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Smoking weed from a bong or weed pipe is a fun and unique experience. Moreover, it's also better for you than a joint, because you're not inhaling any rolling paper or tobacco. But you can't just throw away this weed-smoking tool when you're done with it, in this blog are our maintenance and cleaning tips.
Why you should clean your bong
It sounds very logical that you should clean your pipes and bongs after use, but in practice, it often goes a bit differently. The high from a big hit from a bong often comes very quickly and feels more intense than when you gradually smoke a joint or take a few puffs from a vaporizer. For this reason, cleaning your bong or weed pipe is probably not the first thing you think about while you blow out a mouthful of smoke and lean back. Yet, it's wise not to postpone this task for too long and here's why:
Taste
Smoking weed from a bong is a nice way to really taste the various flavors of weed. Especially in the case of a bong where the smoke is cooled by water and sometimes even ice. As the sticky smoke from the burnt weed goes through the bong, it leaves residue everywhere. If you do not clean the bong properly after you are done and let this residue dry and cake on, you will get unsavory brown stains and unpleasant smells. Also, the taste of your weed the next time you use the bong will not be pleasant.
Efficiency
Of course, you want your bong to work well. Especially if you've invested in a bong with an ice catcher or percolator. Not cleaning your bong properly can cause it to become clogged and obstruct airflow. This makes taking a good hit increasingly difficult.
Hygiene
Just like your toilet seat or your cutlery, you want your bong to be clean and shiny. Especially because your mouth and lips have to touch it. Because there's water in a bong and warm smoke is pulled through it, bacteria and fungi love your bong (water). So, always change your bong water when you're finished.
Lifespan
A bong that is regularly cleaned produces finer tasting weed smoke, works more efficiently, and is much more hygienic. Moreover, the bong itself will also just last a lot longer!
How do you clean a bong?
Hopefully, we've convinced you a bit ;) Fortunately, we have a few handy tips and tools for cleaning bongs. First, we recommend using a biodegradable cleaning agent. If you regularly clean the bong, the job is quickly done. Follow these simple steps:
- Fill the bong with warm (not boiling) water.
- Add a few drops of biodegradable cleaning agent.
- Cover the holes of the bong with a dish towel, and shake the bong back and forth.
- Let the bong stand for about 10 minutes.
- Shake again well, and rinse the bong with warm water.
Attention! We advise against using aggressive chemical solutions. These can be toxic and you absolutely do not want to inhale them.
How do I remove stubborn residues from my bong?
It may happen that you forget to clean your bong for a while. Extra sticky concentrates like weed oil, shatter, rosin, or wax can form particularly stubborn residues.
This can still be remedied, quite simply in fact. We recommend first cleaning your bong as described above. Then add sea salt or rice to the bong. A few tablespoons are sufficient. This acts as a natural abrasive. Then close all openings of the bong again and gently shake it back and forth, making sure the sea salt or rice hits all parts of the bong and loosens the residues. Oh yes, rinse with warm water again when you're done.
If shaking is not enough, or you have a bong with many small openings or hard-to-reach places? Then you can use a pipe cleaner or long brush to clean here.
How do you clean a weed pipe?
For cleaning a weed pipe, in most cases, you can use the same cleaning agent and method as described above for a bong. However, we do have a number of tips and tools that come in handy for maintaining and cleaning weed pipes:
- Pipe Tools: this is a handy tool to use while smoking. Pipe tools often has a poker to remove debris and a scraper to remove residue, this prevents thorough cleaning sessions.
- Pipe Cleaners: a pipe cleaner or pipe cleaner is very handy when cleaning a weed pipe or bong. There are often spots that are not easy to reach, but a pipe cleaner can! You can buy them in different types and sizes.
- Screens: screens or screens prevent dirt from getting into your weed pipe, mouth, or lungs. You place a screen at the bottom of the bowl. Be careful when buying screens that you choose the right size.
Frequently asked questions about cleaning pipes and bongs
Should you consider the material of your bong or weed pipe? The short answer is no, as long as you stick to our cleaning method at least. As long as you use mild solutions, any material is suitable, if you opt for alcohol-based products? Then avoid pipes and bongs made of wood as they can discolor.
How often should I replace my pipe screen or bong screen? This answer largely depends on how often you smoke. If you use the weed pipe or bong every day, it's wise to replace your screen weekly. If you smoke a few times a week, then the screen will probably last 2 to 4 weeks.