How to Clean a Wood Pipe

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 4, 2023

Smoking from a wooden pipe can be a relaxing pastime. Wooden pipes are beautiful pieces that their owners take pride in. However, if you do not clean your wooden pipe regularly, you can limit the life of the pipe. To clean the pipe, clean it after each smoke by removing the ash and running a pipe cleaner through it. After every 10 to 20 uses, do a deeper cleaning where you take the pipe apart and clean it with alcohol.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Performing Basic Maintenance

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1
Run a pipe cleaner through the pipe before you use it. Even if you have cleaned your pipe after the last time you used it, you should always clean it before you smoke it. Take a pipe cleaner and run it through the pipe. This helps get rid of any remaining ash or dottle. ^{[1]
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- Gently knock the pipe in your palm to get the debris from the bowl.
2
Clean the pipe after each smoke. You should always clean your pipe after you smoke. Never allow the ash and debris to remain in the pipe. However, make sure you let the pipe cool completely before cleaning. Never clean while it is warm.
- If you remove the stem while it is warm, it will mess up the fit of the stem and cause cracks in the pipe.
As you smoke your pipe, you will be able to tell if it needs a good cleaning. The taste should be pleasant when you smoke. If you start to notice a change in taste, such as a salty, sour, or bad taste, you probably need to clean it.
Because you cleaned your pipe with alcohol, you want to make sure that you let the pipe sit for at least a day, if not more, before smoking. This ensures that the alcohol completely evaporates. ^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning the Pipe After Smoking

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1
Shake your pipe. After the pipe has cooled, shake the pipe. Make sure to put a finger over the bowl so the ash doesn't go everywhere. Do this for a few seconds. Then, pour the ash and debris out of the bowl.
- If you can't get everything out when you pour, use the pipe tool with the spoon end to scoop out the ashes.
- Shaking the pipe with the ash still in it helps to form cake on the inside of the bowl, which helps prolong the life of the pipe.
2
Clean the pipe with a pipe cleaner. After dumping the ash and dottle, blow through the stem to get rid of any excess ash and dottle. Then, use a pipe cleaner to clean the pipe. Start with a bristle pipe cleaner. Push the pipe cleaner through the stem of the pipe. The tip of the pipe cleaner should be the only part visible. Then remove it.
- Afterwards, you can use the other side of the pipe cleaner or use a clean pipe cleaner to do the same thing.
- Do this until the pipe cleaner is clean when you remove it.
3
Wipe the mouthpiece. Use a damp pipe cleaner to clean the mouthpiece. You can dampen the pipe cleaner with saliva. Rub the pipe cleaner around the mouthpiece to remove any debris lingering on it. ^{[3]
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- Blow through the stem to blow out any ash or debris.
4
Wipe the pipe before putting it up. Take a soft cloth to wipe down your pipe after you have cleaned the inside. To preserve the wood, you may want to use a cloth dampened with olive oil or a special wood pipe cleaning cloth. ^{[4]
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- Place the pipe on the shelf.
- If you are concerned about moisture in the stem, you can leave a pipe cleaner in it to soak up moisture.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Performing a Deeper Cleaning

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1
Run a pipe cleaner with alcohol through the stem. Separate the stem and the bowl. Moisten a pipe cleaner with alcohol, and then run the pipe cleaner through the stem. Make sure to pull it all the way through. After you have pulled the damp pipe cleaner through, run a dry one through.
- The pipe cleaner will probably have black and brown debris on it. Continue doing this until the pipe cleaner doesn't have any debris on it when you push it through.
- You can use isopropyl alcohol or grain alcohol.
- If it is available to you, you can also purchase pipe cleaning solution.
2
Clean the airhole with a bristle pipe cleaner. The airhole should be cleaned with a bristle pipe cleaner that has been dipped in alcohol. Use this pipe cleaner to wipe the airhole, and follow that with a dry regular pipe cleaner.
- There should be some resistance. If the airhole is too large, then fold the pipe cleaner in half.
- Do this until the pipe cleaner you scrub through the airhole comes out without any debris.
The mortise is the place where the stem connects to the bowl. This can also get dirty, so use a cotton swab or shank brush to do this. Clean it until there is no residual ash or dark residue on the brush or swab. ^{[5]
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4
Clean the rim of the bowl. When the rim of the bowl starts to get a dark, ashy look, you should clean it. Take a damp pipe cleaner and wipe around the rim. This gets rid of any charring that begins around the rim from the flame of your lighter. ^{[6]
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- This usually occurs from lighting the pipe.
Many pipes have metal bands around them. When you do a deep cleaning, polish the band. Use a metal polish to do this. If your band is made of silver, use silver polish. ^{[7]
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6
Avoid getting the alcohol on the outside of the pipe. While cleaning the pipe, avoid getting any alcohol on the outside. This will mess up the finish, stain, or detail on the outside. Use care to keep the alcohol on the pipe cleaner.
- This is also true for any pipe cleaning solution. Keep it away from the outside of the pipe.
7
Ream the bowl when the cake becomes too thick. When the cake, the protective layer of ash, gets too thick, you need to ream the bowl. Reaming the bowl means scraping off some of the cake. You can use a reamer, which you can buy at a tobacco shop or online. As you clean the inside of the bowl, make sure to go slowly as you shave the cake. Don't pull it out in chunks. You can easily damage or scrape the bowl with the edge of the tool. ^{[8]
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- You can also use the blunt knife tool that came with your pipe tools. This can clean the cake in an uneven way or dig into the wood. You can also use wooden dowels that have been wrapped in sandpaper or grit cloth.
- The cake should only be about 1/16 in or 1.5 mm in thickness. Anything larger than that should be reamed.