Best Way to Clean Weed Pipes

Nothing beats that first toke from a brand new bong or pipe.  Crisp and smooth. But it doesn't take long for pipes and bongs to turn into a tar-stained mess. We're all guilty of occasionally ignoring our smoking equipment making it uncomfortable and unpleasant to use. Thankfully, you can clean your pipe up with a little patience and some common household materials. These methods are the best ways to clean pipes and bongs.

Who wants a dirty bong? No one. Luckily, this dilemma can be solved with a little bit of time, effort, baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. Take into account these instructions were made for bongs 18 inches and smaller.

• 4 cups (about 1 litre) white or apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups (460 grams) baking soda, plus an additional ½ cup (115 grams) baking soda in reserve
• Tap water

• Medium stock pot
• Bottle brush or toothbrush
• Measuring cup
• Metal tongs with rubber pads
• 2 towels

1. Place the bong into the pot. Pour in ½ cup of baking soda down the bong stem. Pour the remaining 1 ½ cups of baking soda into the bottom of the pot. Do not use  the ½ cup baking soda yet, place it to the side.
2. Pour 1 cup (250 milliliters) of vinegar down the bong stem slowly. This will trigger an instant carbonic acid-generating fizzy reaction. This will dissipate into carbon dioxide gas rapidly and will fizzle out.
3. Add to the pot the remaining vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
4. Add sufficient water to cover the bong totally. Then bring it to a boil and reduce it to a simmer.
5. Be careful with the amount of water and do not allow the bong to be exposed to air, or else the bong will break. If it is necessary, add more water to keep it submerged in water.
6. Simmer the water, depending on resin buildup, for 1-2 hours.
7. Switch the heat off after the time is up. Pull the bong with the tongs out gently and empty the liquid and place it bong on a towel. 
8. Pour the remaining baking soda carefully into the bong. Turn it into a paste adding a few tablespoons of vinegar and water.
9. With a bottle brush or toothbrush, clean the inside of the bong gently using the paste.
10. Wash the bong with warm tap water and put it on the second towel. Before using, let it fully air dry.

Isopropyl alcohol is the most frequently used cleaning product for bong and pipe cleaning, but it is a harsh cleaning agent. We recommend wearing gloves while you're working with it and avoid using it on wooden pipes. When using this technique, it also helps to have some Epsom or sea salt nearby since it is the same process on how to clean a pipe with salt. Gather the following tools:

• A bottle of rubbing alcohol (90% isopropyl is more effective)
• Sea salt or Epsom salts
• A plastic resealable bag
• Rubber gloves (It is up to you, much better if you have them)
• Cotton swabs and/or Q-tips

Before we begin, remove any loose resin build up from the pipe. In order to remove any remaining debris, keep the pipe upside down and tap gently. Then to extract any big, easily dislodged bits of resin you can find, use a pipe cleaner, toothpick, mechanical pencil, needle, or equally thin object.

1. Fill a zip-lock or any resealable plastic bag with isopropyl (rubbing alcohol). Place the pipe inside, making sure that it is fully submerged in the fluid. Alcohol breaks down resin, making it simpler over time to dissolve and scrub away stains.
2. Add to the bag 1 tablespoon of salt. Salt works on your pipe like an abrasive sponge, scrubbing away the resin in areas that you can never access with a sponge or brush. Since the resin is supposed to be washed away, try to use the biggest grains of salt you can find.
3. Shake the pipe in the bag, making sure to work the salt into the inside of the pipe. If possible, get the salt in the pipe and then use your fingers to close off the openings to the pipe. You can then shake up the salt inside the chamber, getting rid of as much resin as possible. Shake the bag for 1-2 minutes or until the pipe is visibly clean. You should try to put your hands in the bag and close the openings of the pipe using your fingers.
4. The solution will appear dark brown by this point. Pour that solution out and, repeating Step 3, refill the bag with alcohol once more. To remove any loose bits and residues from the salt and alcohol, make sure that you rinse out your pipe with hot water. You may want to leave the pipe there for several hours or overnight for extra dirty pipes.
5. Be sure to throw the old solution in the toilet instead of a sink when you're done, as it will possibly not smell particularly good.
6. This step is more optional, but Q-tips or cotton swabs will be helpful to wipe out any leftover areas. To get rid of any persistent stains, brush off any small spots and dip the end of your instrument in some clean alcohol. 
7. Soak the pipe for 10-15 minutes in a mixture of warm water and lemon juice to eliminate any water marks or non-resin stains.
8. Rinse thoroughly with tap water and air dry before next use. 

In this method of cleaning a weed pipe, we will use vinegar as the cleaning solution. 

• White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• Baking soda
• A deep plate or bowl. 

1. Grab the plate or bowl to place your pipe in to get started. First you'll want to pack some affordable baking soda all over the piece.
2. Now grab a jug of white vinegar and pour it into your container, submerging it. Right then, you’ll see the bubble explosion effect. It helps to cut through any sort of grease to let the bongs or glass pipes shine.
3. Leave the pipe to soak for 15 minutes, then remove it from the bowl and rinse with warm water. Let it dry.
4. Of course, you can clean with a cotton swab or pipe cleaner if you notice any remaining dirt.
5. Rinse thoroughly with tap water and air dry before next use. 

First of all, avoid using this method with thin glass pipes, or else you will damage your piece. This is suitable for thick glass pipes only.

• A small pot
• Tap water
• A stove or kettle

1. . Using a cotton swab to wipe or dislodge any large pieces of gunk.
2. With warm water, clean out the pipe. 
3. Bring a small pot of water and place it on the stove. Reduce water to a simmer meaning there is a continuous, but not excessive, cascade of bubbles. For this, keep the heat low to medium.
4. The entire pipe needs to be completely submerged with about 6 or 10 cm of water above to be safe.
5. Allow the pipe to soak for 20-30 minutes, or an hour for dirtier pipes. Remove it from the water after you have soaked it. Be cautious and use mittens as the pipe will be extremely hot and it could burn your hands pretty badly. Wipe off any residue with a cotton swab or a pipe cleaner.
6. Repeat the process until clean
7. Let air dry before next use.

This one is the easiest method to clean a metal pipe deeply.

• Toothbrush or small brush
• A needle
• A freezer
• A tray

For this method, it’s better if you work over a plate or a tray. The resin will be hardened to a solid, sand-like texture, so you will want the resin falling somewhere you can clean up later without trouble.

1. Use the needle or a pointy object to remove the old screen (if you use one). Disassemble is it is a modular pipe.
2. Put the pieces in the freezer for 30 or 40 minutes. With this technique, you don’t have to do a pre-cleaning. Simply wait for the pipe to freeze. The low temperature will harden the resin or any bits stuck in the pipe
3. Take the pipe out of the freezer after the right time has passed and scrape the hardened resin out with the needle. Work fast, since it won’t take long for the resin to clog again and become sticky.
4. Brush off the screen with the toothbrush. The resin should fall off effortlessly.
5. Lastly, you can reassemble the pieces again and you're good to go.

You will need to gather the following ingredients and materials before you begin the process of cleaning your bong:

• Coarse sea salt
• 99% isopropyl alcohol (which is what we know as rubbing alcohol)
• Two large ziplock bags or any resealable plastic bags
• Towel

1. Remove the bowl and  down-stem of the bong carefully and put them in two separate zipper storage bags. Placing in separate bags the bowl and downstem ensures that the two small pieces will not be damaged or broken while clashing against each other, and allows a more thorough cleaning.
2. Pour a couple tablespoons of coarse salt and rubbing alcohol into both of the plastic bags (preferably 99 percent isopropyl, it works better) until the bowl and the down-stem completely submerged. Shake it and scrub with your fingers for about 2 or 3 minutes
3. Drain the old water in your bong into a sink 
4. Pour a generous quantity of isopropyl alcohol into the bong and add a tablespoon of coarse salt.
5. Plug the openings of your bong in the mouthpiece and down-stem areas. You can cover the down-stem hole with micropore tape and the mouthpiece with a gloved hand. Shake strongly for 5 minutes approximately, until you can see the resin come off.
6. Empty the solution into the toilet and clean the bong with lukewarm water thoroughly.
7. Soak a tissue with isopropyl alcohol and clean the bowl and the down-stem  
8. Use warm water to rinse them off. As you rinse, gently shake the bong to wash away the residual resin.

Did you ever consider using vodka to clean your pipe? 

• A coffee cup
• Microwave
• Vodka
• Water

1. Mix in a coffee cup half vodka and half water and put it in the microwave for about thirty seconds. 
2. Put your pipe in, twirl it around and let it sit for a while.
3. Take it out of the coffee cup and rinse it off.

Unless you’re willing to repeat the process several times, do this when you need a quick clean. This won't be as effective if your piece is extremely dirty. 

Smoke soaps are an all-natural industrial grade cleaner that removes the resin on the side of your glass and makes them slip. Store the used mixture Smoke Soap and water since you can use it many times, and it will still be effective. We suggest you leave your pipe soaking all night and then rinsing it out in the morning.

• Smoke Soap
• A container
• Toothbrush
• Water
• Pipe cleaner

1. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water. Add a squirt of smoke soap to create a bubbly solution.
2. Carefully place your piece into the water and leave it there for 20 minutes.
3. Return to the sink, ready with a brush or pipe cleaner for washing.
4. Use a brush to vigorously scrub the inside surfaces. 
5. Run a pipe cleaner through the piece 3-4 times. Dunk your pipe each time you  clean in the water to swill out the stem.
6. Empty the bowl and rinse the pipe to finish.
7. Let air dry before using.

Mantello pipe cleaners are 6 inches long and have a strong bristle on the end to help clear buildup from your pipe easily. They are also very versatile so that you can switch them around at various angles to clean different sections of the pipe.

• Mantello pipe cleaners
• Alcohol
• Water

1. Dampen a Mantello pipe cleaner in alcohol or the cleaning solution of your preference and run it through from the stem to the mouthpiece, pulling it through repeatedly. It will definitely come out with a bit of black or brown gunk on it if you’re doing it the right way.  
2. With a dry one repeat the procedure until the wet pipe cleaner comes out the same color it was when it went in.
3. Finally, to remove any moisture, push one final dry pipe cleaner through.
4. Rise with water thoroughly.
5. Leave it air dry before using.