Clean a Bong

Nothing ruins the taste of a good smoke like a dirty bong. Fortunately, cleaning a bong isn't so hard if you're sure to do it often. Keep your best friend sparkling by using the methods in this article. Then, go have a smoke to reward yourself for your hard work.

Steps

Cleaning the Main Section

1. Disassemble the bong. Take it apart so that the individual pieces can be cleaned. Remove all movable parts, especially the bowl and mouthpiece, if there is one.
2. Rinse the bong. Rinse as much of the bong with water first and then allow it to dry. Use water as hot as you can stand without dropping the bong.
3. Pour in salt. Pour Epsom salt or table salt into the bowl and the mouthpiece. You can use a funnel if this makes it easier. Pour in however much is appropriate for the size of the bong. An average bong would need about 1/3-1/2 a cup.
   • Alternatively, you can use baking soda if you prefer the taste.
4. Pour in your cleaning solution. Pour in a reasonable amount of your preferred cleaning solution. The amount will depend on the size of your bong. Half a cup is a good starting point but you will need to experiment.
   • Some people use rubbing alcohol, some people use cleaning products like Simple Green (not recommended), some prefer natural products like vinegar, and others prefer something with a good taste like Listerine.
   • Alternatively, you can use something like Formula 420, in which case skip the salt. Pour it in and proceed as normal.
5. Shake! Cover all openings with your hands to keep the fluid from coming out and shake for at least five minutes. More shaking is better. Shake, shake, shake, Senora...shake your body line....
6. Rinse and repeat. Empty the cleaning solution into a sink and rinse it out completely. Repeat the cleaning process as much as you need to, but once is usually enough. Clean your bong more often to reduce the amount of cleaning time.
7. Use cleaning tools as necessary. You can use pipe cleaners, test tube cleaners, Q-tips, and any other tools you find useful to really scrub the areas that won't go quietly into the night.

Getting Stubborn Areas

1. Reform a coat hanger. Fold a coat hanger in half and then give it a few twists to tighten it up.
2. Add paper towels. Fold paper towels in half and roll them onto your twisted coat hanger, making sure the paper towels extend beyond the end of the coat hanger.
3. Secure the towels. Secure the paper towels tightly to the coat hanger with an elastic band
4. Shape your tool. Bend the end of the twisted hanger into the shape of the letter "J."
5. Add cleaning solution. Soak the paper towels in isopropyl alcohol or another cleaning solution you prefer.
6. Clean the needed area. Rub the hanger up and down around the inside walls of your bong. Adjust the angle of the bent hanger as needed to get into the nooks and crannies.

Tips

• Baby bottle brushes, especially nipple brushes, and cotton swabs are also good tools for getting resin out of hard-to-reach places.
• To clean downstems and bowl pieces, seal them in a sandwich bag (or whatever appropriate size to accommodate the pieces, one at a time) with alcohol and salt. Shake it until the cows come home, and most resin will come out. Paper clips help with hard to reach areas (rinse with hot water while you scrape).
• Be careful if you're cleaning it in a sink. The resin can coat the sink and it can be hard to clean.

Warnings

• Don't use dish soap to clean a bong. Your hits will taste like Palmolive for a month.
• Most cleaners are flammable, so never use them when you're smoking.
• If you use methylated spirits or Gumout, make sure that you clean your bong in a well-ventilated area.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic resealable bags
• Formula 420
• Solvent (isopropyl alcohol, denatured alcohol solvent, denture cleaning tablets or methylated spirits)
• Abrasive (uncooked rice, birdseed or large-grain salt)
• Saucepan
• Dish towel
• Liquid dish soap
• Coat hanger
• Paper towels
• Elastic band
• Soda, Na2CO3
• Bowl, large enough to submerge all parts

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Sources and Citations

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• Make a Smoking Device out of Anything
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What links here

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