As smoking methods go, there’s nothing better than taking a mighty rip of kind bud out of a glass bong with fresh water and ice cubes. Aahhh…

Smoking through water is a practice almost as old as cannabis itself. Water cools the smoke, filtering out tar and ash. Clean water also cuts down on mold, bacteria, and carcinogens while reducing the harshness of the toke.

However, if you let your bong get dirty, you’ll defeat the whole purpose. You’ll be recycling toxins into your lungs and robbing yourself of a delicious, clean hit.

Why You Should Keep Your 

Bong Clean

There are more reasons to clean your bong than just keeping it beautiful. Regular bong maintenance will do a lot to improve your smoking experience, including:

• limiting carcinogens
• reducing bacteria and other pathogens
• eliminating foul odors
• improving overall flavor

How to Clean A Glass Bong

There are three primary types of bong cleaning that you’ll want to do: Regular maintenance, odor removal, and stain removal. This may all seem a little labor-intensive, but it’s worth it. If you’ve already invested in a high-quality, collector’s item glass bong, why not take care of it so you can get the most enjoyment out of every toke.

Regular Bong Cleaning

You’ll want to do a regular cleaning at least once per week if you use your bong daily.

Materials:

• 99% isopropyl alcohol
• coarse salt
• warm water
• food storage containers or ziplock bags for smaller pieces
• pipe cleaners/cotton swabs
• paper towels/soft, lint-free cloth towel
• plastic wrap and rubber bands

Instructions:

1. Empty the bong. Pour 1 cup of coarse salt and 1 cup of isopropyl alcohol into the bong’s chamber.
2. Put the downstem and bowl into individual food containers or plastic bags, and add a few tablespoons of salt and enough alcohol to cover them.
3. Close the lids of the food containers tightly and cover the openings of your bong with plastic wrap using rubber bands to secure it. For certain pieces, like small bubblers, it may be sufficient to plug the openings with a twisted paper towel. This is to keep the salt and alcohol off your skin and work surfaces. You can also invest in specialized rubber stoppers to plug your stem opening.
4. Shake gently but completely to get the solution through all parts of the piece. The salt is an abrasive that dislodges the resin and residue. A finer salt might be necessary for bongs with percolators to get through narrow passageways.
5. Let the glassware soak if there is heavy residue. Overnight if necessary, depending on how much has built up. Of course, the more often you clean it, the less build-up you’ll have to deal with.
6. For detailed work on bowls and downstems, use gloves and dip a pipe cleaner or cotton swab in alcohol. Rinse with warm water and repeat as necessary.
7. Allow the pieces to air dry, or carefully hand dry them with paper towels or a soft, lint-free cloth towel.

Eliminating Odors from Your Bong

Sometimes regular maintenance cleaning just doesn’t cut it when it comes to odor removal. In this case, a baking soda solution should do the trick.

1. After your regular cleaning, fill your bong’s base with a solution of water and several tablespoons of baking soda.
2. Let the bong sit overnight, swishing the water around occasionally.
3. You can use the same procedure to remove odors from your bowl and downstem. Just place them in a ziplock bag or plastic container with enough baking soda solution to cover.
4. Rinse your bong thoroughly before using it.

Removing Stains from Your Bong

Lemon juice is the best natural stain remover for glass bongs. The procedure is simple:

1. First, clean your bong with salt and alcohol as outlined above.
2. Next, mix several tablespoons of lemon juice with 3 cups of white vinegar. If you don’t have any vinegar around, you can use water.
3. Fill the bong around 2/3 with the mixture, and let it sit for at least an hour. If you’re removing stains from a bong with a complicated percolator mechanism, you’ll need to swish the water around to make sure the lemon juice penetrates into all of the small parts.
4. Rinse the bong well, especially if you use vinegar.

If the stains persist after leaving the bong overnight, you’ll probably need to use a commercial cleaner. However, you’ll want to make sure the cleaner you use isn’t introducing toxins into your bong. Try purchasing a trusted bong cleaner like Formula 420 for those stubborn stains.

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 Written by Cat Winske

Photo from Canva Pro