Can I Clean My Pipe With Rubbing Alcohol?

Your pipe will get clogged after several uses. This will make it challenging to use. Plus, you might experience a difference in the aftertaste. Therefore, you must clean it regularly to avoid any bad experiences.

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Can I clean my pipe with rubbing alcohol? Yes, you can use rubbing alcohol to sanitize your pipe. Rubbing alcohol has always been an effective substance for cleaning almost everything.

Aside from doing a regular and thorough cleaning, you have to know the proper procedures. You will learn more about that by reading this article.

The Importance of Cleaning Your Pipe

Cleaning your pipe is not for its appearance, but mainly for your hygiene and use. If you use your pipe more often, it is likely to get clogged up faster.

When a pipe is clogged, difficulty in smoking and an unpleasant aftertaste will follow.

With patience and some materials in your household, you can clean your pipe. A clean pipe will not only look brand new but will feel brand new.

Aesthetics is a great motivation when cleaning any pipe, especially glass ones. Why would you invest in something you don’t plan to take care of, right? Your pipes are a big part of your investment.

Plus, cleaning is one way to avoid bacteria buildup that can later cause several health issues.

A good grow could be ruined by a dirty pipe. Let’s avoid that! We all know how difficult it is to have healthy growth.

A dirty bong will not only ruin your smoking experience but will also allow certain types of bacteria to grow inside. Tartar and resin buildup will irritate your throat and lead to several health issues.

It’s not worth the risk passing around an uncleaned pipe, thus adding more bacteria to it and increasing your risk of severe health conditions.

How to Clean Your Pipe With Alcohol

Overall, a clean pipe will lead to a fulfilling smoking experience. Learning to clean your pipe properly is as important as cleaning your pipe.

What You Have to Do

1. Remove loose gunk from your pipe.


2. Carefully hold the pipe upside down and slowly tap it to remove the remaining particles.


3. You can use a pipe cleaner, mechanical pencil, cotton swab, or any similar thing to remove resin residue.


4. Be extra careful when cleaning your pipe so that you don’t crack or break it.


5. Get a plastic zip bag and fill it with rubbing alcohol. It would be better if you used 90% isopropyl, as this will help you clean the pipe faster.


6. Slowly put the pipe inside. Ensure that the pipe is completely submerged in the alcohol.

Resin not only looks and smells horrible, but contains tar, which includes carbon and carcinogens. If you continue to burn these substances, it will negatively impact your health.

Remember that the longer the resin sits, the stronger the buildup will be and the harder it will be to remove. Once the resin sits strongly in the pipe, it will take 10x of your normal effort to eliminate it.

A regularly cleaned pipe will allow you to use milder substances as alternatives to keep the pipe clear during pot sessions.

Some people suggest avoiding isopropyl alcohol because it is toxic when ingested.

Yet it is safe to use to clean glass pipes. Just rinse it thoroughly afterward with warm water. This will remove any alcohol leftover from the cleaning process.

Here is another way to clean your pipe that requires less alcohol:

1. Get a bag and add 1 tbsp of salt. The salt will be the abrasive sponge on your pipe. It will scrub away the resin in places you cannot reach with a handheld tool. Try using rock salt for better cleansing. However, iodine-free tablet salt is still the best!


2. Gently shake the pipe inside the bag. This will ensure that the salt works its way into the pipe. If you can, get the salt inside the pipe and brush it with your fingers. Close off the openings. Shaking it for at least 2 minutes will remove resin from the pipe.


3. Splash the pipe with isopropyl and let the pipe soak for a couple of hours. Repeat these steps in the morning if your pipe is full of dirt and debris. You can also add a bit of isopropyl and let the pipe sit in it.


4. You may notice some salt is dissolving. Add more until you see that the is pipe squeaky clean.


5. After several hours, shake the pipe again.


6. Rinse the pipe with hot water.


7. Remove all the fluid from the pipe with hot water and dispose of the rest down the toilet.

If this did not do the trick, let the pipe soak for another 2 hours before getting another concentrated cleaning solution.

After following all the steps, clean out the remaining spots with cotton swabs or a pipe cleaner.

Look for small spots and wipe them off. Dip the end of your tool into clean alcohol to remove stains.

Soak the pipe for at least 15 minutes to remove watermarks and non-resin stains. For excellent results, mix it with warm water and lemon juice.

For lighter cleaning, you can use a warm water and salt solution as a substitute for alcohol.

Keep Your Pipe Clean

1. Empty the water inside your bong or pipe after every use.


2. Draining the water between uses is important because the used water can smell pretty bad and allow bacteria growth.


3. Once you’ve drained the water pipe, bong, or bubbler, refill it with clean and fresh water. This will keep your pipe from smelling.

Other things you can do are:

• Rinse thoroughly with warm water every 1-2 uses – Rinsing your pipe with warm water after a few uses will keep it clean.


• Use pipe cleaners if you’re going to scrape resin off the pipe – If you’re doing a deep clean on an old pipe and you notice that soaking wasn’t enough, you can use pipe cleaners. These are made to clean moisture and dirt from smoking implements while avoiding dents, breaks, and chips.

Conclusion

Do not wait weeks before cleaning your pipes. Your pipe will be much easier to clean if you make a regular habit of doing a quick cleaning after a few uses.

The regular habit of cleaning your pipe will take less effort than cleaning after a few months. Although alcohol can clean your pipe, it won’t scrub off heavy tar buildup.