3 Quick Hacks to clean your water pipe

Ah yes, there is nothing more exhilarating than a nice hit of marijuana through a water pipe. The experience is like none other. However, what if you came home from a grueling day of work and inhaled smoke that smelled like car exhaust when you smoked your pipe?

Shocked? Don’t be. You run the real risk of experiencing this if you don’t use a clean water pipe every time you smoke. It is vital to clean your water pipe regularly to ensure that every smoking experience you have is relaxing and delightful.

Why should you clean your water pipe regularly?

There is an unspoken and dirty truth about using a water pipe that is always dirty. It can build up to dangerous bacteria that can go into your lungs when you inhale the marijuana. You can develop severe breathing and respiratory problems or even asthma. These are just some of the other reasons why you should be cleaning your water pipe regularly.

Oh, and not cleaning your water pipe every few days will affect the taste and flavor of the smoke that you inhale. You won’t have smooth and clean hits. The residue will negatively affect marijuana’s taste and smell! This can be a major turn-off and also lead to the wastage of precious marijuana. After all, you take puffs on your marijuana pipe to relax and enjoy yourself.

How do you know when your water pipe needs cleaning?

While cleaning your water pipe routinely is necessary, it’s not necessarily a daily exercise. You know that it’s time to clean your water pipe if

  • it is turning a different color,
  • has a filmy residue on its interior,
  • is building specks or resin on its walls, or
  • smells funny.

For best results, you should be cleaning your water pipe thoroughly every two days. Be sure to rinse your tube out with warm water between cleanings!

Stay prepped when cleaning your water pipe.

You won’t be cleaning your pipe correctly if you don’t have these items handy:

  • A pipe cleaner
  • Q-tips
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Salt
  • Water
  • The water pipe itself!

Rest assured that you can easily find these items either at Walmart (or your local store.) Some of these items may even be lying around somewhere in your house.

Ways to clean your water pipe
Just as there is ‘more than one way to skin a cat!’, there is more than one way to clean your water pipe.

Let us have a look at some of these:

1. Try vinegar and baking soda.

Many people think of white vinegar as a natural cleaning solution. There’s a reason for this. It’s acidic and will dissolve 99.99% of bacteria, germs, and other stains on any surface. It can also be quite challenging for most common viruses to sustain it.

There are specific steps to take if you want to use white vinegar and baking soda to clean your water pipe:

  • Mix the two ingredients
  • Rub the resulting solution around the inside and outside of your water pipe. Baking soda softens residue. Doing this makes it easier to wash it away.
  • Rinse it thoroughly and wipe it to help it dry.

2. Rubbing alcohol and salt will do the trick.

Rubbing alcohol has antibacterial properties, and salt is a harsh and abrasive cleaning agent. Combining these two household ingredients will work wonders in cleaning and sanitizing your water pipe.

Just follow these steps:

  • Fill your water pipe and bowl with salt
  • Add rubbing alcohol
  • Seal the joint and mouthpiece and then shake the pipe vigorously
  • Use warm water to flush the mixture out
  • Scrape away any remaining grit and residue with a Q-tip

Note:You may want to place your water pipe in a plastic ziplock bag before filling it with the bowl with salt and water. You fill the entire bag with alcohol and add a pinch of salt if you’re going to use this method to clean your water pipe. You’ll be letting the water pipe soak in the solution for at least 20 minutes, so you need not worry about sealing the mouthpiece and top of the tube. You also don’t need to give your water pipe a good shake!

Also, if you’re not religiously cleaning your water pipe, it will have a significant build-up that even an abrasive solution won’t be able to remove. In such cases, you might need to soak your pipe in rubbing alcohol for several hours to clean it effectively.

3. Sometimes denture cleaners can be of help

Yes, believe it or not, denture cleaners will do an excellent job cleaning your water pipe. It is especially true when you mix them with warm water.

You need to follow these steps to do this:

  • Drop a few denture cleaning tablets into your water pipe’s bowl
  • Pour in a generous amount of warm water into the bowl. The idea is to create a healthy and fizzy solution. It will clean your water pipe thoroughly.
  • Shake your pipe thoroughly after you completely seal the mouthpiece and top of the pipe
  • Leave your water pipe alone for 15 - 20 minutes
  • Rinse the water pipe out with lots of warm water.

These were some easy methods of cleaning water pipes. You can adopt these household methods and even suggest them to your friends.

Consuming premium marijuana to get a good, clean, and healthy high is only part of the equation. The pleasure and great experience you get from taking huge bong rips also depends on how well and how often you clean your water pipes. Keep all your glass smoking accessories as clean as possible. Get into a routine. Have the stuff you need on hand. Remember that a clean water pipe can deliver the pleasant taste of pure marijuana and lead to sheer bliss!