How to keep your pieces as perfect?
I’m sure we all remember the days when we all owned one single cheap ugly glass bong that was used constantly and never cleaned. To the point that the once clear bong was a dirty musty brown color and you couldn’t even see through the water.
A lot has changed about smoking since those days, and thank the Herb Gods this is one of them. Since the rise in popularity of buying unique locally blown rigs, pipes and bongs; a new challenge arose with it. How do we safely care for these special pieces?
Not to worry! As I have provided you wth a step-by-step guide for beginners on how to keep your glass looking as beautiful as the day you made your purchase.
Items you will need :
• Dishrag (preferably an older one you no longer use or or are planning on using it for this purpose in the future)
• A cleaning solution safe for the environment and your pipes - there’s a lot of options for cleaners nowadays, some being orange chronic and purple power. Personally my favorite is Quartzsaver as it is actually safe enough to keep a few drops in your water between cleanings. (I know! Amazing right?!)
• A few different sizes and types of resealable containers (Ziplock bags and Knockoff Tupperware is usually my go to.)
• A pipecleaner
The first mistake most beginners make is waiting until your piece is already super dirty before cleaning it. This will only create more work as well as frustration for you. However if you are already at that point - not to worry!
If you are at this stage there’s a few things you can do to ahead of time to make your cleaning process a bit less painful. The first step to making things easier will be allowing your pieces soak overnight.
Start by separating all of your pieces. Depending on what you are cleaning this can include a regular pipe, bubbler, bowl, down pipe, ash catcher, quartz banger etc. If it’s been a while since a cleaning you may find it a bit of struggle separating your pieces, the safest way to do this is to to run the pieces under lukewarm water slowly raising the temperature until it’s nice and warm to avoid breakage. Use a rag to protect your hands from the heat while gently pulling and voila! The piece will come right out.
The next step you want to take is to fill your containers with your favourite cleaning solution. Heat the solution up prior to use for best results. Place a piece in each one (make sure to fully submerge your pieces) and then leave them over night to soak.
Once you’ve let them soak all night it’s time to get to work! You should see that just by just swishing them around in the sealed container that most solutions will do the majority of the work for you. After swishing each container around a few times you can begin to remove each piece one at a time.
As you remove each piece run it under warm water and watch the transformation! Your glass will go from slimey and gritty to clear, shiny and beautiful again in no time at all! If you have any stubborn spots that don’t come off with a quick rinse, which you likely will if it’s been a while since you have cleaned, dip your pipe cleaner in the cleaning solution and give it a gentle rub and watch it disappear!
The good news is that once you do a deep clean you will likely not have to do it very often. As a preventive measure keep a few drops of solution in your water while you smoke to keep your water clean between rinses. For this step you want to make sure you are using a chemical free and safe solution such as Quartzsaver. As for regular maintenance you can just rinse your piece a couple of times a week (depending on how much you use you get out of it of course) with your cleaning solution and warm water and it will stay looking brand new! The cleaning solution should also be used along with Quartsaver tips to clean off your quartz banger after every use to keep it looking brand new and every hit tasting great!
A lot has changed about smoking since those days, and thank the Herb Gods this is one of them. Since the rise in popularity of buying unique locally blown rigs, pipes and bongs; a new challenge arose with it. How do we safely care for these special pieces?
Not to worry! As I have provided you wth a step-by-step guide for beginners on how to keep your glass looking as beautiful as the day you made your purchase.
Items you will need :
• Dishrag (preferably an older one you no longer use or or are planning on using it for this purpose in the future)
• A cleaning solution safe for the environment and your pipes - there’s a lot of options for cleaners nowadays, some being orange chronic and purple power. Personally my favorite is Quartzsaver as it is actually safe enough to keep a few drops in your water between cleanings. (I know! Amazing right?!)
• A few different sizes and types of resealable containers (Ziplock bags and Knockoff Tupperware is usually my go to.)
• A pipecleaner
The first mistake most beginners make is waiting until your piece is already super dirty before cleaning it. This will only create more work as well as frustration for you. However if you are already at that point - not to worry!
If you are at this stage there’s a few things you can do to ahead of time to make your cleaning process a bit less painful. The first step to making things easier will be allowing your pieces soak overnight.
Start by separating all of your pieces. Depending on what you are cleaning this can include a regular pipe, bubbler, bowl, down pipe, ash catcher, quartz banger etc. If it’s been a while since a cleaning you may find it a bit of struggle separating your pieces, the safest way to do this is to to run the pieces under lukewarm water slowly raising the temperature until it’s nice and warm to avoid breakage. Use a rag to protect your hands from the heat while gently pulling and voila! The piece will come right out.
The next step you want to take is to fill your containers with your favourite cleaning solution. Heat the solution up prior to use for best results. Place a piece in each one (make sure to fully submerge your pieces) and then leave them over night to soak.
Once you’ve let them soak all night it’s time to get to work! You should see that just by just swishing them around in the sealed container that most solutions will do the majority of the work for you. After swishing each container around a few times you can begin to remove each piece one at a time.
As you remove each piece run it under warm water and watch the transformation! Your glass will go from slimey and gritty to clear, shiny and beautiful again in no time at all! If you have any stubborn spots that don’t come off with a quick rinse, which you likely will if it’s been a while since you have cleaned, dip your pipe cleaner in the cleaning solution and give it a gentle rub and watch it disappear!
The good news is that once you do a deep clean you will likely not have to do it very often. As a preventive measure keep a few drops of solution in your water while you smoke to keep your water clean between rinses. For this step you want to make sure you are using a chemical free and safe solution such as Quartzsaver. As for regular maintenance you can just rinse your piece a couple of times a week (depending on how much you use you get out of it of course) with your cleaning solution and warm water and it will stay looking brand new! The cleaning solution should also be used along with Quartsaver tips to clean off your quartz banger after every use to keep it looking brand new and every hit tasting great!