How to Clean a Bong

Cleaning a bong can be tricky business, so to ensure that your bong stays in top shape you'll want to check out this handy tutorial! Have you noticed that your bong gets yellow and brown staining when you've been using it for long periods of time? Our tutorial can help you clean those stains and get your bong looking brand new. This guide on how to clean a bong can be applied to all smoking utensils you own and is quick and easy.

The best way to clean your bong is to make sure you remove your downstem and bowl first, failure to do this could result in broken pieces of your favourite bong everywhere! The only 2 products you need to get your bong shiny and new again are nail isopropyl alcohol (nail varnish removed also works) and salt! It is important to make sure you start cleaning in a suitable environment, isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable so we advise that you do this outside.

Now, we begin the cleaning process







So you have your cleaning products ready, now it’s time to put them into action and get your piece squeaky clean! Pour the nail varnish remover or alcohol into your bong making sure you use a good amount so it fills the water chamber roughly halfway - simple, right? The next step is to add the salt to the alcohol within your bong, use around eight tablespoons; it really doesn't have to be exact so just pour a load in!

Time for the downstem and bowl

Now the next step is very dangerous, not to yourself, but to your bong! Be really careful and hold on tight as you don’t want to drop your glass bong (plastic bong owners need not worry so much!). Cover all of the holes and shake it vigorously; remember to remove your bowl and downpipe as we will clean these separately. You’ll know if you’re shaking hard enough as the dirt from the pipe will begin to show in the alcohol as it will turn a dirty tar colour. There is no exact time on how long to keep shaking, it really depends on how gunky your piece is! Just keep on going until it is completely clean.

Next, it is time to clean the downstem and bowl of your bong. You will need a sealable bag or sandwich bag for this next step. Now you’ll need to place the parts separately in the bags and fill them up with alcohol. Around one quarter of the bag should do it. Then put in a couple of tablespoons of salt and start shaking again. The pipe and down stem will be crystal clear once you’ve done a successful job.

After you finish cleaning your bong

It is absolutely crucial that you spend a good amount of time thoroughly cleaning all of the alcohol or nail varnish remover from your water pipe, downpipe and bowl. Inhaling any of these cleaning fluids would be very bad for your health, it will also taste super nasty when you next take a hit. To resolve this, simply use a host pipe or tap to blast plenty of water throughout the parts for a fair few minutes. The finished result should leave all the parts shiny, clean, and crystal clear! Now you are ready to use your bong and reap the reward of a clean, tasty hit.

That is it, you just cleaned your glass bong! This method can also be used on plastic bongs and ceramic bongs.

Here at HerbTools you can buy a bong or even add bong modifications for an enhanced smoke filter!

Some top tips to help keep your bong cleaner for longer

The number one cause of a dirty bong is leaving smoke inside it. Once you have drawn in the smoke, try not to leave it in there too long. Once you have cleared it, double-check to make sure no remnants of smoke remain. The yellow tar stains are caused by excessive smoke passing by the glass, however, leaving smoke in there to settle will exasperate this and cause your bong to get dirtier much quicker.

Avoid replacing the water within your piece for sticky liquids such as cola, they may add some amazing flavours to your smoke session but they leave a lot of staining behind and give the tar something much stickier to attach to. If you still want to add flavoured water then you will need to clean your bong much more often.

Take your time and make sure you are clear-headed. This is by far the most dangerous time for your bong and it is most likely scared! Cleaning your piece around hard objects such as bathroom times is a common cause of damage. This is another strong reason to clean outside on some glass. Do not rush the job and ensure any detachable pieces are cleaned separately to the rest. You do have to shake everything extremely vigorously and anything loose is likely to fly out and become damaged.