How to Clean a Pipe: A Beginner’s Guide

Everyones’ least favorite of smoking, yet one of the most crucial when using a pipe, is making sure you clean it properly. We must maintain and clean our pipe and glass pieces regularly to keep flavors fresh and air pathways clear. Without regular cleaning, pipes can build up resin, which can clog within the pipe and ultimately change the flavor of your flower. In addition to resin build-up, you risk the chance of E.Coli, Strep, and Black Mold growing inside the walls of your unclean pipe.

Follow along as we give you an in-depth tutorial on how to clean a pipe so that you can not only achieve better flavor and longevity for your piece but make sure you’re keeping your lungs safe and healthy at the same time.

Image Via IStock

What You’ll Need

Before you start you’ll want to make sure to gather the essential household items that you’ll be using:

• Resealable Ziploc bag

• microwave-safe cup

• Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (preferably anything 90% or higher)

• Table Salt (thinner salt helps to reach all the small nooks and crannies in more intricate pieces)

• Q-Tips or PipeCleaners

• Dish Soap

How to Clean Your Pipe Step-By-Step

Now that we’ve gathered all our necessary items together from around our home, we can begin this step-by-step process on how to clean your bong.

• Step One: Heat up the Isopropyl & Salt

  In a microwave-safe cup pour a reasonable amount of rubbing alcohol with a generous amount of salt. Let that heat on high in your microwave for 30-45 seconds.

• Step Two: Let that Pipe Soak

  Once your liquid is heated, grab your Ziploc baggy and place your Pipe inside. You can also pour any additional salt into the crevices of your pipe at this time for an extra deep clean. Once your pipe is in the bag, pour the heated Isopropyl & salt concoction into the bag until the pipe is completely submerged. Let the pipe soak for up to 1-12 hours.

• Step Three: Shake & Dump

  Once you’ve let your pipe soak for an extended period, it’s time to grab the Ziploc bag that it’s in and start shaking. Shaking the bag forcefully helps to loosen and shake off any resin from the pipe. After giving your baggy a good shake it’s time to dump out the dirty liquid carefully.

• Step Four: Remove the Pipe

  Carefully grab your pipe and either a Q-tip or a pipe cleaner and clean off any hard-to-remove resin spots that are still visible.

• Step Five: Make it Sparkle

  After you’ve removed all the resin from your pipe it’s time to clean off any residual cleaning ingredients that were used. Start by handwashing your pipe using hot water and dish soap to sanitize properly. The dish soap may help to eliminate any sticky material that may have been left from residual resin.

• Step Six: Let it Dry

  Once you’ve cleaned your pipe, it’s time to let your piece dry off so it can be ready to use the next time you want to spark up. Some pieces take a bit more TLC than others. If you find that your pipe is still dirty after cleaning, we suggest repeating the process until perfection.

Visit KushKlub’s online menu to find all of your favorite cannabis products to use in your newly clean pipe.