Our online smoke shop team recently explained why it’s important to keep your water pipes clean. That leaves us with a glaring question – what’s the best way to clean them? We’ve put together a step-by step guide to two recommended bong-cleaning approaches.

First and foremost, hit the store to stock up on some basic products. You’ll need:

• an abrasive product: coarse salt, baking soda, or rice
• a cleaning solution: vinegar, rubbing alcohol or quality glass cleaner.
• clean water and a basin (a large sink with a disposal will also work)
• disposable latex gloves
• For the first option only: cotton swabs, lemon juice, and sandwich-sized zipper baggies.

Before trying either of these options, we’d recommend putting your latex gloves on until the end of the cleaning process. This isn’t essential, but it’ll help to keep your fingers from reeking of old bongwater or cleaning products.

OPTION ONE

1. Use warm water and soap to thoroughly pre-soak your bong for an hour or two. This will help to remove any caked-on residue from your piece. Use as little dish soap as possible to get the job done – otherwise, your piece will have a soapy taste for its next several uses.
2. Add all of your water pipe’s small removal pieces to a plastic baggie.
3. Slowly pour isopropyl alcohol into the baggie. Add just enough to ensure that all pieces are totally submerged. Gently shake the bag, holding it by the top to avoid it opening unintentionally.
4. Leave your pieces inside the baggie for at least five minutes to soak.
5. Open the baggie over your sink or basin. Drain the liquid from the baggie, using your hand to keep the small pieces from falling out of the baggie.
6. Fill a small container with isopropyl alcohol. Then, dip a smaller piece into the isopropyl alcohol, and use a cotton swab to scrub any stuck-on resin or other debris from the inner portion of each smaller piece.
7. To remove water stains from your piece’s interior, add some warm water and lemon juice to the base of your water piece, then cover the holes with your fingers and swish it around thoroughly. When finished, rinse out the piece’s interior for several minutes.

OPTION TWO:

1. Pour out any remaining bongwater and remove whatever spare herb, ash, or residue that you can.
2. Rinse your bong out thoroughly with warm water to flush out any remaining stuck-on debris.
3. Fill the bong approximately halfway with warm water.
4. Remove any detachable components from your bong (like the mouthpiece or downstem). This will allow you to clean each individual piece more effectively, and minimize the chance of breaking anything in the process. Examine each piece for chips or cracks as you remove them – and replace anything that’s broken before you continue to use your water pipe.
6. Add one of the abrasive products listed above (coarse salt, baking soda, or rice) and one of the cleaning solutions (vinegar, rubbing alcohol) to your water pipe’s base. Coarse salt and isopropyl alcohol are probably the best pairing for a deep internal cleansing. The stronger the isopropyl alcohol, the better – ideally find an option that’s ninety percent alcohol or more. You could also use quality glass cleaner on its own without the need for an abrasive component.
7. Use your fingers to cover any open holes in your bong as well as possible to prevent a mess.
8. Give your bong a vigorous shake. To maximize the effectiveness of your cleaning, keep shaking the piece for approximately five minutes.
9. Pour the liquid from your bong into your sink or basin.
10. Rinse the inside of your bong thoroughly with warm water. We’d recommend repeating this step several times to ensure that all of your cleaning agents have been completely removed from your water piper’s interior.

To clean smaller spots from the exterior of your water pipes, hand pipes, and other heady glass pieces, it’s also a great idea to keep a bottle of glass cleaner on hand. You can easily add a little to a paper towel or cloth, then gently scrub at the surface of your piece to remove residue.

As Benjamin Franklin famously quipped, a stitch in time saves nine. He may not have been talking about wiping down your bongs before they’re filthy, but the wisdom holds. Lightly cleaning your pieces regularly means they’ll last longer between more intensive cleanings.

Build Your Water Pipe Collection With Our Online Smoke Shop!

710 Pipes is proud to offer an extensive selection of water pipes in different styles, shapes, sizes and colors – as well as hand pipes, vaporizers and other top-quality devices. We also carry hundreds of accessories including screens for your existing pieces, carb caps, quartz inserts and so much more! Our Northglenn and Denver head shops (on ColfaxD.U.) are open seven days a week. Denver University students get 10% off with a valid student ID!

Still staying indoors in the name of social distancing? If you’re over age 21 in Colorado or other legal U.S. states seeking quality pipe shop products, our online smoke shop has several options available for immediate purchase from the safety and comfort of your couch. You’ll also find exceptional prices on hundreds more of our popular products – all deliverable straight to your doorstep. Whether you’re shopping online or onsite, 710 Pipes is proud to provide you with the very best smoke shop products on the market today.

If you prefer consuming concentrates and extracts to dry forms of your favorite herb, a dab rig is exactly what you need. Dab rigs are a type of water pipe designed specifically for waxes and oils. While the design of most dab rigs is fairly straightforward with functionality in mind, you can’t enjoy your dabs without the help of a dabbing tool.

If you’re passionate about dabbing, it’s not enough to have a standard setup. You want your own custom dab rig. Something where every element has been hand picked to fit your own wants and needs. The year is 2020, almost 2021, and customization is the name of the game. What game? You’re playing it.

Enter: quartz inserts. Inserts essentially help distribute and retain heat by adding weight and surface area, not to mention improving flavor. All you have to do is just drop it in. In today’s guide, our online smoke shop team explains the biggest benefits of quartz inserts and our recommendations on how to use them.

Dry Pipes vs. water pipes: a debate of the ages. Two wings on a bird that is not a bird but actually a pipe. Smoke shop fans have likely tried their hand at both, and most others have likely seen each type in passing – but what’s the difference between the two? Which one is best for you? If your collection includes a combination, which should you use when? Our online head shop team is here to answer these questions and more in today’s review of their key components and differences. So dawn your red hat and say “itsa me,” cause we’re about to talk so much about pipes, you’ll think you’re Mario.