We’ve all been there: you see a gorgeous pipe or chillum for sale at a dispensary and decide to get it. You take it home, pack it with your ground marijuana flower, and enjoy—until you see your new favorite pipe start to turn brown and foggy, or worse, take on a little bit of an unpleasant smell. Don’t worry, we’ll help you get your pipe back to looking (and smelling) brand new with this guide by answering these common pipe cleaning questions:

• Why Should You Clean Your Pipe?
• How Do You Clean A Glass Pipe?
• Answering Marijuana Pipe Cleaning FAQs

When we first bring home a pipe, we’re more interested in consuming marijuana with it for the first time than we are about keeping it crystal clean. After a while, there’s an unpleasant flavor or smell, and our once-prized pipe is now a sticky mess. So then what? Do you just throw it out? Of course not, you clean it, and there are good reasons to keep your pipe clean that go beyond the visual and aromatic aesthetics:

• It’s good hygiene. After a few uses, any tool gets dirty. Dirt can collect things like bacteria and mold, which you’re definitely not going to want to inhale. (This is also a good reason not to share a pipe with someone who doesn’t keep theirs clean.)
  
  
• Residue can be dangerous. If you’ve got a lot of gunk in your pipe, and you put a flame to it, you could create a fire within your pipe and burn yourself or worse.
  
  
• It tastes better. The buildup from different strains of flower over time can impact the taste of your cannabis. Cleaning your pipe will allow you to experience the fullness of the strain you’re currently smoking.
  
  

Fortunately, even for the most unmotivated of us, there are ways to make cleaning fast and easy, so you can get back to enjoying your favorite strain.

Do you prefer to use a water pipe? We can teach you how to clean your water pipe too.

Most of the time, when you head into a dispensary, you’re there to buy marijuana—not cleaning supplies—but we’re here to tell you that there are countless products on the market that will help you clean everything from your glass pipe to your water pipe, vaporizer, etc. Some cannabis enthusiasts swear by these cleaning products, but you don’t actually need them. In fact, there’s a good chance you have everything you need to clean your pipe right at home.

What You’ll Need:

• Pipe cleaners
• Cotton swabs if you don’t have a pipe cleaner
• Alcohol
• Sealable plastic bag or just a regular plastic bowl
• Coarse salt
• Dish soap

Flip your pipe and give it a few taps to knock any loose debris out of it. You can also blow into the pipe to clear it. Then, push your pipe cleaner or cotton swap through the pipe to get any remaining pieces out. Set your pipe down and grab your plastic bag. Add enough alcohol to submerge your pipe and then toss in a few spoonfuls of coarse salt.

Carefully place your pipe into the mixture and seal it up. Then, give it a shake so that the alcohol can start to soften any resin and the salt can knock it free.

Now, go watch a few episodes of your favorite Netflix show and let your pipe soak in that mixture. The longer it soaks, the more likely your pipe is to come out clean (especially if you haven’t cleaned it in a while). If your pipe is made from glass, ceramic, or metal, you can even soak it overnight.

When you’re ready to get back to your pipe, fill the bowl with hot water and add a squirt of dish soap. Now, take your pipe out of the bag mixture (you can discard that), and place it into the bowl to rinse it. The last thing you want is any isopropyl or grain alcohol left inside of your pipe. This is also a good time to check your pipe for any remaining resin. If you see some, take a clean pipe cleaner or swab and just clean it out of your pipe. Once your pipe is clean, rinse it with warm water.

Let your pipe air dry. The next time you’re ready to consume marijuana, your pipe will be clean and ready to go.

This basic cleaning method can also use vinegar and baking soda (or just vinegar) if you don’t have any cleaning alcohol in your house. Just mix the vinegar with water and do a thorough job of rinsing it or your marijuana may taste pickled. 

We may think pipe cleaning is easy but that doesn’t mean we don’t get questions about it. Here’s just a few of our frequently asked questions:

Can I clean a glass pipe without alcohol?
Yes, you can. In lieu of off-the-shelf products, some people choose to use vinegar and baking soda or just a plain vinegar/water mixture to soak and clean their pipe.

How often should you clean your pipe?
If you store your marijuana properly, in pristine conditions, it can last anywhere from six months to a full year. After that, its THC levels start dropping—16% in one year, 26% in two, 34% in three, and 41% in four, and so on.

Can I use dish soap to clean my pipe?
Yes. Dish soap and water will help you rinse any alcohol or vinegar from your pipe. Just make sure you rinse your pipe with water afterward so there is no soapy residue.

If you have questions about storing marijuana flower, or you want to purchase high-quality marijuana flower for yourself, visit one of your local dispensaries. You can talk to cannabis experts who can help you find the perfect product for you.