Whether you’re picking up a bong for the first time or you’ve hit enough times to lose count, bong maintenance is the most important part of experiencing your bong to the fullest. What most people don’t know is that using a dirty bong can actually ruin the experience due to clogged bowls and smoky aftertastes.
Even worse, smoking with a dirty bong puts you at risk of health conditions. If you’re not careful, allowing the filth to buildup may give you infections, sicknesses, and an overall terrible experience. Lucky for you, the best way to clean your bong is extremely simple. By being extra attentive to the condition of your bong, you’ll find that it’ll give you a much better high than before for almost no extra cost.
The Easiest Way To Clean A Bong
If you’ve never cleaned a bong before, don’t worry as the steps are basic and easy to follow. It might take time to finish the entire process, but the end result will be worth the wait.
Step 1: Gather All the Materials Needed
Before taking a shot at cleaning your bong, make sure you have everything you need ready and easily accessible. What you’ll need:
- isoporpyl acohol that’s at least 91%
- rock or Epsom salt
- Soap
- Ziploc bags
- Gloves
-
Paper towels.
Step 2: Disassemble the Bong
Begin by carefully taking apart your bong, starting with all the removable parts. Place the bowl, mouthpiece, and other accessories in the Ziploc bags as those will be cleaned last. Make sure to get rid of any remaining dirty bong water in your sink or outdoors.
Step 3: Pour In and Shake the Alcohol and Salt
It might sound like a gnarly cocktail, but combining these two powerful cleaning agents will do wonders for your bong. Using your gloves, simply shake the mixture together for about five minutes for maximum cleaning. After, let it soak into your bong for ten to fifteen minutes.
Step 4: Rinse and Dry
Throw out the solution and rinse the insides with water and soap. Warm water may also help kill any remaining bacteria. Wipe down the insides with a towel or tissue paper. Repeat this step until you’re completely satisfied with your sparkling new bong.
Step 5: Soak All the Other Parts
Most people forget that the removable pieces of your bong need some extra love and care as well. Fill up the Ziploc bags with isopropyl alcohol and salt and let it soak for around 10 minutes or longer. There’s no need to shake the bags as the salt and alcohol will do the trick.
Step 6: Reassemble the Bong
After rinsing and drying each and every part, gently put the pieces back together. With a freshly cleaned and unclogged bong, get ready to enjoy your next mind-boggling rip.
Why You Should Clean Your Bong Regularly
Most smokers don’t actually know how often you should clean a bong. There might be conflicting answers, such as every few days or every week, but it all depends on the frequency of your sessions. Generally, it would be best to at least pour out the bong water after each session.
Avoiding Mold in Bongs
There are several cons to not cleaning your bong, but the most likely one would be the presence of bacteria and pathogens that lead to mold growth. No one wants to touch moldy food at the back of the refrigerator, so imagine what inhaling mold would do to your lungs. By not looking out for mold in bongs, you would be putting yourself and others at the risk of contracting pneumonia or lung infections.
Enhance Smoking Experience
What most cannabis smokers fail to realize is that religiously cleaning your bong actually enhances your smoking experience tenfold. When your bong uses clean water with an unclogged filtration system, it allows the flavors of the cannabis to feel more prominent and hit better. Smoking with clogged filtration also might contribute to a burning or smoky taste after each rip.
Get the Most Out of Your Hit
Aside from a smoky sensation, a clogged bong bowl actually wastes your hard earned bud. Once the bowl is clogged, it blocks the airflow and deprives you from getting a full rip. With an unclogged bowl, you’ll no longer be prone to wasting any more bud.
Avoid Embarrassing Situations
When smoking socially, no one wants to take a hit from a dirty and clogged bong. By taking care of your bong, you might just save yourself unnecessary social embarrassment.
Tips For Keeping Your Bong Beautiful
Keep It In A Nice Place
To get the best experience out of your bong, treat it with the utmost care and attention. One easy hack is to simply keep it in a dark place out of the sunlight. This is because long exposure to sunlight can speed up the growth of algae or bacteria.
Empty it When Done
After a good smoking session, you’ll want to simply leave your bong and deal with it next time–but leaving dirty water in your bong is more harmful in the long run. The longer you delay the cleanup, the harder it’ll be to clean later on. After all, it only takes less than a minute to get rid of the bong water. Consider emptying your bong water as part of the smoking ritual.
Notice When It’s Time to Clean
Normally, you can tell your bong is due for a cleaning when it starts showing signs of a ring around the waterline. You can also try a simple test that takes less than a minute. Simply pour in clean water and look out for small pieces of residue such as leftover weed or resin floating in the water. You know it’s time for a deep clean if the resin on the glass starts turning a shade of brown or green.
Be Careful With the Tools You Use
Not all bongs are created equal. If your bong is made of any other material, be sure you’ve learned how to wash it according to the requirements of the material. For instance, silicon bongs are more prone to damage if used with steel scrubbers. If your bong is made of latex, acrulic, or even plastic, be extra careful in handling the washing of your bong since alcohol may damage the material itself.
How To Deep Clean A Dirty Bong
If your bong still reeks or appears dirty after all these steps, your bong might be suffering from extreme buildup over time. If that’s the case, you’ll want to consider doing a deep clean of your bong.
Soak the Bong in Warm Water
Give your bong a much needed spa day. Fill up a container with warm water and dish soap for your bong to rest in for a couple of hours. This will allow the soap to break down the stubborn residue.
Use Pipe Cleaners for the Accessories
When soaking doesn’t do the trick, you might have to get a bit more physical. Using gloves and pipe cleaners, you’re more likely to reach the farther parts of the mouthpiece and accessories.
Use Lemon Juice for Stubborn Stains
After allowing the bong to sit in the solution for a few hours, quickly rinse it before pouring in a mixture of lukewarm water and lemon juice. After shaking this for about ten minutes, you’ll find that the stains will have gradually faded away.
Final Thoughts
Overall, cleaning your bong is more important than most people realize. Treating your bong with care means that your bong can do its job significantly better. With regular cleanings and utmost care, you’ll find that each session will feel better than the last. And if all else fails, a brand new bong might just be the secret to achieving the ultimate high.