How to Efficiently Clean Your Pipes, Bongs, and Vapes

If you are a smoker, vaper or both, you further risk your health when you don’t properly care for your pipes, bongs, and vapes. If you smoke often, you need to understand that your smoking equipment is likely to get dirtier than usual. And the more they become dirty, the higher the possibility of pathogens growing on them.

It even gets worse if you share your smoking equipment with others – whether a friend at home or a colleague at work. The number of deadly pathogens on a shared pipe, bong, or vape can be dangerous.

Benefits of Cleaning Smoking Pipes and Vapes

Healthy Respiratory System

Whether your favorite smoking equipment is a bong, pipe, or vape, a clean one will ensure you have a healthy respiratory system. A piece of dirty smoking equipment is likely to have a bulk of bacteria build-up inside. And if not properly cleaned, you risk smoking them alongside your cannabis. But then frequent cleaning helps to eliminate this and keeps your respiratory system safe.

Reduced Carcinogens

Cancer growth is linked to carcinogens, which include harmful toxins found in your smoking equipment. Therefore, to reduce the possibility of carcinogens, your smoking equipment deserves to be cleaned regularly. The cleaner it is, the lesser the number of carcinogens.

Sharing of Equipment Becomes Safe

You might not be able to stop your friends from borrowing your pipes, but you can reduce the likelihood of spreading infectious diseases among yourselves. If the equipment is clean, sharing your device becomes safe, and everyone stays healthy. 

Improved Smoking Experience

You know that awful taste that comes with your cannabis smoke? It is usually because of dirt in your smoking apparatus. A dirty apparatus will give you a displeasing smoke. But then again, a smoother hit and a better smoking experience can be achieved by properly cleaning your smoking equipment. 

Now you know what you get out of cleaning your smoking equipment, next is how to employ good cleaning practices. Below is how to clean your smoking equipment, be it a Pipe, Bong, or Vape.

How to Clean Your Pipe

Whether a plastic, wood, or glass pipe, cleaning your pipe is not rocket science. First, get a clean bowl or a sealable plastic bag and soak your pipe. Or conversely, you can use a sealable container if you do not have a plastic bag. Meanwhile, using a plastic bag allows you to shake your pipe thoroughly inside the cleansing solution, whereas a container does not support that. However, if you choose to use a container, ensure your pipe is well immersed and allow it to soak for a longer period in the cleaning solution.

Pipe Cleaning Solution

There are different cleaning solutions you can use for soaking your pipe – rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and vodka. Rubbing alcohol is most recommended. Next on the list is flake salt. Add a flake salt to your mixture of cleaning agent and pipe. Shake vigorously and allow to soak for about 1-2 hours. The flake salt will serve as a sponge, brushing out residues from your pipe.

Post Soaking Tips

If, after soaking, there are still some residual resins, use a pipe cleaner and remove the residue. You should take care while doing this to avoid damaging your pipe. After removing the residues, rinse your pipe with warm or hot water. Alternatively, you can use hot water for rinsing. However, warm water is recommended to avoid cracking your glass pipe.

Finally, allow your pipe to dry at room temperature before use. After drying, check your pipe and see if there are still any build-ups of resins. You can repeat the cleaning process if you’re not satisfied till the bulk of dirt gets eliminated.

How to Clean Your Bong

Cleaning a bong is almost the same process as cleaning a pipe. But there are slight differences. Below is how to properly clean your bong.

Bong Mouthpiece Attachments

Before cleaning, detach any bong mouthpiece you may have. This will help prevent stale water in your bong from passing through the mouthpiece. The stale water in your bong has a high rate of resins and pathogens and if removed through the mouthpiece, can transfer pathogens. Although you may not have a mouthpiece for your bong, but for those that do, removing it before dumping out stale water is highly recommended.

After detaching, rinse your bong with hot water. Clean the other pieces separately, which includes the mouthpiece and any other detachable part. Rinse repeatedly for some time to ensure proper cleaning. Place your bong in a plastic bag while your mouthpiece and chamber get soaked inside a tightly lidded container.

Bong Cleaner

Add a cleaning agent to the plastic bag containing your bong. Likewise, do the same for the tightly lidded container containing your mouthpiece and chamber. The cleaning agent here comprises rubbing alcohol and coarse salt. Shake your plastic bag rigorously to infuse deep cleaning while you allow the tightly-lidded container to sit for about 30 – 60mins.

Hot Water Rinse

Finally, use hot water to rinse all the pieces with, then dry. If there are still any stubborn resins, use a cleaning brush and get rid of them. Now you can use your clean bong.

How to Clean Your Vape

Vape cleaning differs completely from your other smoking apparatus. First, pay attention to all electrical parts of any vape, as it’s not advisable to clean with water. Next, carefully detach the different components, the mouthpiece, the vape tank, the cartridge, and the vaporizer battery. Use a cleaning agent, preferably alcohol, to soak the mouthpiece. Then gently, use a cleaning brush to rub down the cartridge and the vaporizer battery. Alternately, if you do not have a cleaning brush, you can use a clean rag to thoroughly eliminate dirt from the battery and cartridge. Rinse your mouthpiece and dry. Now the vape is ready for use!

Summary

Cleaning your smoking equipment is paramount if you desire a great smoking experience. Asides from getting a better smoking experience, you also save yourself from respiratory diseases and infections. With these tips, you can always have a clean smoking apparatus, which will ensure your tool lasts for a long time.

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