Introduction
Table of Contents
When you want to get a good smoke, a dirty bong will ruin the experience, and that is the last thing you want to face when you are looking forward to having that fun experience. However, the good news is that you can have a great smoke experience as long as you keep your bong clean. If you are cleaning your bong but still not having a good experience because it is not entirely spic and span, then that means you are not properly cleaning it. Now it is time to discover how to clean your bong to get the best smoke experience imaginable. There are three ways to clean your bong, and let’s go over each of them in detail.
Cleaning Your Bong The Basic Way
If you want a basic cleaning on your bong, then it is easy to do. All you need to do is gather your supplies, including rubbing alcohol or vinegar, baking soda, and latex gloves. You will want to place them all by your kitchen sink, where you will do the cleaning. The next step is to put on those latex gloves, empty your bong and then rinse it out. After that, fill it up with warm water and empty it. Ensure that you rinse it well, so you remove all of the old debris. Then refill the bong with warm water partway.
You will need to disassemble the bong, such as the mouthpiece and pipe. Also, look for damaged and cracked areas as you need to replace them before using the bong. The next thing to do is to add baking soda and rubbing alcohol at the bottom of the bong to clean its inside well. You can use vinegar or salt if you like instead, but rubbing alcohol with an alcohol content of over 90 percent is ideal. That will clean the bong well, and then plug the holes with your hands and fingers, so you do not end up with the mixture everywhere in your kitchen. Ensure that you shake it well for about five minutes so that you get the best outcome.
After finishing up, examine the bong and see if it is clean enough. You may need to rinse and repeat several times until you get a good cleaning. However, more often than not, you will receive that clean bong after one cleaning session. You will only know if you get a good smoking experience after cleaning your bong that way. If you are happy with the smoking experience, then you cleaned it well enough.
Clean The Hard-To-Clean Areas As Well As Stains
If you are struggling to clean the hard-to-clean areas and have stains in your bong that is ruining your smoke experience, you need to clean it differently. Therefore a basic clean will not be enough to fix the problem with the dirty bong. You will need some dish soap, and you can either use the kitchen sink or your bathtub. You need to fill up the kitchen sink or bathtub with warm water and ensure that it fills up enough so you can work with it. Allow the bong to soak in the tub or the sink for an hour before you begin cleaning it. That is very important, so you have an easier time cleaning those hard-to-clean spots and the stains that don’t seem to come off otherwise.
After an hour passes, then you will begin to add some dish soap and ensure you do not use much of it, or else you will end up with an unpleasant surprise the next time you smoke. You will get a nasty soapy aftertaste which is the last thing you will want. What about the small pieces of the bong? That is easy. You need to take out some plastic bags, and you will need some salt and rubbing alcohol. Add the salt and rubbing alcohol to the plastic bags, and one tablespoon of salt per bag is sufficient. Then place each small piece into each bag and shake each one well for a few seconds but allow the pieces to soak in the bags for a few minutes. Five minutes is sufficient. Therefore, after that time is up, you can remove the parts from the bags and then ensure that you rinse them thoroughly with clean, warm water.
You may find that there is still debris in some of the pieces after that. Therefore, you will need to take a cotton swab, dip them into a small amount of rubbing alcohol, and clean the inside of those parts out. That should clean them up.
However, if you have water stains on the bong’s base, you can put some lemon juice and water and swish it around for a few minutes. After that, rinse the bong out with cold water. That will give you a nice squeaky clean bong that you can enjoy. Now, you will need to know how to take care of your bong so you don’t end up with difficult stains that will ruin your smoking experience.
How To Maintain Your Bong, So You Don’t Need To Do Extensive Cleaning
We all get busy with our lives, and it is easy to forget to care for our bongs. However, the best thing to do is to maintain it properly. That means you need to clean it after each time you use it. You do not want to use tap water to clean your bong regularly other than basic or extensive cleaning. You do not wish to use tap water after each smoke because it will cause water stains. Therefore, you will want to use filtered water to maintain your bong.
You also want to ensure that you change your water in the bong each day to remain cleaner. If you allow the old water to sit and stagnate in the bong, that can cause mold and mildew to grow, which is not what you want. Additionally, if you have mold in your bong, the cleaning process will be much more challenging.
If you don’t smoke often, you will want to ensure that you clean your bong once a week anyway, so you do not end up getting stains from mold growing. Of course, it is better to clean your bong more often than that. However, once a week is sufficient if that is all you can do.
It is also essential that you store your bong in a hard case or a bong bag, so you not only keep it clean but keep the glass protected. Keep your bong hidden way as well when you aren’t using it if you have small children or pets, or else they can get into it. That is the last thing that you would want as well.
The Importance of Using the Right Materials
- Isopropyl Alcohol: It’s crucial to use a high concentration of isopropyl alcohol (at least 91%) because it effectively dissolves resin and tar.
- Coarse Salt: The coarser the salt, the better it is at scrubbing away the tough residue. Table salt is too fine and will dissolve too quickly.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Stubborn Resin: If you encounter stubborn resin, let the bong soak in the alcohol and salt mixture for a few hours or even overnight.
- Hard to Reach Areas: For areas that are hard to reach, use a longer pipe cleaner or a thin brush.
Tips for Preventing Buildup
- Regular Rinsing: A quick rinse with warm water after each use can prevent the buildup of resin.
- Avoiding Harsh Chemicals: Stick to isopropyl alcohol and salt. Harsh chemicals can leave harmful residues and can damage your bong.
Conclusion
When you don’t clean your bong for a while, you will have an unpleasant surprise of having a not-so-fun smoking experience. That is why you must clean your bong well. The good news is, cleaning your bong is straightforward even though it is time-consuming. If you don’t have debris in those hard-to-reach or hard-to-clean areas, you can give it a basic cleaning. You will need baking soda or salt, as well as rubbing alcohol or vinegar. You will need to give it a good rinse in the kitchen sink. However, if the bong needs additional cleaning, you will need to use some dish soap. However, the ideal thing is to maintain your bong by cleaning it with filtered water once a week so that it does not end up growing mold. Your bong serves you, so you will want to take excellent care of it.