How Long to Leave Rubbing Alcohol in a Bong?
A clean bong is essential for an optimal smoking experience - from the airflow, taste and just the look itself.
Regular cleaning not only ensures clean look, better taste, and smoother hits but also prevents the buildup of harmful bacteria and mold.
In a majority of cases, you simply won’t need a professional cleaning solution to get and keep your glass bong pristine.
Rubbing alcohol (or Isopropyl alcohol) and coarse salt is a classic, cheap, quick, and easy method you can use to clean your bong. and it uses items you probably already have at home.
Just grab some Rubbing alcohol and coarse salt, pour them into your bong, and give it a good shake. The salt scrubs the inside while the alcohol dissolves the resin. Rinse it out with warm water and you're good to go.
But How long to leave rubbing alcohol in a bong? How long does it take to effectively dissolve the resin? Will rubbing alcohol damage the vessel if it stays there for too long?
Don't worry, I'll give you the details.
How long to leave rubbing alcohol in a bong?
Allow the alcohol + salt mixture to sit with the glass bong for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how dirty you let your bong get and the concentration or purity of alcohol you use.
This step helps break down tough resin and other buildup. In this process, the cleaning agents can penetrate and dissolve the tough grime deeply.
If the bong is not very dirty, You should have it looking brand new in a matter of minutes. For extra-sticky residue or very dirty bong, you can let the bong soak longer if needed.
In addition, 99% rubbing alcohol has the highest concentration of alcohol, with only 1% water, making it the most effective at dissolving resin and other buildup in your bong.
91% rubbing alcohol has 9% water, and 70% rubbing alcohol has 30% water, which means they are less potent and may take longer to work.
So If the rubbing alcohol and salt mixture didn’t get your glass bong clean, try letting it soak for more time.
Don't worry! Glass can sit in contact with alcohol basically forever, You can even leave it in there until the end of your life, and the glass would be basically the same.
After, rinse it out again with warm water for 2-3 minutes to clear away the alcohol, and use a cotton swab or pipe cleaner to scrub away any stubborn gunk or resin.
How does rubbing alcohol remove bong resin so effectively?
Rubbing alcohol dissolves bong resin due to its solvent properties. It breaks down the resin buildup quickly and effectively.
After leaving the rubbing alcohol in bong chamber, the resin loosens, making it easy to scrub away. Additionally, rubbing alcohol evaporates rapidly, leaving no residue behind.
This method is safe for glass bongs and is accessible and affordable.
So, next time you need to clean your bong, grab some rubbing alcohol and watch that resin disappear like magic!
How to clean a glass bong?
To clean your glass bong, first take out all removable pieces (like the mouthpiece and pipe).
Pour 91% or 99% isopropyl alcohol into the bong and add some coarse salt, such as sea salt or rock salt, as an abrasive. soak for about 30 mintutes, or more.
Cover the openings of the bong with rubber stoppers or cotton balls to avoid spillage. Shake your bong for about five minutes.
For the Bong parts like bowl or downstem, Put it into a Ziploc bag. Add enough alcohol + salt cleaning solution to soak and shake.
After shaking, rinse the bong and parts with water, If there are still stubborn spots, use a pipe cleaner or brush designed for bongsto scrub these areas. Repeat as necessary.
Finally, Air dry the bong body and parts so that all the Isopropyl alcohol had evaporated. You’ll have a brand new bong with little effort.
Reminder when Cleaning Acrylic or Silicone Bongs
The traditional isopropyl alcohol approach shouldn't be used if your bong is made of acrylic or silicone because it could damage the bong's surface and create more harm than good.
Therefore, in this case, you'll need to understand how to clean without rubbing alcohol.
Cleaning it using a bottle brush, warm water, and dish soap is the best recommendation.
Until the water you rinse through it is clear, you can fill it, clean it, and then drain the water.
Although this requires a bit more work than using alcohol, it often produces similar results.