Own a glass piece that you often use? This can be a bong, bubbler, pipe, steamroller, or any smoker that is made of glass. If you do, notice how it gets dirty inside after using it many times? Well, you can clean this out and make that piece look brand new in just a few minutes!
Many stoners out there do not know how to properly clean a glass piece. There are many reasons for cleaning them and wanting to keep them clean. Do you know why?
Why Clean a Glass Pipe?
Well, you do not have to clean your glass piece. You could hit a dirty piece if you want to, and just keep getting it dirty. There is nothing wrong with that, but who wouldn’t want a nice, clean-looking piece? Plus, it is very easy to clean and only takes a few minutes.
When you hit a dirty piece, you are also hitting all the resin and mildew (yes mildew can grow inside your piece) that has been left inside the glass. Regularly cleaning your piece can make your piece hit smoother and even make those hits taste better.
How Often Should You Clean a Glass Pipe or Bong?
If you want to keep your piece looking clean, then you have to regularly clean it. This goes for most things in life. You have to wash your car to keep it clean, you have to wash your clothes to keep them clean, and you have to wash yourself to keep you clean. Same as a glass piece!
Depending on how often you use it, your glass piece should be cleaned on a regular basis. Below is a breakdown of how often you should clean your piece compared to how often you use it:
- Use it once a week = Clean it once a month
- Use it every other day = Clean it once every two weeks
- Use it every day = Clean it once a week
Obviously, the more that you use your glass piece the more often you should clean it. Cleaning it on a regular basis like this will keep your piece always looking clean!
How To Clean a Glass Piece Properly
There are different methods for cleaning different types of glass pieces. For example, a pipe is smaller than a bong, so it can be cleaned in a small bag. But a bong will not fit in a small bag, so it must be cleaned another way. Depending on the type of piece you are cleaning, refer to the instructions below.
Glass Pipes Cleaning
Pipes are one of the easiest glass pieces to clean because they are so small. To clean one, you will only need five ingredients: one toothpick, one ziplock bag (make sure your pipe fits in it), one cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of salt, and some water. Also, it is best to do this over a sink or somewhere that can catch a mess.
To start, simply pour half of the vinegar and half of the salt into the bag. Place your pipe in the bag, seal it, then shake it up. Do not violently shake the bag, as this could cause your pipe to break (which would defeat the whole purpose of cleaning it). Shake it for about a minute or two. Then, remove the pipe from the bag and dump out the rest. Pour the other half of the vinegar and salt into the bag and repeat this process.
Once you remove your pipe from the bag, it will be all clean! You may only have to shake it up once, depending on how dirty your pipe was. But where do the toothpick and water come in? Well if you want to make cleaning it to the next step, then you can use the water to flush out the pipe (meaning pour the water inside the pipe through the bowl and/ or mouthpiece), then use the toothpick to poke inside of the pipe.
Poke the toothpick inside the bowl, mouthpiece, and even the carb to force any excess gunk left inside the pipe. Once you have poked through the holes with the toothpick, discard the toothpick and flush out the pipe with water one last time.
Cleaning a Glass Bongs
To clean a bong , first you need to disassemble it by removing all pieces from it (typically only the bowl and downstem). Wash each piece separately. Since the bowl and the downstem are much smaller than the bong itself, you can clean each piece using the methods to clean a pipe above.
For the bong, it is best to take it outside and flush it out with water using a hose or water bottle. Usually, the dirtiest parts of a bong will be the bowl and downstem, so no need to focus on the bong itself. But if the bong is dirty, then you can pour some vinegar and salt into it, mix some water in, shake it up, then dump it out.
For drying your bong, you can either use a towel/ rag or let it sun-dry. But be careful if you leave it outside, make sure a dog or child cannot get ahold of it and break it. Once each piece of the bong has dried, you can put it all back together and it is good to use!
Bubblers cleaning method
Cleaning a bubbler is very similar to cleaning a pipe or a bong because you are going to use one of those methods above. Either one works but is best to use the pipe method for smaller bubblers and the bong method for bigger ones.
Want to learn more about bubblers? Click here to check out the author’s review on them.
Cleaning Tips for a Glass Rigs
Cleaning a rig is exactly like cleaning a bong. This is because a rig is pretty much a bong used for wax. Some glass pieces are even a combination of a bong and a rig. So just follow the bong method above for cleaning your rig, and remember to remove all the pieces before cleaning!
Cleaning other glass pieces
For steamrollers, nectar collectors, or any other glass piece that is used to smoke marijuana (weed or wax), you can use any of the methods above. For smaller pieces, stick to the pipe method. For larger pieces, use the bong method. Just remember, for any piece you are cleaning, remove any separate pieces before you begin cleaning. Clean each piece separately. Also, allow all pieces to dry before putting the piece back together.
How to clean glass piece : Final Note
That’s it! You know have all the knowledge to go out and clean those dirty glass pieces. No more using a piece until it gets dirty than buying a new one. Just buy one nice piece and keep it clean! Thanks for reading, and feel free to subscribe for more!
