We’re frequently asked about glass cleaning and maintenance; here are a few handy tips!
A consistent cleaning schedule ensures a healthier, tastier smoking experience.
1) Soak the entire pipe in hot water and Dawn dish soap – it’s really great at breaking up the tar and resin.
2) Boil the pipe in water.
3) Hold only the outer body of the pipe under the faucet in running hot water without getting either the joint or mouthpiece wet. You’re trying to get one part of the glass to expand. Tap it gently and see if that loosens the stuck joint. Scientific Inhalations uses high-quality joints also used in scientific glass apparatus so they fit fairly snugly to begin with.
4) If our pipes are your daily driver, change out the carbon and cotton regularly – opening it often helps. Keep it clean by soaking it in Dawn and using alcohol and salt to clean out the tar and resin.
5) After each cleaning, apply our Joint Wax to get ahead of this problem. This is an organic lip balm that we have started to include with the purchase of certain pipes; it is also available separately. We instruct our customers to apply it to joints frequently.
For a healthier and more flavorful taste experience, it is important to establish a consistent cleaning routine: we recommend a weekly cleaning.
Although there are many cleaning products on the market, we’ve found these simple steps are equally effective and cost-saving.
- Separate the filters, bowls, and stems removing all carbon and cotton. Pre-soak in hot water and Dawn* dish soap to help break down tar and resin.
- After soaking for a couple of hours, rinse with hot water.
- Use isopropyl alcohol and coarse rock salt and agitate.
- Rinse well with hot water.
*Dawn is used by wildlife experts to gently clean birds affected by oil spills; it works great on our glass!