A Visual Guide to Cleaning Your Glass Bong, Bowl, Bubbler, and Dab Rig

by Liu Renhao

A Visual Guide to Cleaning Your Glass Bong, Bowl, Bubbler, and Dab Rig

In the life of most frequent cannabis or organic hemp flower users, glass is quite crucial. Whether you use pipes, bongs, or dab rigs, your equipment will become filthy over time. Airflow will be restricted by dirty glass lined with resin, resulting in a less flavored, harsher punch. It's possible that the component may get entirely jammed at some point—yikes. With our step-by-step instructions, you can easily repair this!

There are a number of specialist glass-cleaning products on the market now that are designed expressly to dissolve resin; but, they are fairly costly, and the most of them don't perform as well as the approach we'll detail. Isopropyl alcohol and salt, two common home materials, may simply substitute these store-bought remedies.

Most glass cleaning products (such as Windex) include rubbing alcohol, and the salt provides an abrasive aspect that is very good in removing sticky resin pieces. For those hard-to-reach areas, we prefer to use Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and paper towels.

You'll need the following items:

With flowing water in the sink

Isopropyl Alcohol is a kind of alcohol (91-99 percent , higher the percentage the better)

Epsom Salt is a kind of magnesium sulf (or coarse sea salt, but even table salt will do in a pinch)

Pipe cleaners and/or Q-tips

Corks or cotton balls (optional, to cover openings)

Towels made of paper

a zip-lock bag made of plastic (if cleaning a smaller piece, like a bowl)

What is the Best Way to Clean a Bong, Bowl, or Bubbler?

Get your glass ready.

Rinse the interior and exterior of the glass with warm water after emptying the unclean water from the piece (if it's a bong or bubbler). The idea is to get all of the unclean bong water out of the glass, as well as any large particles of resin. It's OK to use greater water pressure, but keep your glass steady!

Note that the term "resin" in this context refers to the residue left behind after smoking cannabis via a glass pipe (that black, sticky tint that becomes filthy over time), not the new resin (trichomes) generated by the cannabis plant.

Solution should be included

The glass will then be soaked in a salt and alcohol solution. This step is best done with the use of a plastic zip-lock bag to submerge the piece in for tiny pipes, chillums, glass blunts, and one-hitters. Fill the plastic bag halfway with alcohol and salt, then completely immerse the glass piece. Before moving on to the following step, make sure the bag is fully closed.

The solution will be put within the main chamber of bongs, bubblers, and dab rigs. Depending on the size and shape of the glass, the necessary quantity of salt and alcohol will vary. As a general guideline, we recommend filling the glass with alcohol until it reaches the waterline. Cotton balls, a cork, or a similar kind stopper may be used to fill any holes, which is an optional but beneficial step (like a downstem opening). This will assist you avoid creating a mess in the next stage.

If your glass is particularly unclean, soaking it in the salt and alcohol solution for 30 minutes or more before going on to the following step can help soften the buildup and make it simpler to remove. There's no need to wet the glass for normal cleaning; it may be properly cleaned in the following step. Pro Tip: Adding a dash of distilled white vinegar to the alcohol solution can enhance acidity, allowing the solution to work quicker and remove more stains, particularly those caused by hard water.

Shake frantically.

Hold the glass and/or the zip-lock bag firmly in your hands and shake violently. While the salt scrapes the resin off the interior of the glass, the alcohol works to break down the resin's stickiness and dissolve it.

Shake the glass again and again until it is entirely clean. If you don't have a pipe cleaner, use an alcohol-soaked Q-tip or a pipe cleaner for those places that need a little more attention. (If you don't have a pipe cleaner, you can also dip the Q-tip in a little of salt for more scrubbing power.)

We also suggest cleaning the piece's exterior with an alcohol-soaked paper towel. This will clean the exterior of the glass thoroughly by removing any fingerprints, dust, and debris.

Thoroughly rinse

Remove the unclean solution and thoroughly rinse it with water. You may see that the glass is not totally clean at this stage. If this is the case, just repeat Steps 2 and 3 with a new solution until the glass is completely clear. Once the glass is clean, make sure it is washed many times with fresh water - there should be no rubbing alcohol scent after this step. Remember to replenish your new glass with water before reconsecrating it, if appropriate; no one enjoys a dry rip!

Is glass a regular component of your smoking kit? If you haven't already, we strongly advise you to get your first pair of glasses. Dr. Dabber's bongs, pipes, and bubblers are of excellent quality and are reasonably priced. Nectar Collector Infinity Techs are excellent kits that we can't suggest strongly enough if you're looking for something a bit more expensive.

TAKEAWAYS IMPORTANT

Cleaning your glass on a regular basis can help it last longer. Furthermore, the more often you clean, the less rigorous the cleaning procedure will be.

Nothing beats the first hit out of a newly cleaned piece for a more satisfying smoking experience.

This cleaning method may be used on nails, dabbers, dab rigs, and other items.

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