In this article we are going to cover some of the basics on how to clean a glass bong, if you can use a homemade DIY bong cleaner, if you can use hot water to clean a bong, and what is the best bong cleaner to use.
LETS JUMP RIGHT IN!
The best way to clean a bong, or to clean a glass pipe, is with a bong cleaner or smoking-specific glass pipe cleaner. You want to start by rinsing the bong or pipe thoroughly to remove any loose and free-floating particles that may be in the piece or pipe chamber. Next, you want to add a pretty liberal amount of your chosen bong cleaner, and let it sit for a while (at least 30 minutes). See the section below about the best bong cleaner to use. The level of the cleaner should ideally be higher than the level of the resin buildup on the bong.
After it has had a good chance to soak, and dissolve the resin and solids stuck to the bong, give it a very vigorous swirling or shaking. NOTE! Make sure you plug the downstem opening and possibly the top, or you are going to have a huge, smelly mess to clean up. You also want to make sure that your bong’s downstem doesn’t going flying out if it isn’t affixed to the piece with a rubber or silicone grommet. You can do this with rubber stoppers, or with your hands. Wear disposable gloves if you don’t want any of the cleaning solution or resin to touch your skin. You can probably get away with just swirling the cleaner around, but the harder you shake it, the more resin you will scrape off.If there is still some resin stuck to your bong downstem, this is a good time to take a cotton swab and gently scrub it out. If your downstem is easily removable (as with an all glass on glass bong), take it out and scrub the outside with a cotton swab as well.
If there is still some resin stuck to your bong downstem, this is a good time to take a cotton swab and gently scrub it out. If your downstem is easily removable (as with an all glass on glass bong), take it out and scrub the outside with a cotton swab as well.
Next, dump the contents of the cleaning solution and resin in the toilet and flush it away! The last thing to do is to rinse your bong very thoroughly. Whether you are using a homemade bong cleaner with rubbing alcohol (see the section below), or a commercial bong cleaner, there will be a lingering after-smell and after-taste. This will fade with time, but the more you rinse your piece after cleaning, the quicker it will fade.
CAUTION!!!: The most common way that people break their bongs, aside from knocking them over, is when filling them with water in a small, porcelain bathroom sink. BE VERY CAREFUL when filling your bong in the bathroom sink, and maybe consider using the kitchen sink.
CLEANING SOFT GLASS BONGS / CAN I USE HOT WATER TO CLEAN MY BONG?
Soft Glass is a certain kind of glass that was created to be able to be more workable from an artistic standpoint. It expands many times faster than ‘hard’ glass, aka Pyrex ™ or Borosilicate, when exposed to heat. This rapid expansion can thermal-shock the glass and cause it to break. For this reason, HOT OR WARM WATER SHOULD NEVER BE USED TO CLEAN SOFT GLASS.
It is also not advisable to use hot water to clean hard glass bongs either. Although in theory hard glass bongs should stand up to temperature change just fine, in practice, many hard glass bongs are not annealed (heat-treated) properly, or have extra stress points in them from artistic manipulation. Regardless of which type of bong you have, the best way to clean your bong is with ROOM-TEMPERATURE WATER and the cleaner method described above.
WHAT IS THE BEST BONG CLEANER TO USE?
Luckily there are many good bong cleaners on the market these days, and most are pretty affordable. The vast majority are simply made of a solvent, and something to make it smell good :) Some contain an additional abrasive material like rock salt to aid in scrubbing off tough and stubborn resin. Almost all cleaners claim to be “non-toxic,” but almost none offer detailed product and contents information. In general, you can gage for yourself how harsh a various cleaner smells (or tastes), and no matter which one you use, RINSE THOROUGHLY after you use it. Here are some that we have used that work well:
Formula 420
CAN I MAKE MY OWN HOMEMADE BONG CLEANER?
YES! You can make your own DIY Bong Cleaner. The most common method is to clean your bong using rubbing alcohol and rock salt. For this method, simply pour the rubbing alcohol into a container, and keep adding rock salt until the salt no longer dissolves. Then, pour it all into the bong and use the method described above. There are a few things to note here.
-
The rock salt is not necessary to clean your bong, you can just use alcohol.
-
If you choose to add rock salt, make sure it is food-grade pure salt, and doesn’t contain any other chemicals sometimes found in de-icing products, gross :(
-
Rubbing Alcohol can be very harsh and leave a nasty after-taste. While handy in a pinch, you are probably better off using a commercial product. Make sure you rinse very thoroughly if you use this method.
-
Mix the rubbing alcohol and rock salt like the picture below, but do it directly into the piece.
CAN I USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO CLEAN MY BONG?
Using hydrogen peroxide to clean your bong is not recommended. There is no advantage to using it over rubbing alcohol or a commercial cleaner, and some people have an allergy to it.
PRO TIP: HOW TO KEEP YOUR BONG CLEAN AND REDUCE THE NEED TO CLEAN
Although giving your bong a good deep clean is important to maintain a quality smoking experience, it can be a real pain in the ass, and is an added expense. Here’s a tip: Empty and rinse your bong right after each time you smoke! By flushing your bong water immediately, it prevents how much resin will settle and stick to the glass, and reduces how often you have to do a deep clean. Another major factor in how ‘dirty’ a bong will taste, is the resin build-up specifically on the bong accessories. You will notice that the bowl and downstem will usually contain much more resin than the bong itself! These accessories are usually much easier to clean, especially if you have an all glass on glass downstem that is easily removable. Cleaning these accessories more often will save you from having to clean the bong itself as often. If cleaning these is too much work for you, you can always just buy affordable replacements here