How to Clean a Glass Bong in 5 Easy Steps

Image source: Reddit

Is your bong not functioning like the first day you got it? Does it smell nasty and has a gnarly black stuff sticking inside it? This means that your bong is in dire need of cleaning. Wouldn’t it be great to have a systematic way of cleaning a bong so that you’ll be able to do it with your eyes closed? We’ll teach you how to get looking good as new with these simple steps!

Step 1: Get all the materials ready

Cleaning a bong needs more than just soap and water. Resin, that brown to blackish stuff that’s sticking to your bong isn’t water and soap soluble. To get it out, you’re going to need:

Res Caps are good to help cleaning a bong

• 95% isopropyl alcohol or stronger


• Sea salt or kosher salt. These have bigger grains and have more grit compared to table salt.


• Ziploc storage bags that will fit your herb bowl and downstem


• Bong plugs like Res Caps, cork, or paper towels to prevent splash and mess as you shake the bong.


• Gloves if you don’t have plugs or stoppers. You can either wear them or use them to plug the bong.


• Pipe cleaners for stubborn stains


• Wooden Q-tip stems or narrow-gauge wires to take out clogs in the downstem and herb slide.

Step 2: Take out removable parts

Remove the downstem and bowl slide from the bong. Place them in separate Ziploc bags and pour enough iso to fully submerge them. Add a generous amount of salt and seal each bag. Shake the bags one at a time for 15-30 seconds and let them sit for 5-15 minutes, depending on how dirty the parts are.

Step 3: Pour out and rinse

For the bong, you need to dunk out used bong water and rinse it well under warm running water. This will help take out loose debris and soften the resin for the alcohol and salt to work.

Step 4: Add salt and alcohol

Pour a generous amount of salt through the mouthpiece and follow it through with alcohol. If you have a double perc or triple perc bong, make sure that there’s salt and alcohol in all the perc chambers. You’re going to need to blow through the mouthpiece to force the alcohol and salt down to the other chambers.



Plug the openings or use your gloved hands to cover them. Shake the bong carefully (especially if you have a tree-arm perc bong) but thoroughly for 15-30 seconds. Make sure that your cleaning solution reaches all the dirty parts of the bong. Let the solution stay for 5-15 minutes then pour out the solution from the water chamber in the sink or a bowl. For the percs, leave them be for now. If you have a really dirty bong, you have to soak it in alcohol and salt overnight before rinsing.

Step 5: Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Turn on the tap and let it run through the mouthpiece. Let the water melt the salt and flow through the chambers below. You can help it by shaking the bong gently and blowing through the mouthpiece. Continue rinsing, scrubbing occasionally with pipe cleaners until your bong is clean. Keep rinsing until you there’s no trace of alcohol left. If there are some stubborn stains, repeat steps 4 and 5 until you got a clean bong.

Do the same with the downstem and herb slide. If there’s a clog, gently poke it out with the wooden Q-tip stems or wire. Be very gentle and don’t force it to prevent breaking either the wooden stick or the glass piece.

Once you got all the parts clean, let them dry in a well-ventilated area. Place the bong upside down to help excess water drip down and prevent any water marks.

Keeping a bong clean is easy, with just a few simple tools that you can get in your home. Don’t forget to check out our guide about how often you should clean a bong to keep it fully functional!  Now that you know how to maintain a bong, maybe you’d want an extra bong or two in your collection! This way, you have a backup ready while your bong dries after a good bath! Click here now and have a look at our awesome hand-picked collection from GRAV, Pulsar, and other MJ Arsenal, plus more!