Dish soap can be used to clean a water pipe in a pinch. However it will take longer than other methods. We would still consider an exfoliant such as course rock salt to be a necessity when cleaning a water pipe with dish soap.
To properly clean a pipe, you need the right materials. You can start with rubbing alcohol, a little plastic bag that seals closed, paper clips, dish soap, and table salt. Any Epsom salt will do for the exercise. Store these on hand somewhere you can get to them to make cleaning a breeze.
You can use regular dish soap and a pipe cleaner in the downstem, and a good sponge for the bowl. If you have resin stuck to the bowl, let it soak in soapy water or alcohol for a few minutes to loosen the debris. After everything is scrubbed or washed, rinse it with water and let it air dry.
There are many ways to combine coarse salt, Epson salt, vinegar and dish soap. Often, Dawn is used as the most effective soap. Once the alcohol has loosened up all the nasty stuff, you can add sea salt into the base and swirl it around to knock off all the particles.
Put your glass pipe in a resealable plastic bag with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or distilled white vinegar so it's completely submerged. Add coarse salt or baking soda to the bag to help scrub hard-to-reach places inside your pipe. Shake the bag for 2–3 minutes to quickly clean out your pipe.
Drop 2 or 3 denture tablets into the pipe.
Once the pipe is inside a container, place the tablets on the gunk left over from smoking. These tablets can also be substituted out for homemade cleaners such as salt and water, salt and vinegar, or baking soda and vinegar.
Rubbing Alcohol and Salt Bong Cleaner
If you didn't know, most bong cleaning liquids are just a combination of alcohol, salt, and a few other chemicals. The solution to most bong cleaning jobs is a simple bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol and a few tablespoons of salt!
Smoking devices with a lot of resin buildup are easily restored with a common household recipe widely considered the best glass bong cleaner and cheapest cleaner – vinegar and baking soda. Just fill the bong's chamber with vinegar (to the same level you would with water) and add a few teaspoons of baking soda.
If your pipe is really dirty, you can also try letting it sit for an hour or so, then empty out the dirty alcohol and fill the bag or container with clean alcohol and more salt. Shake the mixture around again, then let the pipe sit overnight.
Effective and inexpensive, isopropyl alcohol pairs perfectly with rock salt to remove both resin and ash from the inside and outside of your pipe. Plus, isopropyl alcohol thoroughly sanitizes the pipe in the process.
This can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on the environment. In a confined space, a bong can quickly produce an overwhelming smell that can linger for hours. On the other hand, in an open space, the smell can dissipate quickly and not be as noticeable.
Isopropyl Alcohol Solution
Some smokers prefer to clean their glass with isopropyl alcohol, which is often paired with salt. This is a faster option than using vinegar and baking soda, but it is slightly harsher and must be handled with care.
Most bong owners use isopropyl alcohol to remove ashy gunk and resin build-up. However, rubbing alcohol contains strong chemicals that can eat away at plastic or acrylic materials. After a few uses of rubbing alcohol to clean your plastic bong, the plastic may begin to crack or break.
Boiling water is also an excellent alternative for cleaning glass pipes and bongs. You don't want to boil your glass as it could cause it to break, but you can use boiling hot water to soak it in to break up residue and buildup. Boil enough water to submerge your glass piece.
Experts recommend regular users to clean their pipes once weekly, or at least when they start to notice resin buildup. The most popular method is to fill the pipe with coarse salt and isopropyl alcohol, plug up the holes with your fingers, and give it a good shake to dislodge stuck resin and particles.
For medium buildup, fill the bong as high as you can with hydrogen peroxide, add coarse salt, and simply shake. For heavy buildup, shake the mixture, let the hydrogen peroxide sit overnight, then empty, wash, and rinse. Please note that hydrogen peroxide is only recommended for glass bongs.
Tip 3: Salt is your friend
"Dissolve salt into your bong water before a session," he says. "It's been theorized that some of the harsh ingredients bond the salt molecules, instead of the insides of your bong. Dump it and rinse and you'll probably need to clean it a little less frequently."
This is important for safety because smoking out of dusty or dirty pipes can be really bad for you. Not only will bacteria build up over time and put you at risk for infection, but dirty pipes in general cause more irritation too. A dirty pipe will create harsher hits and hurt your throat more than a clean one.
However, if you are an avid smoker who uses a pipe at least a few times a week, then you should be doing a basic cleaning after each use. A well-maintained pipe can be deep cleaned either weekly or monthly, depending on the dirt and tobacco build-up.
Both experts suggest cleaning your bong or pipe once a week. “A lot of connoisseurs clean their bong every day,” says Reyna. “If you want to keep it clean and prevent things like this, just dump the water when you are done using your bong every single time and clean it anyway.”
One solution that can be used to clean your glass piece utilizes white vinegar and baking soda. White vinegar and baking soda are safe and natural ingredients that you likely don't need to leave home to find.
Baking Soda and Cream of Tartar
Mix together two tablespoons of cream of tartar and two cups of baking soda. Like with all of the best homemade drain cleaners, hot water is needed! Pour two cups of boiling water into the drain, followed by the cleaner, and let it sit for one hour.