How to clean a glass bong with alcohol

How to clean a glass bong with alcohol (step by step)

TLDR: Set aside all movable slides and accessories (like the bowl, downstem, or ash catcher). Pour isopropyl alcohol into the standalone piece and add some coarse salt to break up the resin. Shake your piece for about five-ten minutes or less if you see that it’s clean, then rinse with water a few times. Repeat if necessary. Use this process for the separated pieces.       

Besides the fragility, the hardest part of cleaning a glass piece is dealing with the resin. It’s no secret that resin (the tarlike, dark-brown substance that builds up on the inside of pieces over time after using them) is smelly, tough to get off your hands and glass, gnarly to get in your mouth, and overall just a huge pain to deal with when all you’re trying to do is relax. 

So here are a few helpful tips designed to make the cleaning process less painful and get you back to chilling in no time.

How to clean a glass bong 

Step 1 Identify the size of the job

If you have a smaller piece, you can place it in a plastic bag for quick and easy cleaning. Make sure the bag is sealed and you can even double bag it if you feel like some stuff may slip out. More detail on this on Step #4. 

If you have a larger piece, you will have to use your hands to plug some of the holes most likely unless you have cleaning plugs. What are cleaning plugs? Check some out here. You can also use silicone wine plugs like this if you already have those or can’t find some that are made specifically for cleaning glass. Some stores carry glass plugs, but we don’t recommend those as they inherently leak which… is the whole point!

Step 2 Choose what kind of alcohol to clean your glass bong with

Isopropyl alcohol, more commonly known as rubbing alcohol, is the ONLY way to go here. You cannot use old handles of liquor or spirits. Isopropyl alcohol comes in a range of strengths including 50%, 70%, 91%, 99%, and even 100%. The higher the level of alcohol, the easier it is to clean. However, if you’re sensitive to the smell of alcohol try and go with a lower level or check out some of the wintergreen varieties. These wintergreen varieties smell minty and do a pretty good job of masking the harsh alcohol smell - making it seem more like Listerine. 

Step 3 Choose a type of salt

Once you decide on a type of alcohol, move onto salt varieties. You can go with your standard table salt but if you have a particular heavy duty job coarse salt or rock salt is the way to go. Himalayan pink salt is the best if you can afford it. But classic table salt is good too! No salt in the kitchen? Use some Epsom salt if you have it. Epsom salt is the type of salt that you soak with to soothe aches and pains. Make sure it’s unscented for safety. 

Step 4 Separate the removable parts

Set aside the smaller pieces and put them inside a container of some sort filled with alcohol. If you have time, you can let them soak overnight or put them in a ziploc bag and shake them clean that way. See more on this in Step 5.

Step 5 Combine your ingredients

If you are using a ziploc, then you need to put the piece inside the ziploc first. Then pour the alcohol. Then pour a good amount of salt. Make sure you don’t overfill the ziploc. It should be below the brim as seen below in the image. It’s also a good idea to double bag the ziploc if you can/have the supplies. If you can’t double bag it, then just make sure you are shaking it 1) outside if you can 2) over a sink 3) over a bathtub 4) over a large towel or 5) around objects that can be easily cleaned. 

If you aren’t using a ziploc, then just make sure you are plugging up the holes with your hands and shaking it 1) outside if you can 2) over a sink 3) over a bathtub 4) over a large towel or 5) around objects that can be easily cleaned. 

Shake until it’s shiny clean again. This may take you several goes with the alcohol and salt mixture. Pouring it all out and starting again etc. You may even need to use a bottle brush like this or an old toothbrush to get out some of the harder, older pieces of resin. Smaller brushes like this are great for hard-to-reach areas or heady details.  

Step 6 Rinse and repeat

Once your piece is clean, rinse out and then rinse again. Yes, you MUST rinse at least twice unless you don’t mind inhaling alcohol fumes. But we don’t recommend it. It’s painful and unhealthy. 

Even if you chose wintergreen on Step 2, you should still rinse generously. 

So do yourself a favor and when in doubt, rinse, rinse, and rinse again, my friend. 

Step 7 Add something to prevent you from doing this process in the near future (optional)

Whew. That was long AF, right? Do yourself a favor and start using one of the following products to save your future self time and trouble. The following products are designed to keep your pieces fresher, longer!

Use RezBlock! What is Rezblock? Rezblock is a concentrated water additive that comes in a small dropper bottle. You drop a few bits of the solution into your water and it turns your whole setup red - so don’t be alarmed. That’s what it’s supposed to do.* 

***Because Rezblock is all natural and non toxic, you will have to replace your water set up every single day. This may be a no-brainer or a habit for some of you. But others don’t change their water for days. No judgment, fam, but if the latter sounds like you, know that RezBlock is NOT for you. Again, if you don’t change your piece water everyday when using RezBlock, IT WILL MOLD.  

Piece Water is just what it sounds like - special water for your piece! It’s 100% natural and non-toxic. You pour the water from the bottles into your piece (you can even refrigerate the bottles beforehand for some extra cooling during your sesh) and then use your piece as you would regularly. The best part? It comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. 

Have a favorite additive that’s not listed here? Reach out to us at info@aleafglass.com and let us know, so we can list it!

Step 8 Enjoy, relax, you deserve it!