Best Ways to Clean Your Bong
Who doesn't like a nice bong rip or maybe a delightful little pipe toke? How do you make sure each hit is as enjoyable as the last? I, for one, have a very intimate relationship with my smokeware and like to keep it looking and functioning as clean as possible. The secret to clean smokeware is a good cleaner, and there are so many options out there, sometimes it's overwhelming to choose, so I'm here to recommend a few of my favourites around the shop.
First and foremost, it will depend on what your cleaning, pipes and bongs or flower pieces in general produce resin of a similar quality that certainly can solidify in a piece and be a bit of a pain to get outta there. If you use concentrates, you're in luck, as generally we find that the resin or reclaim, as some call it, that gathers from this is a little easier to get rid of, comparatively speaking, and doesn't require as much cleaner or as potent a product.
This product works like magic! I personally use this every day, and I love it. It's distinctly designed for a heated application and for use on carbon buildup or “chazzed” accessories, specifically, such as a quartz banger. I use dark crystal in my banger after every dab. Simply apply a drop and use a Q-tip to wipe it around the banger and whip any residue away. For more stubborn buildups, you can microwave or heat a small vessel of dark crystal, then place your piece inside it to dissolve the buildup directly. Another application I enjoy is just a drop or two into your piece's water chamber to prevent buildup and make cleaning a breeze. If you see bubbles in the water, you've likely added too much, but fear not, as dark crystal is all natural and safe to consume. You can keep the reclaim that forms in your rig by pouring your water (with the added dark crystal) over a filter.
Check out Dark Crystal Cleaner in action with this video.
Purple Power has been a long-time staff and customer favourite mainly because of its widely variable product lineup to fit every need. The original formula, which is their basic soaker variant, the instant formula is a highly concentrated variety used to effectively remove resin faster than the original due to the product's potency and recommended shaking motion, which can still be utilized in the original version. On top of that, they have a 710 solution available, which is a little less aggressive than the other variants and can be reused a few times before disposal is necessary. Additionally, there is no grit included in order to offer more penetrative effects to your more complex pieces; however, if the buildup requires it, you may introduce some salt to the mix to boost the effectiveness further.
These aren't exactly a cleaner themselves, but paired with any of the other products on this list, Scrubber Duckys will help keep those gadgets in the tip-top working order they should be. Scrubber Duckies are all-natural and made from anti-scratch material. They are easy to use, magnetic cleaning devices specially made for those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of your favourite glass or ceramic pieces. Simply drop your chosen scrubber into your piece and use the magnetic handle to scrub the inside of your piece! Watch the ducky do back flips by reversing the outer magnetic handle!
New and improved Scrubber Ducky consists of the following advancements over the older versions and competitors. Scrubber Duckys kit includes 2 magnetic ducky scrubbers, 2 magnetic duck egg scrubbers and 1 magnetic heavy-duty silicone-coated micro egg scrubber and a magnetic outer handle to adapt to any piece that needs cleaning.
Definitely the all-time classic and go-to cleaner. With a comparatively less offensive smell, it’s easy to use, offers immediate results with no scrubbing or long soaking, thanks to the added abrasive salts. Easily rinsible, quickly evaporating isopropyl alcohol solution leaving no aftertaste or residual smell. Safe for use on almost any utensil that needs cleaning, including metal, glass, ceramic and hookahs. Many people trust Orange Chronic exclusively to clean their pieces, which has helped solidify it as a long-time industry standard, and it continues to maintain that status.
Personal staff favourite here at Shell Shock, as well as being the official glass cleaner of Illadelph glass, we all use this religiously, as we truly believe it works like no other. With the acetone solution instead of the more common isopropyl solution and its abrasive salts, it eats through resin buildup exponentially faster than competitors. Another benefit is its rather cost-effective, and its chemical potency means a little will go a long way, and it works in all of your glass, metal, and ceramic utensils.
Pipe cleaners and brushes make a great companion for any cleaner. Sometimes there’s just a little bit of resin left in those hard-to-reach spots, like right under the bowl. Shell Shock has a great assortment of pipe cleaners and brushes to help.
Stop by any of our three locations to get your smokeware looking just as it looked the day you bought it!