Cleaning Your Glass Pipes: Everything You Need to Know

Regular smoking comes with a need for regular maintenance. Pipes get dirty; ash, plant matter, and residue accumulate. If they are not cleared out regularly, the smoke just won’t flow. Above all, smoke should travel with ambling smoothness, and keeping your piece clean ensures this occurs! 

Wondering how to clean your glass pipes and bongs? We’ve got all the details you need to keep your pieces in tip-top shape! We’ve all been there and at some point, your bowl is gonna need a solid cleaning. While nothing beats the pristine beauty of a well-shined, well-cleaned piece, keeping your pipes clean ensures they perform optimally, produce delicious flavor, and keep the smoke flowing along smoothly.

How to Clean Your Glass Pipes

It’s pretty simple to get a basic clean going. For most pipes, most particularly spoons, hammers, and dry pieces, all you need to do is soak them in isopropyl alcohol with the highest proof you can get your hands on. You can use a ziplock bag to safely submerge your piece in if it fits. Add some rock salt, (or any type of salt for the matter) to the alcohol. Soak your piece in this solution for 12 - 24 hours. The alcohol works really well to provide an overall clean while the salt is a gentle abrasive. During the soaking process, you can shake the piece in the container it’s in, and the salt will help agitate the resin and funk from the inside of the piece. When you’re ready to remove the piece, give it a good shake to remove everything from within. If more cleaning is needed, rinse and repeat the process. 

Cleaning Glass Pipes: What Not to do

Do not ever poke or scrape your bowl with any kind of metal. This is a surefire way to break or crack it! Your glass bongs and custom glass pipes are much too precious to subject to such manhandling; as works of art, they should be treated with immense care!

If there are any clogs or stuck debris on the inside of your pipe, a gentle poke from a wood skewer works well to dislodge them. The holes on your piece are made specifically to work with bamboo skewers or toothpicks, which are soft enough not to cause any damage. 

How to Maintain Your Piece

For long-term cleanliness and maintenance, you should wipe out the bowl of your piece after every use with a soft T-shirt, cloth, or paper towel. This will help keep it consistently fresh and keep the flavor tasty, without letting the funk build up. And, you'll be able to admire the colors filling in without any interference from buildup!

Resin Donuts

Beware of the elusive resin donuts, which are a fun little fashion statement! When you wipe your bowl out with your T-shirt after smoking, the blowhole will leave behind a clean little donut hole in the center with a brown resin donut around it. It’s a hilarious little sign; if you know, you know! Some folks are proud to wear up to five or six of these little badges of honor on their shirts and we happen to find it pretty cool.

So there you have it; simple tips to keep your glass pieces clean, maintained, and functioning beautifully! If you collect custom glass pieces or simply have a few you use regularly, treat them right with proper care and they’ll last for years!