completely alters the flavor of your hits along with upping the harsh factor. As previously stated, the harsher the bong rips, the more likely you are to follow up with a coughing fit. And nobody likes to cough up a lung in the middle of a session.
Some will tell you that if you don’t cough after a hit, you’re not really getting high. Not only is this untrue, but it’s your body sending you a message. That message is your lungs telling you to “Stop taking harsh hits and clean your darn bong!”
Furthermore, marijuana has so many different flavors that if your bong is constantly dirty, you’ll never be able to appreciate those flavors as much as you should.
Clean Appearance and Smell
After you’ve had a couple of sessions with your bong, its appearance and smell will take on a new look and odor. You’ll notice a dark, tar-like substance accumulating on the interior of your piece. This is the buildup that we spoke of in the previous section, known as resin.
And there’s no doubt that resin buildup is one of the top enemies of bong smokers. Sure, some people will scrape this resin and smoke it when they’re on hard times. But most cannabis enthusiasts will tell you it’s a bad idea.
Resin contains ash, tar, and other harmful byproducts that you don’t want to inhale. It’s this resin, along with the dirty bong water, which emits that foul odor. And good luck ignoring that when you attempt to take a rip.
Not to mention, the more sessions you have without a proper bong cleaning will just exacerbate the problem. It can get so awful that you’ll notice the odor as soon as you enter the room where you keep your bong.
And we’re sure your guests won’t evacuate immediately as soon as the stench hits their nostrils (sarcasm). If you’re thinking that air freshener is the solution to mask the odor, it’s not. It’s the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a gun wound.
And if you’ve spent a pretty penny on your piece, you should take care of it to ensure it has a long lifespan. A proper bong cleaning is a must, especially if you like to put your glass on display. Seeing as how the dirtier your water pipe gets, the less you’ll be able to appreciate your bong’s esthetics.
Maybe this doesn’t apply to you since you’ve got a traditional clear beaker bong with no extra design aspects to speak of. In that case, we will direct your attention back to our points on the foul stench.
The Health Factor
While smooth hits along with a clean, odor-free bong can be important, a dirty bong poses the greatest threat to your health. Unfortunately, there’s no visual way to tell if any bacteria or other toxic microorganisms are hiding inside your bong.
And since bacteria can start to grow in as little as 24 hours, this isn’t something you want to just gloss over. When bacteria enter the scene, they open the door and allow mold to come in and sprout. To put it bluntly, when you inhale mold and bacteria, you’re wreaking havoc on your lungs.
This can turn into mold ingestion, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchitis. Depending on the severity of your condition, recovery might take weeks or even months. Not only can cleaning your bong help to prevent these issues from occurring, but it will also eliminate the nasty carcinogens that can build up over time.
A clean bong will allow you to enjoy your cannabis minus that awful dirty bong taste while significantly reducing the damage to your lungs. Even if you don’t get sick from inhaling the toxic fumes, the taste of moldy bong water can get pretty bad.
So bad that it can easily induce vomiting, which is the last thing you want during a smoke session. If you don’t believe us, then test it out for yourself. Simply allow your dirty bong water to sit for a couple of days and take a peek inside.
There’s a good chance you’ll see a layer of film that’s formed on the water surface known as biofilm. This biofilm is a bio-dome which is a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms.
And the more you smoke from the same dirty water, the more likely these bacteria are to multiply and spread throughout your body. All of this is easily avoidable if you merely take a few minutes to clean your bong regularly.
How Often Should You Clean Your Bong?
Most marijuana enthusiasts will tell you that you should clean your bong every few days to a week at most. They also recommend you change the bong water daily. Some people will change the water after every session, just to be sure no mold pops up.
Seeing as how it can take as little as 24 hours for mold and bacteria to start to form, this isn’t a terrible strategy to follow. To take it a step further, after thoroughly cleaning your water pipe, rinse it and allow it to fully dry.
A good indicator to decipher when it’s time to clean your bong is when the color changes from clear to a murky, dark color. Some other things you want to be mindful of are how many people use the bong, whether you pull ash into the water chamber, and how frequently you change out the water?
Your answers to these questions will help you decide when it’s time to clean your bong. Even if you only take a few hits over a few days, you won’t be able to see the pollutants in your piece that might house mold and bacteria.
If you’re a heavy smoker, it will be much easier to tell when it’s time to clean your water pipe. Your bong water will change color, resin will accumulate, and your bong will begin to emit an odor much sooner than those who barely smoke.
Nevertheless, if you use common sense and notice your bong is dirty or emanating an odor, take a couple of minutes and clean the sucker.
How To Clean Your Bong
To clean a filthy bong, you can employ a variety of methods. If it’s not that dirty, you may be able to get away with just using some soap and warm water. For dirtier bongs, there are some cleaning solutions made specifically for this purpose, but they can cost a pretty penny.
If you plan on cleaning your bong regularly, you’ll need a sizable supply to do the job. Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on cleaning products, we’ll show you how to clean a bong with household items.
Because there’s nothing better than taking a hit from a freshly cleaned water pipe and enjoying all the flavors of your cannabis instead of your filthy bong.
What To Clean bong With
- Salt
- Isopropyl Alcohol (seasoned smokers recommend 90% and above)
Cleaning Your Bong
- Begin by removing the bowl and downstem (you can disregard this if your bong features a fixed downstem) from your bong and set them aside for the time being.
- Next, you’ll want to empty the dirty bong water and run hot tap water through your bong to remove any weed particles and any other debris that’s collected on the inner walls.
- Depending on the size and style of your bong, you’ll want to use anywhere from ½ cup to 2 cups of isopropyl alcohol. Keep in mind that it’s not necessary to fill it to the top. You want just enough alcohol to swish around and reach every nook and cranny.
- Now it’s time to add some salt. And once again, how much you use depends on your bong’s shape and size. It’s recommended that you use ¼ cup to ½ cup. The salt works as an abrasive that, when teamed up with isopropyl alcohol, delivers a 1-2 punch to your filthy bong. Additionally, isopropyl alcohol does not dissolve salt as water does.
- With your cleaning concoction ready, you’ll need to close off the mouthpiece and joint before shaking it around. If you can find something around your house to stuff into these openings, that’d be fantastic.
- But if you can’t find anything, don’t fret. Simply grab some paper towels and wad them up to stuff in the mouthpiece and joint. Just make sure you cover them with your hands to ensure they don’t pop out during the next step, spraying salted isopropyl alcohol everywhere.
- You’ve got your bong with your DIY bong cleaner solution ready, as well as both openings closed off, so now’s the time to listen to KC and the Sunshine Band and “Shake, Shake, Shake” your dirty bong.
- If you have a simple beaker or straight tube bong, it should only take a minimal amount of shaking to get it clean. However, if your bong features more intricate parts such as percolators or recycler arms, you’ll want to shake it a bit longer and more methodically to ensure you get those hard-to-reach spots.
- When you’re satisfied with your cleaning job, you can pour out your used cleaning solution and give your newly cleaned water pipe a nice rinse. You can even save your DIY bong cleaner in a bottle or jar to use for future cleanings.
Cleaning Your Bowl and Downstem
Now that your bong is nice and clean, it’s time to show you how to clean a bong bowl and a downstem (if your piece features a downstem). We’ll be discussing two methods you can use. This allows you to choose which technique works best for you and your setup.
Ziploc Method
- We will be using the same materials we used to clean the bong, just with some added help from Ziploc. First, place your dirty bowl and downstem in separate bags so you don’t break them during step 3.
- Just like before, you want to pour your alcohol and salt into each bag, making sure you fully immerse the pieces in the cleaning concoction. Close each of the bags and double-check the seals for any possible leaks.
- Now it’s time to get back to the fun and shake your baggies until you can shake no more. OK, maybe not that much shaking. But you do want to shake them enough to remove the caked-on resin and other gunk.
- Once your bowl and downstem are clean, carefully remove them from the bags and rinse them off with some water. You can either dump your cleaning mixture or save it for later like we previously spoke of.
- Finally, place your clean bowl and downstem back onto your bong, fill it with some water, and you are good to go, my friend!
Bottle Brush Method
- For this method, you won’t need any salt, only isopropyl alcohol. As well as a bottle brush that’s small enough to fit in both of your pieces.
- Pour a modest amount of isopropyl alcohol into a small dish or cup and dip your bottle brush in it. You probably already know where we’re going with this one. Just to be sure, we’ll discuss it, anyway.
- Simply slide the brush into both ends of your bowl and give it a couple of twists along with some back-and-forth scrubbing action.
- Remove the brush from your bowl and give it a nice rinse and repeat until your bowl is clean.
- Repeat the process with your downstem, then give both pieces a rinse and place them back on your bong. Fill your bong with some water, pack up the bowl, and you are off to the races!
Extra Bong Cleaning Tip
Would you like to prolong the time between bong cleanings? Who wouldn’t? One superb option you should look into is an ash catcher. Think of an ash catcher as a mini water pipe that you place between your bong and your bowl.
When you pull ash through the bowl as you inhale, the ash catcher “catches” that ash in its water chamber. Without the ash catcher, that ash would end up in your bong. And no ash in your bong means less time bong cleaning and more time bong smoking.
Keep in mind that you will need to clean the ash catcher on a regular basis. But they’re typically on the smaller side, so cleaning won’t be half as difficult as cleaning your bong. For a more detailed explanation of ash catchers, we recommend you check out our article What Is an Ash Catcher and Why You Should Own One?
Final Words
Now that you’re finished with this article, there’s no reason to let your bong become dirty again. These methods are not only cheap, but they’re easy to achieve as well. And if you clean your bong and find that it takes too long, or is too messy, don’t get discouraged.
After a couple more cleanings and practice, you’ll know how to clean a dirty bong in little to no time. You’ll wonder why you didn’t start a cleaning regimen years ago. And, as long as you follow our guide and clean it regularly, you should be in good shape.
