If you are here reading our article, then you must be looking for ways to clean up your pipe. We appreciate your effort. Because a clean pipe is really needed and important.
Not cleaning a pipe regularly leads to a build-up of residues which create bacteria and mold. Smoking from that unclean pipe will mean that you are inhaling those built-up residues and bacteria in you. This is something that we definitely don’t want.
There are a number of ways to get your crack pipe cleaned. You can use rubbing alcohol, home made solution with vinegar and baking soda, or even you can simply use boiling water. But our suggestion is to use rubbing alcohol as this gives the best results.
In this article, we will primarily focus on how to clean your pipe with rubbing alcohol. We will also show you around some other ways you can clean your pipe.
While we do recommend that you should clean your pipe with rubbing alcohol for the best results, you can suit yourself better to your convenience by going through our other methods too. So, let’s get right to it.
How to Clean a Crack Pipe with Rubbing Alcohol
Cleaning your pipe with rubbing alcohol is not that hard. If you follow the following steps well, you will get better results in cleaning your pipe. So, let’s discuss the steps now.
Step 01: Remove any junk that has accumulated in the pipe.
To remove any leftover particles, turn the pipe upside down and lightly tap it. Then remove any big, readily removable particles of resin with a pipe cleaner, cotton swab, mechanical pencil, needle, or other equally thin instrument you can reach.
Breaking the pipe to get to difficult locations isn’t worth it; you simply need to get everything big and simple to reach off the pipe now. This will aid the alcohol in cleaning the remainder of the pipe more quickly.
Step 02: Fill a resealable plastic bag halfway with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.
Purchase 90 percent isopropyl to clean the pipe faster than the 71 percent solvent, which is more washed down. Place the pipe inside, ensuring it’s completely immersed.
Alcohol dissolves tar and resin, making stains simpler to remove and clean over time.
Step 03: Add 1 tbsp salt to the bag
On your pipe, salt will behave as an abrasive sponge, scraping away the resin in areas that a sponge or brush could never reach. Because the purpose of the salt is to rub away the glue, use the largest grains you can find — coarse or kosher salt is typically your best choice.
Step 04: Shake the pipe in the bag to distribute the salt evenly throughout the pipe.
If at all feasible, place the salt in the pipe and then plug the gaps with your fingers. The salt within the chamber can then be shaken to remove as much resin as possible. Shake the bag vigorously for 1-2 minutes, or until the pipe is clear.
Step 05: To clean highly unclean pipes, soak the pipe for many hours and then repeat the process in the morning.
Before mixing it up again, add a splash of new isopropyl and let the pipe submerged in the fluid for several hours. Some of your salt may have dissolved if you’re using 71 percent isopropyl alcohol, so be sure to add extra if you’re missing any.
Step 06: Using hot water, thoroughly clean the pipe.
Remove all of the alcohol and salt from the pipe with hot water and flush the rest down the toilet, since it will stink up your sink and pipes if left alone.
Step 07: With a pipe cleaner or cotton swabs, remove any leftover stains.
Wipe away any little stains with the end of your instrument dipped in clean alcohol to remove any stubborn stains. Soak the pipe in a combination of warm water and lemon juice for 10-15 minutes to remove any water marks or non-resin stains.
This is it. The overall process of cleaning the pipe with rubbing alcohol. It’s not that hard, isn’t it? Now let’s see another simple process.
Alternate Cleaning Solutions
1. Denture cleansing pills are a good option: Place your pipe in the bottom of a Tupperware container and fill it halfway with boiling water. Allow for a half-hour soak after dropping in 2-3 denture pills.
The mixture is meant to remove stains and residue, and the fizzing will remove a lot of resin. Other home solutions include:
- Salt and vinegar are two more alternative cleaning treatments.
- Baking soda with apple cider vinegar
- Water and sand.
2. Invest in specialized cleaning products: Simple Green and Formula 420 are solutions designed to clean the resins in glass pipes and are marketed exclusively to smokers.
However, they are more expensive than basic DIY remedies, and many individuals do not find them to be any more effective. They do, however, avoid the need for shaking or messes because the resin is typically removed by just soaking.
Final Words
Our final advice to you is to clean your crack pipe regularly. Once a week, a fast rinse and soak in some isopropyl takes about 5 minutes. However, it will keep your item gleaming and brilliant without the need for extensive cleanings or overnight soaks.
Some stains won’t come out if they seep into the glass, but this only happens if you don’t clean for months or years. Take the effort to clear it off now, and your job will be a lot simpler afterwards.
So, now you know different ways of cleaning your crack pipe. We strongly suggest cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and thus we stressed on this part more. We hope that you get better results with our steps. Happy cleaning.
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