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Resin buildup can make your pipe look grimy and taint the taste of new cannabis. Cleaning the bowl of your pipe regularly will help reduce buildup and practice resin sustainability. Whether you want a fresh, clean pipe or you want to get the most out of your stash, you can clean out the resin by soaking it in alcohol, freezing it, or boiling it in hot water.
Best Way to Clean Resin Out of a Pipe, Bowl, or Bong
Bring a pot of water to a boil and use tongs to place your bowl, bong, or pipe in the pot. Stir it for around 5-7 minutes, then strain out the resin by pouring it through a coffee filter or a mesh strainer. Use a bobby pin or paperclip to scrape out any remaining resin.
Steps
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Scrape out the bulk of the resin. Use a bobby pin or paperclip to dislodge as much as resin as possible. Set the resin aside to throw away or smoke later.
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Put the pipe and isopropyl alcohol in a plastic bag. Open up a plastic sandwich bag and place the pipe inside. Then pour in 99% isopropyl alcohol until the bowl is submerged. [1] X Research source
- 99% isopropyl is preferable, but any percentage above 70% will sufficiently clean your pipe. A higher percentage will clean your pipe more efficiently.
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Pour a tablespoon of sea salt into the alcohol. The salt will act as an agitator and help break up the resin. You can also add some salt down the mouthpiece to clean out the rest of the pipe.
- If you want to evaporate the alcohol and smoke the resin later, don’t add salt. Perform the same steps and make sure the alcohol is completely evaporated before smoking the leftover resin.
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Seal the bag and let it sit for two hours. Soaking in the alcohol and salt mixture will loosen up the resin and make it easier to remove. [2] X Research source
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Hold the bowl through the bag and shake for five minutes. After soaking, shake the bagged pipe to agitate the salt and help dislodge any last stubborn bits of resin. [3] X Research source
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Take the pipe out of the bag and inspect it for leftover buildup. If the pipe is particularly dirty, you may want to repeat the process. You can also clean out the leftover resin with a pipe cleaner or cotton swab to speed the process.
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Wash the pipe with warm, soapy water once it’s clean. Throw away the baggie of resin or keep it to evaporate and smoke later. Wipe the clean pipe with a towel and let it fully dry before using it. [4] X Research source
- Be careful with the resin--it’ll be extremely sticky and will stain anything it comes in contact with.
- Make sure to rinse away all of the alcohol, since it is extremely flammable.
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Clean your pipe weekly to avoid buildup. Cannabis resin is extremely sticky and difficult to remove, particularly with glass pipes. Clean out your pipe once a week to make the process easier and faster.
- Soak your pipe in isopropyl alcohol for five minutes every week to keep it clean. [5] X Research source
- If you have a wood pipe, do not soak it weekly. Rather, scrub the pipe with an isopropyl alcohol-soaked toothbrush to remove buildup.
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Put the dirty pipe in the freezer for thirty minutes. With this technique, there’s no need to scrape first. Simply freeze the pipe and let the resin harden and dry out. [6] X Research source
- Don’t leave your pipe in the freezer longer than thirty minutes. Some cheaper glass pipes could break when exposed to extreme cold.
- Set an alarm so you don’t forget about your pipe in the freezer.
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Use a needle or scraping tool to scrape the resin out of the pipe. After thirty minutes, take the pipe out of the freezer and scrape out the dried resin. Work quickly, because it won’t take long for the resin to gum up again and become sticky. [7] X Research source
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Work over a piece of paper or plastic to clean up the mess easily. The resin will be hardened to a dry, sand-like texture, so you’ll want something disposable below the pipe to catch the resin as it falls. [8] X Research source
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Use this method for monthly deep cleaning only. The freezing method is likely not a method you should use weekly because of the harsh temperature change. Use it once monthly as needed for a deep cleaning.
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Boil a pot of water. Make sure to add enough water to cover your pipe when placed inside. Heat the water over a stove or hot plate until it comes to a boil.
- If you have a glass pipe, place the pipe in the pot before you start to heat the water.
- Don’t use this method on a wooden pipe. It may damage and discolor the wood.
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Use tongs to place the pipe into the pot. With the pipe held between the tongs, gently ease it into the hot water. Move the pipe around a bit to dislodge the resin. Keep gently shaking it until the resin starts coming off in black clumps. [9] X Research source
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Continue to move the pipe around for five to seven minutes. Be gentle with the pipe. Try not to knock the pipe against the sides of the pot. Move it around slowly and carefully inside the pot.
- Depending on how much buildup your pipe has, this process may take longer.
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Strain out the resin. Pour the resin and water through a coffee filter or a mesh strainer to collect the leftover resin. If you want to smoke it later, roll the resin into a ball and freeze or let dry. [10] X Research source
- Once the resin is sticky and no longer damp to the touch, you can smoke it. [11] X Research source
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Clean out the rest of the pipe with a paperclip or pipe cleaner. Scrape out any leftover resin in the bowl and chamber to get the pipe completely clean. [12] X Research source
- Pull out the resin and let it dry if you want to smoke it later. If not, discard it.
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Use the boiling method as a deep cleaning option. Because of the extreme temperature change, you should not boil your pipe too often. Use the boiling method as needed for deep cleaning.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionIs resin toxic?Shelley Williams is an Arts & Crafts Expert based in Long Beach, California. After a 20-year career as an educator, Shelley brought her love of education to the world of crafting and creating things. Shelley opened CRAFT + LIGHT, a creative arts studio, in 2019. Since then, Shelley has taught over 1000 people to make soap, wood signs, alcohol inks, candlemaking, bath bombs, and more. In addition to being a craft store, CRAFT + LIGHT hosts private parties, family birthday events, open studio events, and other types of craft demonstrations. Shelley partners with city governments to curate creative care packages for at-risk residents and is a partner of the Long Beach Black Health Collaborative funded out of the City of Long Beach.Epoxy resin can be toxic, particularly for pregnant women, so it's important to avoid exposure to it. Even though it's commonly used as a beginner resin due to its ease of use, safety precautions like wearing gloves and goggles, as prolonged exposure can have adverse health effects. However, compared to professional-grade resin bases like polyurethane, epoxy resin is considered less toxic.
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Tips
- When scraping, choose tools that fit your pipe. If you have a glass pipe, be careful to use tools that don’t have sharp edges that could scratch, damage, and even crack the pipe.Thanks
- When using alcohol to clean your pipe, always wait for your resin to dry because it must be alcohol-free before smoking. This process will take a long time and is not recommended for beginners.Thanks
- If your resin is a little fresh or you got it wet somehow, and you don't feel like waiting for it to dry, let any alcohol evaporate, roll the resin into a ball, and place it in the freezer so it hardens.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Dawn Powerwash does an excellent job of removing resin off glass. Just spray it directly in mouth piece until it comes out of the bowl and carb, then let it sit a few minutes. Rinse with hot water and repeat as necessary.
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Warnings
- Be careful when scraping the bowl from the inside. This is sometimes the weakest part of a pipe, and applying too much pressure can break your pipe.Thanks
- Resin contains more carcinogens and tar as the result of being a concentrated byproduct of your plant matter's combustion. Smoking it may give you a headache.Thanks
- Make sure you rinse away all the alcohol. It's extremely flammable, and smells and tastes foul.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Isopropyl alcohol (at least above 70%)
- Plastic Ziploc bag
- Salt (uniodized is cheapest)
- Toothbrush
- Bobby pin, paper clip, or pipe cleaner
- A metal pot of water
- Stovetop or hot plate
- Coffee filter or mesh strainer
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about handling resin, check out our in-depth interview with Shelley Williams .
References
- ↑ http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/stoner-tutorials-properly-clean-bowl/
- ↑ http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/stoner-tutorials-properly-clean-bowl/
- ↑ http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/stoner-tutorials-properly-clean-bowl/
- ↑ http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/stoner-tutorials-properly-clean-bowl/
- ↑ http://askmeclean.com/how-to-clean-a-glass-pipe/
- ↑ http://askmeclean.com/how-to-clean-a-glass-pipe/
- ↑ http://askmeclean.com/how-to-clean-a-glass-pipe/
- ↑ http://askmeclean.com/how-to-clean-a-glass-pipe/
- ↑ https://www.greenrushdaily.com/resin-sustainability-get-bowl/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To clean resin out of your bowl, start by scraping out most of the resin using a bobby pin or paperclip, setting it aside if you want to smoke it later. Then, put your pipe in a pot of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes to dislodge the resin. For an extra deep clean, fill a plastic sandwich bag with isopropyl alcohol and sea salt, submerge your pipe, and let it sit. After 2 hours, shake the bag to dislodge any remaining resin, then remove the bowl from the bag and clean it with warm, soapy water. To learn how to deep-clean your bowl in the freezer, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I knew alcohol cleaned resin but didn't think it was a good idea to use to collect resin. Figured I was just at a loss. Great to know I've just been using a socket in bottles, cutting around the label, cutting into sections and scrapping each. Get a ton out!" ..." more
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"I knew alcohol cleaned resin but didn't think it was a good idea to use to collect resin. Figured I was just at a loss. Great to know I've just been using a socket in bottles, cutting around the label, cutting into sections and scrapping each. Get a ton out!"
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"I just boil-cleaned my pipe that I've owned for about 8 years, and it worked great. For a short-term and simple way of cleaning a glass pipe, boiling it worked great! Thanks for the advice."
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"Using a coffee filter to strain the wet resin, rolling it into a ball and letting it dry, and that smoking resin could give me a bad headache were helpful tips. Thanks!"
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"This small pipe was ancient and clogged. Just two hours, and back in business after rinse."
"The step-by-step directions are great!"
