How to Clean a Cannabis Grinder

Taking care of your grinder is an essential part of enjoying your cannabis—and it’s easy. In this guide, we’ll tell you the tools you need and give you step-by-step instructions to make sure your grinder looks polished and pristine.

• Why Clean Your Grinder?
• What Do You Need to Clean Your Grinder?
• How to Clean a Grinder [5 Steps]
• FAQs About Cleaning a Grinder
  

Most cannabis consumers know that cleaning your grinder should be routine when you smoke—but aside from just cleanliness, some don’t know why you should keep your grinder clean. Here are our top three reasons to clean your grinder:

1. A clean grinder is key to preserving the flavors of your marijuana flower because you aren’t risking some of those old pieces of residue ending up in your pipe’s bowl or a freshly rolled joint.  
    
2. Cleaning ensures that your grinder is performing at its best. If the teeth of your grinder are gunked up with old product, they won’t cut your fresh marijuana down well. 
    
3. Old plant material can grow things like mold and bacteria—two things you don’t want to be inhaling when you consume marijuana. A clean grinder is a safe grinder. 
   
   

While you can find the cannabis you need on our product menus, the tools you need to clean your grinder are likely found around your house. 

• Isopropyl alcohol (90% concentration or higher)
• A plastic bag or container
• Toothbrush or pipe cleaner
• Hand towel

Once you have these items, you’re ready to start cleaning your grinder.

Cleaning a marijuana grinder is easy once you’ve gathered the right tools. Just follow these steps.

Depending on what type of grinder you have, disassembling it can be as easy as popping the lid off or as complicated as detaching storage chambers and kief catchers (which really isn’t complicated at all). No matter how many pieces your grinder has, you want to pull them apart so that you can clean each one individually.

Once you have it disassembled, clear out the bits of plant matter that are loose inside the grinder. Of course, if you have kief in your grinder, you can also put it in a small container and store it in an area of your home away from heat and light until you’re ready to use it. Once you’ve gotten all the pieces of your grinder separated, it’s time to move to the next step.

If you clean your grinder regularly with soap and water, you may be able to skip this step. If you go a little longer than you should between cleanings, or you need to do your monthly deep clean, we recommend soaking your grinder in isopropyl alcohol. This will soften the resin and other stuck-on pieces of debris, so it can be easily removed. To soak your grinder, fill your container with enough isopropyl alcohol to submerge your grinder. Then, set your grinder in it and wait 20-30 minutes.

Once you’ve given your grinder a good soak, it’s time for a scrub. You can do this with a paper towel, a wash cloth, pipe cleaner, or our personal favorite, a cheap toothbrush. First, using dish soap and warm water, wash your grinder. If you still have some stubborn spots of cannabis debris after you wash and rinse your grinder, grab your toothbrush and get in all the nooks and crannies. 

Once you’ve got it sparkling clean, give your grinder a wipe down with a clean towel. Then, let it air dry to ensure all moisture has evaporated before using it again.

There are a lot of different ways to clean a grinder that cannabis enthusiasts swear by, so it’s no surprise we get a lot of questions about the process—like these:

Should I put my grinder in the freezer before cleaning?

No, it’s not really worth the time. When you put your grinder in the freezer, it makes the build up more brittle. Some cannabis enthusiasts then insist that this makes it easier to knock off the inside of your grinder. The problem is that your natural body heat from the hand holding your grinder is going to warm it up fast, negating the time you spent waiting for it to freeze in the first place.¹

Soaking it in isopropyl alcohol is really a much more efficient way of cleaning.

Can I boil my marijuana grinder to clean it?

Yes. Many cannabis enthusiasts use this method once a week to ensure their grinder stays relatively clean. Just remember these two things:

1. You're still going to want to give it a deep clean at least once a month with the methods listed above, and 

2. Be sure your grinder can be boiled. You don’t want to boil wood or plastic grinders.

How often should I wash my grinder?

If you’re not a regular consumer of marijuana, you may not need to clean it very often. If you consume throughout the week, you may want to deep clean your grinder twice a month or even once a week.

Cleaning Your Cannabis Grinder

Knowing how to clean a marijuana grinder is an important part of ensuring you have the best experience during your smoke sessions. If you’re interested in picking up a grinder for your next session, head to your local dispensary. Our cannabis experts can help you find the right grinder, and they can even show you how to disassemble it for easy cleaning.