Introduction
Table of Contents
You are struggling to use your metal grinder because it is dirty. It does not open very well, and it also makes loud squealing noises when you manage to open it up. Here is the thing, your metal grinder is doing that because it is well overdue for a cleaning. Perhaps you have not had a chance to clean your grinder, which is why you have not done that yet.
You may also not even consider cleaning your grinder and instead toss it away to buy a new one. You don’t want to do that because your metal grinder I am sure, has plenty of time left. There is no doubt that it is still usable, and you don’t want to waste anything that is still helpful. Unfortunately, that means you need to clean it more often!
Understandably, you are busy, and it is one of those things that slips your mind. Maybe you do not know how to clean it. You are not alone if that is the case. Let’s talk about how to clean the metal grinder so you no longer have to face the confusion of doing that.
The First Step Is To Clean The Exterior Of The Metal Grinder
The first thing to do is to leave the interior of the grinder and clean the exterior of it. Dismantling is the best thing so you can clean it efficiently. Besides, you do not want to wash away some of the goods inside the grinder. So, all you need is some soap and hot water to clean the exterior of the grinder. That means go to the washroom, kitchen, or laundry room, take the grinder’s exterior parts and scrub it with hot water. Then, wipe it down with a soft clean cloth so you can dry it. That is the first step when it comes to cleaning it.
You want to do a different way of cleaning the interior part of the grinder because you have the resin, which is where the kief or the heart of THC is. You do not want to allow this precious gold to waste, so you focus on the exterior first. Now that you have cleaned the exterior with soap and hot water, you are about to move to take care of the interior of the grinder. I promise you; it is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. It is quite straightforward.
Cleaning The Interior Of The Metal Grinder
You are going to need ethanol or ethyl alcohol to clean the interior. And do not worry, that will not destroy your kief. Instead, pour the ethanol into a glass and submerge the interior of the grinder into it. You will want to allow it to do its job, so you will need to wait for at least an hour for that to happen. You can go and take care of a task as you wait, or you can go and watch TV as you allow the time to pass.
Once the hour passes, walk back into the room where the glass is and look at the alcohol. If it is darker, then that means that the alcohol separated or extracted the kief. If there is no change to the color of the alcohol, then that means it needs more time, or there is no kief which is highly unlikely. Sometimes it needs more time to allow the alcohol to do its job. However, if the ethanol is darker, take the grinder’s interior out and do a final examination. You do that by taking an old toothbrush or one that you do not plan to use for your teeth and rubbing it to help remove the rest of the resin that might be on the grinder’s teeth.
Then take a plate and pour the alcohol on it, and make sure you leave the plate in a room where it is at room temperature. The alcohol will evaporate. Once there is no trace of the alcohol, you can collect the kief and use it for future consumption. Next, you will want to give the interior of the grinder a quick wash under hot water and clean it again with soap. Finally, dry it well with a clean, soft cloth. Then you can assemble it back.
Not only is your metal grinder clean, but it is now free of the resin previously attached to the interior and its teeth. You will want to clean it once a week, so you don’t run into trouble with it again regarding it being dirty. There is one other thing you want to do: preserve a metal grinder so it can last you a long time.
How Do You Preserve A Metal Grinder?
You know that metal will rust. You want to prevent that from happening to your grinder so it can last a long time. Additionally, if you have a rusted metal grinder, the pot you use it to crush will not taste pleasant. You do not want to smoke anything that has a terrible metallic taste to it. The good news is that there is an easy way to prevent rusting. That is by cleaning your grinder with cola.
However, this is essential to know. You do not want to introduce cola to your metal grinder before removing the resin. If you do, then the resin will not become usable, which is not what you want. Therefore, once you remove the resin with the ethanol and know that every drop of kief is absent from your grinder, you can apply cola to it. You can put a cup of Coca-Cola or Pepsi or any cola and place the grinder in it. You can keep it there for a few minutes and then after that, rub it well with a clean cloth. Not only will that keep rust at bay, but it will make your metal grinder look as good as new!
Further Techniques and Insights for Effectively Cleaning Metal Grinders
- Freezing Before Cleaning: Placing the dirty grinder in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes before cleaning makes the cannabis trichomes brittle and easier to scrape. This method helps in collecting kief effectively.
- Using Isopropyl Alcohol and Coarse Salt: For metal grinders, a mixture of coarse salt and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) or boiling water can be used. This involves immersing the grinder parts in the solution and periodically shaking them, followed by cleaning any remaining gunk with a nylon brush.
- Boiling in Organic Volatile Liquid: Boiling grinder parts in milk or any organic volatile liquid like acetone, vodka, or isopropyl alcohol is another technique. It’s important to use a soft cloth to remove any excess liquid and a toothbrush for hard-to-reach spots.
Conclusion
Do you have a metal grinder that seems difficult to use, and when you use it, it makes a squeaky sound because opening it is a struggle? That means you need to clean it. However, you do not clean it the same way as you clean grinders composed of other materials such as wood or plastic. You need to wash the exterior of the grinder with hot water and soap and dry it with a cloth. Then the interior that likely contains resin has to have a different type of cleaning. Finally, you submerge it in ethanol to help remove the kief so you can keep it for future use. You will also want to prevent rusting by applying cola to your metal grinder after removing the kief‘. If you clean it consistently, you will have a functional grinder for a long time.