How to Clean a Bong

Bongs are some of our favorite smoking tools. Once you get home with your shiny new bong, chances are you will want to make sure that you keep it in excellent working shape. To do so, you will have to clean your bong regularly.

The more you smoke out of your bong, the more resin will build up in it. If you smoke from a dirty bong, the dirt and resin will affect the taste of your flower.

A clean bong will give you a clean hit and improve your smoking experience. It would also be best to clean it regularly because all that dirty resin can cause bacteria to grow in your bong, which can be harmful and even dangerous.

This guide will show you how to clean a bong effectively using different methods.

Why Should You Clean Your Bong?

Bongs get dirty from the tar and resin that builds up as you smoke. This build-up can make your bong taste bad, which is not ideal for inhaling something. This residue can also clog your bong and make it more difficult to smoke, which defeats the purpose of having a water pipe in the first place!

Resin and tar are also harmful to your health - if left to build up.

Even if you don’t care about any of these things, regular cleaning ensures that you’ll have a better smoking experience - because, let’s face it, who doesn’t want their bong hits to be as smooth as possible?

If you’ve ever wondered why you should clean your bong, the following benefits might help you realize that a clean glass piece is worth the hassle.

Benefits of cleaning a bong 

• Prevents health problems
• Better tasting hits
• Improved functionality
• A clean bong will look better
• Less resin buildup means a smoother hit
• Can control odors

How often should You clean Your Bong?

One of the things to consider when learning how to clean a bong is how often you should wash it. There’s no simple answer to this question because a lot depends on how often you use your bong, how many people are using it, what kind of water you put in it, and what type of material it is from. A good rule of thumb is to clean your glass bong at least once a week if you smoke daily and once every two weeks if you only smoke occasionally.

If you use your bong frequently, have multiple users, or regularly fill your bong with tap water, you will probably want to clean it every few days.

If you use a silicone or plastic bong, we recommend cleaning these more often as they retain odors more easily than glass pieces. The best way to know when it’s time for a cleaning session is by checking out your water level now and then—if it looks dirty, then now might be as good as any other time! You also might want to clean it when resin starts building up in the down stem or when a funky odor starts coming from your piece.

How to Clean a Bong Using Boiling Water

• Heat water to near boiling, but don’t use boiling water.
• Fill the bong with hot water as much as possible without it spilling out the top.
• Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes, then dump the water.
• Use gloves if you have them to avoid getting burned. If not, be careful!
• Use kosher salt or Epsom salt and scrub the inside of your bong well with a bristle brush to remove stubborn residue and grime stuck on the glass or acrylic.
• Rinse thoroughly with warm running water until all of the salt is gone from your bong.
• Leave out to dry or dry with paper towels or a clean cloth to soak up any moisture left in your piece before storing away safely again.

How to Clean a Bong Using Isopropyl Alcohol and Kosher Salt

First, you’ll need some supplies:

• Ziplock bags (1 for each bong you want to clean)
• Rubbing alcohol (the higher the percentage of alcohol, the better)
• Kosher salt (table salt works too)
• Bottle cleaners/brushes (for harder-to-reach crevices and stubborn stains)

Once you have these in hand, gather your dirty bongs and get ready to sanitize!

• Fill the ziplock bag with enough alcohol to completely submerge your piece.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt into each bag. Seal up each bag, ensuring there’s not too much air trapped inside.
• Then shake it like an angry baby making sure not to hit the counter. You want the salt to rub against all parts of your piece constantly.
• Let this sit for about 5 minutes or so, depending on how dirty it is.
• Then grab a bottle cleaner and give every nook and cranny a good scrubbing until all the gunk has been loosened and removed from your piece.
• Now dump out the content from each bag into the sink and rinse with warm water.

Ta-da! Your bong is now sparkling clean!

How to Clean Bong Using Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a natural cleaning solution, and you can combine it with baking soda and vinegar to make an effective cleaner. Lemon juice alone is also an efficient way to clean your bong.

You can use the lemon juice cleaner to soak the bong, like with near-boiling water.

The acidity in the lemon will help loosen any residual resin in the glass and prevent it from building up again. Just remember not to use too much; this could cause damage if not properly rinsed out after cleaning!

Ready to clean a bong today?

It’s essential to clean your bong regularly. If you don’t, you’ll get resin buildup in the chamber, leading to problems like your bud burning unevenly and smoke production.

Now that you learned how to clean a bong and your piece is looking new, head over to your local Callie’s location. Our excellent selection of flower and concentrates will fill up your clean bong nicely.