Smoking out of a dirty bong is like eating your dinner off a dirty plate or drinking from a dirty glass.
If you only eat and drink from clean dishes, why would you risk both your health and dignity and smoke from a dirty bong?
When neglected, a pristine bong can quickly become a toxic dump which compromises every aspect of your experience, from the quality of smoke to introducing harmful substances to your lungs.
If you want to rip tasty clouds of smoke, clean it regularly.
We’ll show you how to clean a bong using alcohol and salt — the most effective cleaning solution in our opinion.
But first, let’s make sure you know why cleaning your bong is important.
Why You Need a Clean Bong
Some people may resist from cleaning their bongs because they don’t treat the problem of a dirty bong seriously.
Maybe the following arguments will convince you.
Cleaner Bong = Healthier You
As well as drawing more flavors from your strain, a clean bong actually protects your health against any unwanted compounds from the collected residue. Inhaling from a dirty piece entails the risk of respiratory infections, which can prevent you from smoking for quite a long time. Worse yet, you can even a slight chance of causing a lung infection.
Stagnant bongs and water pipes create an ideal environment for fungus and bacteria to grow. Remember those black spots on the ceiling of a bathroom without correct ventilation?
When you take a hit from a dirty bong, there’s a danger that you’re introducing spores of mold and fungus, which may give rise to the above illnesses — that’s what happens when you give reigns to your laziness.
Below we share other reasons why you need a clean bong.
Fresh Taste
A properly maintained glass piece doesn’t interfere with the flavors coming from your marijuana strain.
However, if you don’t clean your bong, you’re inhaling residues from previous sessions, which will negatively impact the taste of the smoke — do you really want to smoke what passed through the water that your buddy slobbered on during the past session?
Smooth Hits
Dirty bongs produce dirty hits. And dirty hits can be so harsh on your lungs that you’ll have no other option than to cough. Cleaning your bong prevents the unpleasant experience — and if that doesn’t help, make sure to change the water after every session — or invest in a percolator bong for more efficient filtration.
Better High
The best high also comes from a clean bong. Smoke that contains THC gets a straightforward route from the bong to your lungs. If there’s sticky tar at the side of the base and near the stem, you won’t experience the full effects of THC.
How to Clean a Bong Using Alcohol and Salt
Before you start cleaning your bong, you’ll need to create your alcohol-and-salt solution and gather some basic materials and ingredients.
What You’ll Need:
Materials
- Towel
- Two large zipper storage bags
- Bong plugs or rubber stoppers
Ingredients
- 99% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
- Coarse sea salt
A Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning a Bong Using Alcohol and Salt
Now that you’ve gathered the necessary equipment, you’ll need to clean your bong the right way. Follow the steps below:
- Carefully detach the bowl and downstem from the bong and place them in two separate containers (we’re working with separate zipper bags). This will ensure that the two compartments won’t be damaged or broken, not to mention that doing so gives them a thorough cleaning.
- In a separate bowl, combine a handful of coarse salt with isopropyl alcohol and pour the solution into each of the zipper bags until the bowl and downstem are completely submerged.
- Now it’s time to get rid of the old bong water. Pour it out of your bong into a sink or drain. Once again, remember that frequent consumption calls for changing the water daily to prevent excessive residue buildup and preserve the smoothness and flavor of the smoke.
- Start pouring your coarse salt into the bong. It should coat the bottom surface of the base. Then add about 60 milliliters (¼ cup) of rubbing alcohol into the bong and let it rest for a while.
- Plug every hole in your bong with rubber stoppers or standard-size plugs and caps from your local head shop. You can also get them online at Amazon. Just make sure they match the size of your downstem and mouthpiece openings first.
- Shake the bong. Shaking both the base and the additional counterparts inside the zipper baggies is the best way to remove stubborn resin buildup. Once you see the resin starting to come loose, pour out the alcohol and sea salt solution.
- Finally, rinse the bong, bowl, and downstem using warm water. Shake the bong lightly as you wash away the remaining residue.
Now, you might be tempted to reassemble the bong right away, but before you do so, make sure you don’t leave any alcohol inside your piece. If there’s still some residual resin after rinsing, repeat each step until the bong comes out pristine. If you have a bong with extra percolators or other trouble spots, you can use pipe cleaners or cotton swabs to reach them.
How Often Should You Clean Your Bong
The answer boils down to how often you use it. There are smokers who will clean their bong after every single session, while others have a more relaxed attitude, refreshing their piece every week.
Of course, if you’re an occasional consumer who just like this way of smoking cannabis, cleaning the bong after every single session is an overkill. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy smoker, cleaning it every second day is a good idea.
Final Thoughts on Cleaning a Bong With Alcohol and Salt
To wrap it up, cleaning a bong is easy and simply requires you to stay consistent with its maintenance.
There are a variety of ways to clean your water pipe, but we place our bet on alcohol and salt. Not only is this solution easy to prepare at home, but it’s also relatively safe and removes the residue more efficiently than many commercially available cleaners.
Overall, it’s best if you clean your bong as often as you can. A fast rinse every two days — or even every week if you’re a moderate user — is the best means of prevention against a huge buildup of mold and fungi.
How often do you clean your bongs and what solution do you use for the job? Is it alcohol and salt or do you have some other brilliant ideas to keep your piece shining bright like a diamond?
