Did you know that the average bong has 50% more bacteria on it than a public restroom toilet seat? It also has 62% more bacteria than a shopping cart handle and 92% more than the keypad on an ATM.
Those absurdly high numbers should make you think twice before taking a puff off a water pipe while chilling with friends, or even off your personal bong at home.
What causes a bong to get dirty, why does it matter, and how the heck do you get that nasty stuff out of there?
Find out everything you need to know, including two stupid simple methods for cleaning a bong below.
What Causes a Bong to Get Dirty?
Habitual cannabis smokers often claim that smoking with a bong helps make the experience cleaner than smoking with a straight pipe. Let’s consider the process behind smoking cannabis to see if this could be true.
Combusting Cannabis
Smokers burn cannabis to activate the chemicals inside and feel their effects. The combustion process releases smoke filled with these chemicals. That includes all the positive things users want from cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) to terpenes like limonene and myrcene.
The smoke also contains unwanted things such as tar, hot smoke, and ash (fine bits of particulates). Tar from combusting cannabis contains many of the same unhealthy chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Using a Bong
A bong uses water and, sometimes, percolators to supposedly filter the combusted cannabis smoke to make it cleaner. The user lights the dry herb or uses a dab rig (like this product) and pulls the combusted smoke through the bong water and into their lungs.
The water cools the smoke immediately and makes the toke smoother. It also filters out some of the ash and tar that would otherwise enter your mouth and lungs.
The fact the water starts to turn a gross brown color after a few smoke sessions demonstrates this. So does the colored, filmy build-up that collects on the inside walls outside of the water later.
Does a Bong Effectively Filter the Smoke?
There’s debate among researchers whether a bong effectively filters cannabis smoke to remove the harmful parts. Some researchers believe it filters more of the terpenes and cannabinoids while others believe their lack of water solubility makes that impossible.
Some studies conducted in the 1990s even showed that unfiltered joints produced 30% less tar than a bong. However, that could have been due to the low-quality cannabis provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
This conflicted with another study from the same time period that used data from the 1960s and 1970s to conclude that bongs do effectively remove toxins.
Vaporizer vs Bongs
The conflicting results about whether bongs filter the smoke of harmful chemicals still have not been fully resolved. During the process, researchers found vaporizers produced fewer toxins with a more powerful effect.
Research has since faded away from investigating the effects of a water pipe to focus on vaporizers as a healthier method of smoking.
Why Does a Bong Need Cleaning?
Chances are you’ve spent a decent amount of money on your marijuana. You want it to taste good when you smoke it and take advantage of its helpful benefits.
Smoking out of a dirty bong negates all of these things. The icky bits in the bong water make your hits taste gross rather than clean and clear.
Those particulates that filter from the smoke into the water create an environment that breeds bacteria and fungus. The fungus and bacteria can aggravate your allergies and cause serious health issues if you inhale them.
How to Know When to Clean a Bong
Have you noticed the water in your bong changing from clean and clear to dirty and brown? That’s a pretty good sign you need to at least change the bong water.
But when do you need to do a deep clean of the entire water pipe? Here are 4 clear signs your bong needs cleaning.
Stinky Water
It’s one thing if you notice your bong water turning brown during a smoke session. It’s a whole other thing if you notice it start to turn brown and stink after leaving the water unchanged for a few days.
The bong water does filter out some of the smoke particulates and tar. You only need to smoke a bowl or two for the bits to mix in with the water and start making it gross.
Also, the water starts to smell when bacteria develop in it. Nasty!
A Film of Slime
Have you ever left your bong to sit for a really long time after using it? Maybe you went on vacation and came back to find it shoved in the closet. The first thing you probably notice is a thick film of discolored slime across the top of the water.
The slimy film is full of bacteria and fungi. Yes, actual fungus. Both the bacteria and fungus can cause major issues if inhaled.
Black and White Spots
It’s not only the water you need to watch for cleanliness. The inside surfaces of your water pipe outside the waterline also collect particles from the smoke passing over them.
Do you see specks of black, white, or grey staining the clear or colored glass/plastic of your bong? Those bits of ash and tar form into chunks and stick to your piece.
These black and white dots can accidentally fall off while you inhale the smoke and enter your lungs. Not only does that defeat the purpose of the bong filtering the smoke, but it’s also painful and icky.
Build-Up of Resin
Anyone who smokes through a pipe knows the struggle of fighting resin buildup. It collects in the tiniest nooks and crannies making it difficult to clean. And you want to clean it!
Resin greatly impacts the smell and taste of marijuana and can mess up your whole smoking experience by ruining both. The more it builds up, the more it affects the taste.
Not only that but if you leave resin too long, it will stick to your glass pipe or bong FOREVER.
Seriously. You’ll never be able to get remove it and you’ll have to throw away your piece. No one wants that.
How Often to Clean a Water Pipe
Cleaning a bong does not take a lot of time and effort if you do it regularly. You can use the above signs to know when to clean, but it’s better not to rely on visuals alone.
How often you need to clean a bubbler or a bong depends on how often you smoke.
Light Tokers
Only use your bong for the occasional hit on the weekend or a special occasion? You need to clean your bong every time after you use it.
Since casual smokers take a longer time between sessions than frequent smokers, it gives bacteria and fungus more opportunity to grow.
It doesn’t matter if you only smoke a bowl. As soon as you introduce the particulates into the water, it encourages bacteria to grow.
Habitual Cannabis Users
Are you a habitual cannabis user who smokes from the bong at least one time per day?
You actually need to clean your water pipe less than someone who smokes casually. Aim to at least clean your bong water, if not your whole piece, once every two days.
The fact you heat and disturb the water through regular use helps slow the growth of fungus and bacteria.
Come up with a schedule that makes it easy to remember to clean your bong. You could clean it on Friday night before the weekend. That way you can have a nice, clean wake-and-bake session on Saturday morning.
Then, clean it again on Sunday night so you can take a clean hit after getting home from work on Monday. Smoke until Wednesday night and then clean it again. Wash, rinse, repeat!
Two Stupid Simple Methods for Cleaning a Bong
Cleaning a bong takes a little time, especially if you haven’t cleaned it in a hot minute. The best way to make bong cleaning easy is to do it regularly.
Here are two reliable methods for cleaning a bong, even if it’s been a few days, weeks, or months since you last cleaned it.
Prepping the Bong for Cleaning
You need to prep the water pipe for cleaning before using either method.
First, dump out the dirty bong water. (We all know it needed to be said.) Next, remove the bowl and the stem from their cradle on the bong.
Separate the bowl and stem if in two pieces. Remove any other loose or removable pieces from the pipe and set them somewhere safe in a Ziploc baggie or small container.
The Alcohol and Salt Method
Fans of DIY projects and saving money will probably want to try the alcohol and salt method for cleaning a bong. Once you’ve prepped the bong, rinse the whole piece with very hot water.
Cleaning with Hot Water
Use rubber dish gloves so you can turn the water up as high as it goes. The hot water will loosen ash, resin, and other buildup on the inside of the pipe. It also dissolves some of the gunk binding the buildup to the walls of the bong.
Try to aim the flow of water through the bong so the particles pass through a hole big enough for them to fit through. This prevents them from getting stuck and making it more difficult to clean.
Dealing with the Removable Pieces
Take the time to rinse the removable pieces too. Then, place each piece in its own baggie or container. It’s important you separate them and not try to clean them at the same time.
In each container or baggie, pour between ¼ cup and ½ cup rubbing alcohol and 1-2 tablespoons salt. Use less of both for smaller pieces and more for larger ones.
Next, shake the containers or baggies for up to 5 minutes. If there are still bits stuck to the pieces, dump the dirty mix and put more in. Leave it all to sit for 10-15 minutes and then shake it up again.
Rinse the pieces with hot water and repeat if needed. Otherwise, leave them to dry.
Put Salt Inside the Water Pipe
Pour 2-3 tablespoons into your bong. You can use 5 tablespoons or more for a large piece.
You need to make sure you put in enough salt that it will not all dissolve once you add the alcohol.
Add Alcohol and Plug the Bong
Pour in ½ cup to 1 cup or more of isopropyl/rubbing alcohol.
Plug all of the holes in the bong with a dish towel or with plastic wrap and rubber bands. (You can try to use your hands, but then your hands will stink like bong water for a few hours.)
Don’t forget to cover the carburetor as well!
Shake It All Up
Shake the whole bong as you did with the small pieces in the baggies. You want the salt and alcohol to get into every tiny nook and cranny in the water pipe.
Shake it all up for at least five minutes but go longer if you can. Take a break in between if you need to.
Rinse and Repeat
Rinse out the bong with very hot water again. If you notice any stubborn bits, you can use a pipe cleaner or Q-tip dipped in alcohol to scrub.
Still not very clean? Repeat the process again and again until it’s a happy, clean bong.
The 420 Method
The second method for cleaning a dirty water pipe involves a product called Formula 420. Habitual cannabis smokers likely already own a bottle or two of this miracle mix that makes cleaning all of your smoking instruments super easy.
You perform the same steps as above but use Formula 420 in place of the salt and alcohol.
Keep it Clean During Your Next Smoke Session
Now you know the importance of cleaning a bong and how to do it the right way. Remember to clean your bong often so you can enjoy better tasting, healthier smoke sessions.
If you found these tips useful, be sure to check out some of our other articles before you go.
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