A dirty bong will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Additionally, the appearance of mold stains and black resin coating that tarnish aesthetics, ruin the taste of your flowers and can compromise your health. While cannabis has an impressive therapeutic profile, it is of little use if your consumer tool is dirty. You simply won’t be getting all the benefits that you could get if your bong were clean.
It is also critical to consider the cleaning agents you use on your bong. The most common solution is a mixture of rubbing alcohol and coarse salt, but not everyone agrees that it is the safest. It is somewhat likely that some alcohol will be left in the pipe after cleaning, and your inhalation is not entirely healthy. An alternative to substitute for alcohol is vinegar, which is often combined with baking soda. This ingredient is much less toxic than rubbing alcohol. Also, it is pretty standard in food. However, eating a little apple cider vinegar in a serving salad dressing is not the same as inhaling the residual white distilled vinegar through a bong. On the other hand, acetic acid, the compound that produces vinegar, can be irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, and skin. In response, if you want to go the healthiest route and use the least toxic solvent possible, boiling water is your best bet.
Materials and options to clean your bong
If your bong has a large amount of resin, its walls are stained with white or black spots, or the water smells bad and is discolored, it needs a deep cleaning. Follow these given steps to clean a bong with or without alcohol.
Clean water only:
- 1 saucepan (large enough to submerge the entire bong)
- Purified water.
- 1 cup of lemon juice.
- Pipe cleaners.
- Paper towels or microfiber cloths
How to clean your bong
- First, fill the saucepan about 3/4 full with purified water.
- Add the lemon juice once the water has reached a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and the boil will become a simmer.
- Slowly dip your bong into the water and simmer in the lemon-water solution for 30 minutes. Ensure the bong is completely submerged in water; if part of it is exposed to air, it can crack.
- After 30 minutes, drain the water and use the pipe cleaners and towels to clean all the nooks and crannies.
Clean alcohol or vinegar:
- Sink or bucket.
- Coarse salt or baking soda.
- Alcohol or vinegar.
- Pipe cleaners.
- Fabric, or cotton to plug the stem.
- Plastic gloves
How to clean your bong
- Put on your gloves and make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area.
- Take apart all possible parts.
- Rinse each piece of the bong in warm water.
- Pour the salt or baking soda into the bong.
- Fill the bong with rubbing alcohol if you are using salt or vinegar if you are using baking soda (be prepared when the baking soda mixes with the vinegar).
- Cover the tube and stem with cork, cloth, or cotton.
- Make sure the holes are plugged, then shake the bong vigorously for a minimum of five minutes.
- Empty the bong into a bucket or sink and fill (the bucket or sink) with a solution of alcohol and coarse salt or vinegar, and baking soda (enough to fully submerge the bong).
- Dip the bong in the solution.
- Leave the bong soaked in the solution for several minutes to several hours, depending on how dirty it is.
- Drain the solution and scrub the cracks and inside of the bong with pipe cleaners.
- Rinse each piece of the bong with hot water.
Regular maintenance
You can take these steps between deep cleanings to keep your bong in tip-top shape:
- Use filtered water in your bong to avoid mineral build-up.
- Change the water every day.
- Give your bong a thorough cleaning at least once a week. However, if you smoke frequently, you can save time by cleaning your bong every day or every other day.
Many people use alcohol, vinegar, and products made with other chemicals, use their bongs, and live another day to smoke at the end of the day. The reality is that there is not enough research on the best bong cleaning methods. As long as marijuana isn’t legal at the federal level, the investigation will be a difficult, frustrating, and untrustworthy process.