It’s that time of year again: Spring Cleaning. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Spring Cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning your house during the springtime. Most people take this as an opportunity to clean out lots of things. People clean out their closets, garages, fridges, etc. Anything in your house or life that requires an extra deep clean can be done during Spring Cleaning. If you are an avid smoker, you may have some paraphernalia that could use that extra care. Spring cleaning for stoners also has some great benefits. Here are a few reasons why.
Reasons To Clean
Stoners have good reasons to invest time into spring cleaning. Here are a few reasons why you should take care of your supplies.
- Resin can build up quickly. Resin is the natural substance produced in the trichomes of the cannabis plant. In other words, it’s a tar-like byproduct of smoking marijuana. This can get caught in your pipe or bong. It builds up quickly and can lead to clogging.
- Sharing means more germs. There’s nothing wrong with sharing some green with a friend. But it’s important to keep in mind that you may also be sharing germs. While passing around a bong or pipe, it can collect germs or other unwanted bacteria.
- It helps your equipment last longer. Taking care of your smoking equipment can make it last longer since it’s in better condition.
- There’s a better taste. Cleaning out your supplies can enhance the smoking experience. It will most likely feel fresher, cleaner, and hit differently than before.
How To Clean Smoking Paraphernalia
There are many ways stoners smoke. We’ll show you how to incorporate spring cleaning for stoners with two popular forms: with a pipe and a bong.
Pipe
- Place the pipe in a zip lock bag with isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Make sure the pipe is completely submerged into the alcohol and seal the bag. You can place a second bag wrapped in paper towels for extra protection. Let your pipe soak in the alcohol for a couple of hours. The goal is to break down the resin.
- Resin is a dark and sticky substance, so this next step should be done over a clean sink. Once the resin has broken down, put on some rubber gloves. Remove the pipe from the bag and run it under warm/ semi-hot water. You want to ensure that water is running through all the holes in the pipe. You will see chunks of resin wash out. If any get stuck on your sink, wash them down quickly.
- You can throw the bag of alcohol in the trash can.
- Oftentimes, the resin in the bowl area is not completely cleaned. You can use Q-tips to scrape away unwanted pipe resin. Again, you should do this step over a clean sink.
- If the inside of the pipe is still dirty, you can use a pipe cleaning wire. Dip it in alcohol and rub the inside.
- Rinse, dry, and smoke.
Bong
- Dump dirty bong water in the toilet. You may want to flush it quickly if you haven’t cleaned it in a long time since it most likely stinks. Carefully disassemble all bong parts.
- Do a quick rinse on all bong parts with warm water. This helps remove any major bong resin remnants. Then, soak individual bong parts in a zip lock bag with isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Shake the parts back and forth carefully to break down the resin.
- Rinse with warm water. If there is still resin, use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to get the rest. Rinse again.
- Take the bong and fill the chamber about ¼ -½ way with rubbing alcohol and a tablespoon (or two) of salt. If you have a minimal amount of rubbing alcohol, you can add hot water to the solution.
- With rubber gloves on, cap the top and plug all holes. Shake the bong carefully: up and down, back and forth. Let it sit for a few minutes and carefully shake again.
- Dump the solution in the toilet and flush. Rinse the bong with hot water. If your bong still has resin, repeat steps 3 and 4 using only hot water and salt.
- Rinse, reassemble, dry, pack it, and smoke.
Overall Tips
- Clean your accessories after every smoke. If you’re a stoner, you may forget to do so. But just be mindful of the upkeep of your smoking equipment.
- Use a poker or scooper tool for narrow pipes. This can help avoid resin build-up. Also, use a scooper that won’t damage your pipe.
- Opt for the occasional deep clean. A little extra care and time into cleaning your pipe or bong never hurt.
- Boil metal or ceramic accessories.
- Use rubbing alcohol on glass/wood accessories
- Get rid of expired products
