How to Clean Your Bong: Why, how and when?

If you don’t clean your bong regularly, it is going to stink. You will not be happy smelling a bad odor every time you want to enjoy the soothing sensation that comes out of that homemade bong.

In order to enjoy the relaxation that comes with smoking your bong time and time again, it is important you learn how to clean your bong.

Know that if you let resin rest at the base or the inner side of the plastic bottle, tube, or even bowl, it is going to be difficult when you finally decide to clean your bong. Nonetheless, with a few things in place, you will enjoy a clean bong for a long time.

Cleaning your bong is not a one-time event. If you like cleanliness, you will not clean your bong once and forget about it for the rest of the year. 

How to not clean your bong

Some people have resorted to using harsh chemicals when cleaning their bongs. The result is these chemicals, such as carburetor cleaner, end up leaving toxins inside the bottle. Later, these residues can cause harm to the body. In fact, some toxins can go as far as killing you. Yes, some chemicals are lethal.

However, before we talk about how to clean bong, it is important to know why it is important to ensure your bong stays clean all the time.

The 4 reasons why you need to clean your bong

There may be many reasons why you should clean a bong. However, in this write-up, I’m going to talk about four main reasons why you must ensure your bong is clean throughout the time you use it.

1. To freshen the smell

Smell is perhaps the first thing that tells human beings their surrounding is clean or dirty. A conducive environment will have a good, relaxing smell. On the other hand, if the smell is foul, you are not going to stay longer.

It is the same with a bong. A clean bong has a soothing smell that arouses a soothing sensation to those that smoke it. Stagnant water at the base of the plastic bottle, residue clinging to the walls of the bottle, pipe, or bowl are some of the reasons why bong will release a bad odor.

2. To maintain taste

No matter how you put it, bong has its original taste. You want the original bong taste to remain throughout the time you are taking the bong. You wouldn’t want to breathe in smoke from the plastic bottle that tastes like a rotten tomato.

Sadly, if you do not clean your bong on a regular basis, the taste is definitely going to change. I’m sure you are not going to like it. 

Marijuana has a distinctive taste. In fact, that is why it is easy for the industry experts to recognize mature, rotten, or immature marijuana – by its taste.

If you want bong to retain its original taste, the secret is to clean it regularly. 

3. To get rid of any bacteria

You wouldn’t want to be taken ill in the hospital because you smoked from an infected bong. This is the last thing that you’d expect. A dirty bong will be home to bacteria that will spread to all parts of the bong – the mouthpiece, inside the plastic container, in the bowl, the carb, the second hole, and at the top of the bottle.

Necrotizing pneumonia is one of the illnesses that has been linked with extremely dirty bongs. Although rare, it does not rule out the possibility of the condition catching up with you. Did you notice that the type of pneumonia in question is ‘necrotizing’, which touches one of your body’s sensitive parts, the lungs? 

Yes, you read right. Some of your lungs may actually die due to infectious bacteria invading your bong.

Interestingly, you can avoid this rare but seemingly fatal disease by cleaning your bong.

4. To make breathing in easier

A dirty and filled-up underground tunnel will not let water or any contents pass through to the sewer. A dirty downstem will ruin your day when you want to enjoy your bong. A partially dirty downstem will only allow you to breathe in a certain amount of smoke.

You are going to use a lot of energy inhaling and breathing in because part of the pipe is filled with dirt, which might be clinging to the walls of the pipe. It might be the case with the bottle and the bowl.

Now, after seeing the four main reasons why you seriously need to clean your bong regularly, it is time we look at the steps of ensuring the bong remains clean and ready for you the next time you need to smoke.

Here is the ultimate guide on how to clean your bong from top to bottom without necessarily going for harsh methods. If you are forced to use excessive means, then it has to be minimal. Otherwise, before it gets there, you need to learn the basics of cleaning bong.

This cleaning guide also shifts your attention to two main groups, the heavy smokers and the casual smokers. While cleaning bong is important, the process for cleaning bong may different slightly between heavy smokers and casual smokers.

What you need to clean Bong

To clean bong, you need to have the following:

Step-by-step: how to clean your bong

When you are cleaning your bong, the first thing is to dump out the contents inside the plastic bottle. This could be the dirty bong water. 

The second thing after dumping out the water is to disassemble the bong. This process involves putting aside everything including the hollow tube, the bowl, and the bottle. Put these tools aside. Make sure nothing clings to the other. In other words, ensure you dismantle every part.

Using hot water, wash and rinse everything. Although you can use cold water in the absence of hot water, it is advisable to use hot water, preferably running because thanks to hot running water, you will be able to dislodge any residue.

Do not mind about the water getting extremely hot. As long as it does not shrink the plastic bottle and the pipe, you can use the gloves to hold the parts as you let hot water run through.

Once the parts are clean and dry, you can return each one in its place. Make sure the downstem and the bowl fit perfectly to the water bottle. 

Once you have every part in place, put two or three tablespoons of salt into the bong. Pour a ½ cup of rubbing alcohol into the already put salt. You can decide to increase or decrease the amount of salt and rubbing alcohol depending on the size of your bottle.

Close all the holes on your bong.

Vigorously shake the bong that the salt and the rubbing alcohol blend and reach every corner of the bong. The shaking might take up to five minutes or longer. You need to ensure each part of your bong especially the bottom is free from any residue.

Once you are satisfied with the salt and rubbing alcohol that have done their part, you can now rinse the bong using hot water.  You are free to repeat the shaking until you feel your bong is thoroughly clean.

Frequently asked questions about cleaning your bong

How to Clean Your Bong Without Rubbing Alcohol

You can clean and maintain your bong without the use of rubbing alcohol. Remember, rubbing alcohol is to ensure your get rid of any residue and resin clogged at the corners of your bong.  However, many who don’t access rubbing alcohol at some point, use salt, lemon juice, or vinegar. 

After dumping out water from the bong, disassembling all the parts, you can use hot water to clean your bong. To ensure no hidden residue at the base of the bottle, bowl, and no resin in the downstem, you can use a mixture of salt, lemon juice, and vinegar to remove all stubborn residues in the bong before assembling back the parts.

Vinegar and lemon juice replace rubbing alcohol.

How To Clean Your Glass Bong

Cleaning glass bong follows the same process as cleaning plastic bong only that you may not use hot water. Warm water will do the same job hot water does on a plastic bong. It is not advisable to use rubbing alcohol on the glass bong because, in the end, the glass will lose its clarity. 

Salt and or lemon can still be used to shake off any stubborn stains that may be resting at the base of your f bong. After cleaning your bong to your satisfaction, you may want to wipe the glass with clean and dry cotton towels or balls before assembling back bong parts.

How Often Should You Clean Your Bong?

If you are a heavy smoker, it is recommended to clean your bong every 48 hours or the day after you use it.

For casual bong smokers, you need to clean your bong the moment you finish smoking. This is because you are not sure the next time you will smoke. It is prudent to leave your bong clean for the next use.