Title: How to Clean a Bong

Meta description: Learn how to clean a bong properly with simple household items. Step-by-step guide for glass, silicone, and everything in between.

Body content (paste this into the rich text field):

A clean bong hits different. Literally.

Resin buildup affects flavor, restricts airflow, and turns your beautiful piece into something you'd rather hide than display. Worse, stagnant bong water becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.

The good news: cleaning a bong takes ten minutes and costs almost nothing.

What You'll Need

• Isopropyl alcohol (91% or higher—99% is ideal)
• Coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt, or Epsom salt)
• Pipe cleaners or bottle brushes
• Rubber stoppers or plastic wrap and rubber bands
• Warm water

That's it. ISO and salt work well. If you want faster results or hate the smell of alcohol, dedicated bong cleaning solutions cut through resin quicker and rinse cleaner. Either way, you're set.

The Basic Method

Step 1: Empty and rinse

Pour out the old water. Rinse the bong with warm water to loosen surface residue. Remove the bowl and downstem—these get cleaned separately.

Step 2: Add salt and alcohol

Pour a generous amount of coarse salt into the bong. The salt acts as an abrasive since you can't get a scrub brush inside most pieces. Add enough isopropyl alcohol to cover the dirty areas—usually a few inches.

Step 3: Cover and shake

Plug the openings with rubber stoppers, your hands, or plastic wrap secured with rubber bands. Shake vigorously. The alcohol dissolves the resin while the salt scrubs it off the glass.

Shake for 2-5 minutes. You'll see the liquid turn brown. That's progress.

Step 4: Soak if needed

Stubborn buildup? Let it sit. An hour does a lot. Overnight does more. For seriously neglected pieces, you might need multiple rounds.

Step 5: Rinse thoroughly

This matters. Rinse with warm water until every trace of alcohol and salt is gone. You don't want to inhale ISO residue. Keep rinsing until it runs clear and there's no smell.

Step 6: Dry completely

Let it air dry before using. Water droplets in your fresh bowl won't kill you, but they're annoying.

Cleaning the Bowl and Downstem

Same method, smaller scale. Place them in a plastic bag with salt and alcohol, seal it, shake. Let them soak while you clean the main piece. Pipe cleaners help reach inside the downstem.

Cleaning Silicone Bongs

Good news: silicone is more forgiving. You can use the same ISO and salt method, or simply put it in the freezer for a few hours. The resin becomes brittle and peels off.

Some silicone pieces are dishwasher safe. Check with the manufacturer. When in doubt, stick with ISO.

How Often Should You Clean?

The water: change it after every session. Non-negotiable.

Deep clean: weekly if you're a daily user. Every couple weeks for casual use. Monthly at minimum.

You'll know it's time when the water clouds quickly, the taste goes stale, or you're embarrassed to look at it.

Prevention Tips

• Use an ash catcher to trap debris before it reaches your water
• Don't let water sit for days
• A quick rinse after sessions extends time between deep cleans
• Consider filtered water to reduce mineral buildup

A clean bong isn't just about aesthetics. It's about tasting what you're actually smoking. Quality flower deserves clean glass.

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