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Last Updated on 11 months by Yomesh
Cannabis sales have skyrocketed amid the COVID-19 crisis. At this time you should make sure to clean your bongs and pipes before smoking weed or hemp flower. With many stuck inside, this is a great activity to kill some time and make sure your smoking equipment is sanitary. COVID-19 can be spread by sharing joints and pipes and can survive on surfaces like bong and pipe mouthpieces for longer than you would expect.
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How to Clean Your Bongs and Pipes
Most bong cleaning methods are the same that you would use to clean a weed pipe. Be careful to keep the separate glass bong parts from crashing into each other while soaking. It is best to soak all of the parts of a bong separately to avoid breaking.
Cleaning pipes is very easy. The hardest part might be finding the alcohol to soak them in! Don’t worry though, we have some alternatives.
Method One: Simple Way to Clean Your Bongs and Pipes
What you need:
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Sea Salt
- Plastic Tupperware
The easiest way to clean your weed pipe is to soak it in a tupperware filled with rubbing alcohol and a bit of salt. Let it sit an hour and give it a gentle shake. Be sure to use plastic tupperware to prevent the glass from breaking on a glass or metal container. Next, check and see if the pipe is clean or needs to soak longer. Soaking time will vary depending on how dirty the weed pipe is. When it looks clean you can rinse it off with some dish soap under warm running water. Wipe off the outside with a paper towel, then invert and let the inside air dry.
Pros: Very effective cleaning and disinfecting method
Cons: Can take some time and rubbing alcohol may not be available due to COVID-19 supply hoarding
Hints: ethanol or Everclear can be used in place of rubbing alcohol
Method Two: The Worst Way to Clean Glass
What you need:
- Pot- not the type you smoke
- Water
- Stove
The dangerous way to clean your weed pipe is to boil it on the stove. There is a good chance of just breaking your pipe this way. Boiling does a great job of sanitizing objects (especially pasta), but weed pipes are not made of the strongest glass.
Pros: If you and your pipe survives, the pipe will be clean and sanitized
Cons: One may not survive
Method Three: The Fun Way to Clean Glass
What you need:
- White Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Plastic Bowl
White vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean weed pipes and make model volcanos. When they combine they immediately create a fizzy chemical reaction. Basically a bath bomb for your bong.
Pros: Fun and effective quarantine activity
Cons: Takes longer to soak than alcohol
Final Thoughts on COVID-19: Clean Your Bongs and Pipes
Bong and pipe hygiene aren’t just for stoners! Smoking CBD hemp flower can leave the same greasy residues that give off poor tastes. Smoking hemp flower from a clean bong or pipe will allow you to experience the best or its flavor. Dirty bongs and pipes can cover the delicate terpene flavors that differ between hemp flower strains like fruity Hawaiian Haze and earthy Siskiyou Gold.
How would you go about cleaning the inside of a silicone pipe?
I would remove the glass from it and clean it as described above, as for the silicone clean it with hot (NOT SCALDING) water and a bit of dish soap, one that cuts grease should work well.
Soak the Silicone in hot soapy water and scrub the tar out of it, literally, rinse and repeat.
Air Dry
I would advise against using Alcohol as it can absorb and swell the silicone (it usually returns to somewhat normal after the alcohol evaporates out of the silicone but I think isopropyl leaves a bad taste)
Everclear or Ethanol may not leave as bad of a flavor but can still swell the silicone and have to evaporate.
depending on the grade of silicone used the alcohol may cause a slight haziness.
Of one were to clean a smoking piece with food trade ethenol, could they reduce the result to resin and consume as hash?