Glass pieces have evolved into an art form of their own as the cannabis industry continues to grow. Here are 3 super easy ways to keep your glass pieces in pristine condition and always ready for a sesh.
- Hot Water
If you don’t have a lot of resources and your piece isn’t caked in resin, hot water can be a super easy and accessible way to clean up your pipe, bowl, bong, or bubbler. This also works great if you are short on time or just want to quickly clear things up before a smoke sesh.
All you need to do is get your sink running until the water is scalding hot and let the water run through the mouthpiece and carb. You’ll notice right away that the smaller bits of resin stream out with the water. The water coming out of the piece itself will be yellow-ish to black. This all depends on the magnitude of use your piece sees and the length of time between cleanings.
Make sure to shake the hot water inside of the piece as well, covering the carb and mouthpiece with your fingers to contain the water inside. Doing this will give the inner glass a speedy clean. After about 5 minutes of running hot water throughout your piece, you’ll be able to effortlessly wipe out the inside of the bowl with a paper towel.
- Rubbing Alcohol + Hot Water
Rubbing alcohol cuts through resin like dish detergent through grease! I’m guilty of only cleaning my bowls every other month or so. This is a surefire way to clean your glass pieces thoroughly, no matter how dirty they are! I use this method when I don’t care about saving or harvesting the resin for later use. It’s perfect for when you want an easy way to clean and sanitize your bowl, but don’t plan to use it right away.
The way I do this is by covering the carb and filling the piece with rubbing alcohol. For bubblers, fill the bowl until rubbing alcohol is brimming to the top. For bowls, stream the rubbing alcohol through the mouthpiece. For bongs, pour directly into the base, filling 1/3 of the way up. I make sure not to let it overfill too much because you need to be able to cover any holes in your chosen smoking device to shake up the rubbing alcohol.
Once everything is shaken up, pour the liquid contents out and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Wipe any stubborn patches out with a paper towel. Allow your piece to air dry for at least 30 minutes to an hour before using. You’ll be left with the cleanest piece ever like you just bought it.
- Lemon + Rubbing Alcohol + Hot Water + Misc.
This method works great if you have a lot of time and any combination of these tools to clean your glass. It’ll require a bit of elbow grease but is otherwise foolproof!
For this method, you need:
- A container with lid (skip this if cleaning a bong & use the sink)
- ½ cup rubbing alcohol
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- Hot water
- Paper towels
- Pipe cleaners (optional)
- Bobby pins (optional)
In your container, mix 1/3 cup of lemon juice, with ½ cup of rubbing alcohol. Boil water and add to container. Put your glass into this container and cover with lid. Let sit for 2 minutes. Shake contents for 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with hot water and use pipe cleaners to thoroughly scrub the inner walls. Wipe down bowl, carb, and mouthpiece with a paper towel. You can use bobby pins to get into hard to reach places and scrape out any possible remaining resin.
Your results are a sparkling clean and fresh smelling piece. Let it dry for at least an hour before using. This is hands down the best method if you have enough time to diligently clean your piece. It’s also the most involved but yields great results. Let me know which method works best for you!