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How to Wash a Pipe or Bong with Alcohol and Salt Download Article Use isopropyl alcohol and salt to get grim out of your weed pipe Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA
Last Updated: July 21, 2025 Fact Checked
Download Article
Cleaning Glass & Metal Pipes
|
Cleaning Acrylic, Plastic, Latex, and Other Pipes
|
How often should you clean a pipe?
|
Video
|
Tips
|
Warnings
|
Things You'll Need
|Show more|Show less X
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Luke Smith is a wikiHow Staff Writer. He's worked for literary agents, publishing houses, and with many authors, and his writing has been featured in a number of literary magazines. Now, Luke writes for the content team at wikiHow and hopes to help readers expand both their skillsets and the bounds of their curiosity. Luke earned his MFA from the University of Montana. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 154,362 times. Learn more...
Pipe looking a little grimy? All it needs is some alcohol and salt to scrub away the gunk and get it gleaming again! We’ll show you how to clean any glass or metal pipe, plus how to handle pipes made from other materials like acrylic or latex, as well as how often you should be cleaning your pipe for purest, cleanest hits every time.
Cleaning Pipes with Alcohol and Salt
Rinse the pipe out with hot water.
Submerge the pipe in isopropyl alcohol and add 2 spoonfuls of salt.
Shake and agitate the container to let the salt scrub the pipe.
Let the pipe soak in the solution for 1-24 hours.
Rinse and scrub the pipe with cotton swabs or pipe cleaners.
Let the pipe air dry for 1 hour.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
Cleaning Glass or Metal Pipes with Alcohol & Salt
Download Article
1 Rinse and place your pipe in a sealable plastic bag or container. First, rinse the pipe, one hitter, or bong out with hot water to knock away any loose debris or resin. Then, carefully put your pipe into a zip-top plastic bag or a container with a sealable top. The bag or container must be sealable so the alcohol and salt mixture doesn’t leak out.[1]XResearch source
If your pipe or bong can be disassembled, take it apart and put the pieces, like the stem and bowl, into separate containers.
You might also give it a quick initial scrub with a cotton swab or pipe cleaner to help the process along.
This cleaning method works with any kind of glass or metal pipe. Don’t use it for acrylic, glass, wood, bone, ceramic, or plastic pipes.
2 Cover the pipe with alcohol and add 2-3 tbsp (17-51 g) of table salt. Pour isopropyl alcohol, which helps loosen resin and kills bacteria, slowly into the bag or container until your pipe is completely submerged. Then, add a couple generous spoonfuls of table salt, which acts as a gentle abrasive. Give the container a gentle shake to make sure the liquid and salt enters the pipe.[2]XResearch source
Feel free to use rubbing alcohol as long as it contains at least 70% isopropyl alcohol by volume.
You might also use hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, or specialized pipe cleaning solutions instead of alcohol.
Kosher or epsom salt work best, since these have coarser, large grains that are better at scrubbing.
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3 Seal the container and shake it for 1-2 minutes. Close the zip-top of the bag or snap the container’s lid into place to seal your pipe and the alcohol and salt mixture inside. Shake the bag or container back and forth vigorously for 1-2 minutes, so the salt starts to scrub the surfaces inside your pipe.[3]XResearch source
If your pipe is particularly dirty and has a lot of resin on the inside, feel free to shake it for longer to help loosen it. You won’t do any harm by shaking the mixture around more, but your arm might get tired!
Be cautious if your pipe has any delicate pieces. For example, if it is a glass pipe with thin ornamental pieces of blown glass on it, shake the mixture very gently.
4 Let the pipe soak for at least 1 hour, then rinse and scrub it. Leave the pipe alone in the mixture for about 1 hour, or up to 24 hours if it’s especially dirty. After, rinse it out again with hot 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.[4]XResearch source Pour the alcohol and salt solution down the drain; it’ll be too dirty to reuse.
Repeat this process once or twice for a more thorough clean, or if your pipe is still dirty after the first cleaning.
Once your pipe is clean, let it sit on a towel and air dry for about an hour before use.
Jorge Cervantes, Bestselling Marijuana Author
If you want the purest taste and best performance from your smoking pipes, keeping them clean is a must. A simple but powerful method is using isopropyl alcohol and salt. The alcohol breaks down the resin, while the salt scrubs off any stuck-on gunk. Let your pipe soak, shake up the mixture, then rinse well with warm water. Cleaning regularly not only improves your smoking sessions, but also makes your pipes last longer.
Advertisement Section 2 of 3:
Cleaning Acrylic, Plastic, Latex, and Other Pipes
Download Article
Use only hot water and gentle scrubbing on non-glass pipes. Pipes made from latex, acrylic, plastic, wood, bone, or ceramic may be nifty, but they’re a bit fussier when it comes to cleaning. Harsh chemicals or firm abrasives like salt can degrade or scratch the material, leading to bacterial growth. For these, simply rinse them out with hot water and scrub them as best you can with cotton swabs or pipe cleaners.[5]XResearch source
For a more powerful clean, use mild dish soap, but stay away from other chemical cleaners.
For ceramic or stone pipes, like tobacco pipes, feel free to use a cotton swabs or pipe cleaners soaked in alcohol, but avoid soaking the pipe itself in a liquid cleaner.
You may be able to find acrylic, plastic, or latex cleaning solutions at head shops, but hot water and some elbow grease usually gets the job done.
Section 3 of 3:
How often should you clean a pipe?
Download Article
Rinse your pipe after each use, and scrub it if there’s buildup. Ideally, you’re smoking from a sparkling clean pipe every time. To achieve this, rinse out the pipe and let it dry after every use. If there’s still gunk in it, soak and agitate it in a cleaning solution, like the one we outlined here, before you use it again.[6]XResearch source
As a rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t drink water from your pipe or bong, you shouldn’t smoke from it, either.
Dirty pipes can harbor mold or bacteria, which can cause illness if ingested through your mouth and into your lungs.
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Expert Q&A
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Video
Tips
If your pipe is too large to fit in a plastic bag or container, such as a big water pipe, simply fill it with alcohol and salt, then cover the holes and shake it. Let the solution soak inside it while the pipe rests on a plate. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
You may also boil metal pipes for 10-15 minutes to help loosen the gunk before you clean them. Just be sure it cools off completely before you touch it! Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Warnings
Avoid boiling glass pipes, since the movement of the water could jostle and break the pipe against the pot. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Things You’ll Need
Sealable plastic bag or container
Isopropyl alcohol
Table salt
Pipe cleaners or cotton swabs
Towel
Hot water
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Co-authored by: Luke Smith, MFA wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Luke Smith is a wikiHow Staff Writer. He's worked for literary agents, publishing houses, and with many authors, and his writing has been featured in a number of literary magazines. Now, Luke writes for the content team at wikiHow and hopes to help readers expand both their skillsets and the bounds of their curiosity. Luke earned his MFA from the University of Montana. This article has been viewed 154,362 times. 4 votes - 100% Co-authors: 7Updated: July 21, 2025 Views: 154,362 Categories: Cleaning Metals In other languages Portuguese Japanese
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Co-authored by: Luke Smith, MFA wikiHow Staff Writer Co-authors: 7Updated: July 21, 2025 Views: 154,362100% of readers found this article helpful. 4 votes - 100% Click a star to add your vote
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Download Article Use isopropyl alcohol and salt to get grim out of your weed pipe Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA 
The Best Way to Clean Your Tobacco or Glass Pipe 
Simple Ways to Clean a Clogged Pipe Screen (and Weed Pipes Too) 
Advertisement 
Co-authored by: Luke Smith, MFA wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Luke Smith is a wikiHow Staff Writer. He's worked for literary agents, publishing houses, and with many authors, and his writing has been featured in a number of literary magazines. Now, Luke writes for the content team at wikiHow and hopes to help readers expand both their skillsets and the bounds of their curiosity. Luke earned his MFA from the University of Montana. This article has been viewed 154,362 times. 4 votes - 100% Co-authors: 7 Updated: July 21, 2025 Views: 154,362 Categories: Cleaning Metals In other languages Portuguese Japanese 
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1 Rinse and place your pipe in a sealable plastic bag or container. First, rinse the pipe, one hitter, or bong out with hot water to knock away any loose debris or resin. Then, carefully put your pipe into a zip-top plastic bag or a container with a sealable top. The bag or container must be sealable so the alcohol and salt mixture doesn’t leak out.[1] 
2 Cover the pipe with alcohol and add 2-3 tbsp (17-51 g) of table salt. Pour isopropyl alcohol, which helps loosen resin and kills bacteria, slowly into the bag or container until your pipe is completely submerged. Then, add a couple generous spoonfuls of table salt, which acts as a gentle abrasive. Give the container a gentle shake to make sure the liquid and salt enters the pipe.[2] 
4 Let the pipe soak for at least 1 hour, then rinse and scrub it. Leave the pipe alone in the mixture for about 1 hour, or up to 24 hours if it’s especially dirty. After, rinse it out again with hot 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.[4] Pour the alcohol and salt solution down the drain; it’ll be too dirty to reuse. 
Jorge Cervantes, Bestselling Marijuana Author 
Use only hot water and gentle scrubbing on non-glass pipes. Pipes made from latex, acrylic, plastic, wood, bone, or ceramic may be nifty, but they’re a bit fussier when it comes to cleaning. Harsh chemicals or firm abrasives like salt can degrade or scratch the material, leading to bacterial growth. For these, simply rinse them out with hot water and scrub them as best you can with cotton swabs or pipe cleaners.[5] 
Rinse your pipe after each use, and scrub it if there’s buildup. Ideally, you’re smoking from a sparkling clean pipe every time. To achieve this, rinse out the pipe and let it dry after every use. If there’s still gunk in it, soak and agitate it in a cleaning solution, like the one we outlined here, before you use it again.[6] 