Cleaning your bong can be a difficult & Strenuous task, prompting most stoners to allow for their bongs to get ridiculously dirty. While it might not seem like leaving the water & Leftover Residues inside your bong would cause much harm, they can! Because of this, it’s crucial to clean it out on a regular basis to help give you a better & smoother smoking experience 

Why You Need to Clean Your Bong Regularly?

1-It Prevents the Growth of Bacteria & Algae

Bacteria & algae can eventually grow in the bong if not cleaned out often enough. This can not only damage your bong but can be very harmful to your lungs & overall health.

2-It keeps all your rips flavourful!

Don’t compromise on the taste of all your terpene filled bud! You need to clean your bong out often as it can ruin the flavours inside. Resin & Algae can form and stick to the sides & even in the percolators of the bong which will end up giving the rips you take a very powerful resin/mouldy taste as well as a more harsh rip, something you don’t want. Resin & algae can also be quick to build up in your bong. If you don’t clean your bong out after a use or two the resin inside will just continue to form new & thicker layers which will end up making it very difficult to clean once you do.

3-It Is A lot Better For Your Health!

Too much resin & algae can end up hurting your health and can lead to extreme coughing & even lung infection. It also can remove the pleasant smell that cannabis has in the bong and instead mask it with its own foul odour. For these reasons, it’s vital that you clean out your bong as much as you can.

Here Are 2 Different Ways To Clean Your Bong!

Option 1-Old school Hot Water Method

If you refuse using strong chemicals to clean your bong, try the oldest trick in the book! This method also just happens to be the cheapest, simply use warm/boiling water! 

Step 1-For smaller pieces such as stems or bowls, add one piece of glass at a time to a temperature storage container (Tupperware works!) and pour boiling or almost-boiling water through the piece and over it. Use enough water to submerge the entire piece and secure the container lid tightly, leave to stand a short while.

Step 2–If you’re cleaning bongs and larger pieces, pour boiling water directly into the neck of the bong and cover all openings tightly with press-stick or heat-resistant plastic wrap (whatever you can use to plug the holes but still can remove once you are done works perfect). The glass will become extremely hot, so be sure to use rubber gloves or kitchen gloves to shake the hot water around in order to clean all parts of the bong & this will break up all the built-up residues in the percolators, etc…

Step 3-Then, simply rinse with warm water (please note cold water could shock the glass & cause it to shatter so be cautious) and this can be repeat until you are satisfied. This method is surprisingly effective and great for those who keep their pieces considerably clean. It may not be suitable for heavy residue build-up or more intricate or complex bongs.

Option 2-Using Rubbing Alcohol(99% isopropyl alcohol) & Salt or Rice.

Generally, this method is considered the best way to clean a bong, this is the method preferred by most stoners because it is easy, affordable, and highly effective. Some stoners tend to worry that this method will cause you to inhale harmful residues & fumes when smoking directly after cleaning, but truly if you rinse the bong thoroughly there will be no such issues!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Before you begin cleaning your bong, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients and materials:

Ingredients & Materials

• Epson Salt or Coarse sea salt some have even used rice!
• 99% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
• Warm water

Tools

• Rubber stoppers or bong plugs
• A Small Tupperware(for smaller pieces)
• Pipe cleaners/Q-tips(Earbuds)
• A Towel or Paper towels

Step 1- Remove All Loose Bong Components

Carefully remove all the bongs loose components like the bowl and downstem from the bong and place them in separate Tupperware’s. Placing the bowl and downstem in separate Tupperware’s ensures that the two small pieces won’t be damaged or broken. This also affords them a more thorough cleaning.

Pour a handful of coarse salt/rice and rubbing alcohol (preferably 99% isopropyl, or rubbing, alcohol) into each of the two Tupperware’s until the bowl and downstem are fully submerged. 

Leave to soak till all the resin & material has separated off the pieces & ensure to rinse them thoroughly with water!

Step 2– Pour Out your Old manky Bong Water

Before you can begin cleaning your bong, you’ll need to pour out all the old manky water that you have left standing in your bong into a sink or drain. 

Step 3 – Add Salt/Rice and your rubbing Alcohol

We are now ready to clean the Big Boy!

Start off by pouring your coarse salt/rice into the different chambers of your bong. The salt should be enough to cover the bottom surface of the base as well as having a small amount of salt in each percolator chamber(if applicable). The salt acts as an agent to scrape away residue.

 Then pour your rubbing alcohol into the bong 30-100 millilitres depending on the size of your bong. Some recommend heating the alcohol slightly, but this is not absolutely necessary. 

Bongs with percolators may benefit from using finer salt to reach smaller areas.

Step 4 – Plug Holes

Plug the openings of your bong ensure an airtight seal on the mouthpiece and downstem/Clutch holes with Press-Stick, heavy-duty tape or plastic wrap secured with rubber bands(do all you can to plug those holes! But ensure you are able to get the plug out!). If you have access to Standard rubber stoppers they will be sufficient. Be sure you have the right size (i.e 14mm or 18mm)

This is to prevent the alcohol and salt solution from leaking out. Don’t miss this crucial step!

Step 5 – Shake That Bong!

Note: For bongs with heavy residue build-up, you will have to allow the glassware to soak. Depending on the amount of build-up, you might even want to leave your pieces to soak for a few hours or overnight.

Now gently but thoroughly shake your bong, to ensure the solution reaches all parts of the bong, pay particular notice to percolators if applicable. Shake well until you can see the resin starting to come off. Once a satisfactory amount of resin has come loose, pour out the alcohol solution and sea salt. 

Step 6 – Rinse the Bong & Loose Components

Once you’ve cleared most of the resin from your bong. Lightly shake the bong as you rinse to wash away the remaining resin. Don’t forget to thoroughly rinse your downstem’s & bowls in their separate Tupperware’s, before you put your bong back together! Ensure to rinse each piece thoroughly to make sure you don’t have any alcohol solution or salt leftover in your bong. If you find that there is any leftover resin after rinsing, repeat each step until the piece is completely free of any residue, odours or flumes. If you have a bong with percolators or other features that make some areas harder to reach, Remember to leave the bong to soak overnight or try using pipe cleaners, earbuds or Q-tips.