Not Sure How to Clean a Silicone Bong?

Silicone bongs and pipes are a special breed of weed pipe with many advantages over glass bongs. Silicone bongs and dab rigs are made for particular smoking jobs involving adventure, flexibility, and durability. A silicone bong has all of these qualities, so there is a good chance that adding one to your collection will improve your smoke sessions.

The best thing about silicone is that it can withstand impacts and high temperatures. You don’t have to worry about melting your pipe like a cheap acrylic bong, and dropping or tipping it is not a problem. If you are accident-prone or want to bring a bong to the great outdoors or a rowdy house party, then a silicone bong is the best.

You have to clean your silicone bong differently than a traditional glass bong. Solvents are not excellent for silicone and can eat away at the silicone surface. You cannot soak a silicone bong like glass in cleaners and solvents. There are ideal ways of cleaning a silicone bong and some more accessible aspects.

Are Silicone Bongs Easy to Clean?

Silicone bongs are relatively easy to clean compared to glass bongs if you follow a few steps to clean them properly. If you have the suitable materials and methods, your silicone bong or dab rig can be washed quickly with minimal effort.

Methods for Cleaning Silicone Bongs

There are many ways to clean a silicone bong, but some are better than others. Hand washing your bong is the most reliable way to remove all the resins, but you can also freeze, machine wash, use an approved silicone cleaner, or even soak it under the right conditions. Let's take a look at how to get each method done.

Boiling Water

You can remove nearly all the stuck-on grunge from a silicone bong with boiling water when done carefully. Boiling water is hazardous, and you’ll want to be careful not to splash or spill it when you are using it to clean. Make sure you have some rubber cleaning gloves or oven mitts ready to protect your hands. Remove any non-silicone parts from your bong, like plastic clips or glass bowls. Boil water in a kettle and place the bong on its side in the sink. Use a drain plug to keep the sink from draining.

Gently pour the water into the downstem hole of the joint. You should see loose bits of resin or other build-up being loosened and drained out of the bong. You may want to alternate pouring the water down the mouthpiece or bong and the joint. Repeat this process as many times as you need until you no longer see resins loosened.

Soaking

It’s not advisable to soak silicone in solvents like alcohol or use harsher ones like acetone since they can wear away at the composition of silicone. If you want to do a soak treatment to your bong, the best way to soak it is to place it sideways, submerged in a container of hot water and dish soap. Leave the silicone bong submerged overnight and wash it thoroughly with hot water the next day. You should see many loosened build-ups wash away in the rinse from soaking overnight.

Hand Washing

You’ll want to use a scrubbing brush and soapy hot water. A long scrubbing brush snaked into the mouthpiece and downstem is beneficial. You’ll need to wear dish gloves. 

Simply clean the bong the way you would a glass cup, and make sure to get deep down into the bong's base if you can. The base where the water sits is where most of the build-up will accumulate over time. Cycle through, scrubbing the interior of the bong with rinsing it out. After a few cleaning cycles, let the bong dry and test inhaling from it without placing the bowl. The air should be free of resinous flavors, and there should be no pronounced soapy flavor either.

Freezing

This method works exceptionally well for silicone dab rigs but can also be used for bongs. Silicone is resistant to heat and cold, which means that you can throw your bong in the freezer and try and freeze off some of the built-up resins and dabs.

The main trick to the freeze-clean method is to make sure the bong is free of any moisture. If any part of the bong is wet, then it will work to adhere particles to the bong. Ice can still be cleaned from the silicone, but it will be much easier to clean if it is dry when it goes in the freezer. Let it sit for several hours, and then use a long tool like poker or a clean dabber to chip off the frozen resins.

 

Silicone Bong Cleaners

There is one full-proof and easy way to clean a silicone pipe, use a silicone cleaner. These plant-based cleaners are specially made not to harm the silicone-like solvents' integrity. Specially made silicone cleaners work great as a soak, scrub, or rinse, so you still have multiple cleaning methods at your disposal.

What Should You Use to Clean a Silicone Bong

Many household cleaners are okay to clean your silicone pipe. Most people have a few of these under their sink. Solvents like alcohol and other abrasive cleaners should not be used with silicone as they can break down the chemical bond of the material and weaken it. Here are some cleaners you can use.

Vinegar 

A standard household cleaner that is one of the lightest acids you can use is vinegar. You can use vinegar safely on silicone but rinse your bong thoroughly with water to ensure it doesn’t retain the vinegar smell.

Dishwashing liquid 

Dish soap can be used to clean silicone bongs. You can use dish soap as you would typically by filling up the sink with a soapy solution and submerging the silicone pipe while cleaning it.

Rubbing Alcohol

You shouldn’t use solvents like rubbing alcohol to deep clean silicone because they can harm it. If you must use alcohol, only apply it in small amounts to the pipe with a wipe or a cotton swab. Never soak your silicone products in alcohol.

How to Clean Silicone Bongs

Here you’ll learn how to clean silicone bongs step by step. We’ll go over each method in short steps that show precisely how to clean each part. One of these methods is sure to work out for you.

Method #1: Silicone Bong Boiling Method

How to clean silicone bongs using boiling water? Here's how:

1. Separate the parts of your silicone bong.

Remove the downstem and bowl from the bong. Set aside any non-silicone parts like plastic clips and glass bowls or downstems.

2. Wash the bong using a brush and warm soapy water.

Give the silicone bong a preliminary rinse with hot and soapy water to remove any light build-up.

3. Fill a pot with 4 cups of water.

Fill a large pot with four cups of water and place on high heat.

4. Heat until the water boils.

Let the water heat until it comes to a boil and lower the heat, so the water is at a constant low boil. 

5. Slowly submerge your silicone bong in the water.

Using rubber gloves, submerge the silicone bong into the water and let it soak. Be sure not to get any water on your hands.

6. Wait 2 minutes before turning the heat off.

After the bong has been sitting for a couple of minutes, cut off the heat and gently remove the bong.

7. Using tongs and potholders, remove the silicone bong from the water.

Using a pair of tongs, remove the bong from the hot water and place it somewhere safe.

8. Run the bong under running water.

Once the bong is in the sink, run hot water over it or pour water from the pot into and over the bong to remove excess resins.

9. Leave to dry away from the sun.

Let the bong dry in a cool and dark place like a cabinet or closet.

Method #2: Silicone Bong Freezing Method

How to Clean Silicone Bongs by Freezing - This method involves freezing off stuck on resins. Freeze cleaning is an incredibly effective way to clean silicone dab rigs. Here are the steps to freeze and clean your silicone pipe.

1. Follow steps 1-2 above.

Separate all the parts of your bong and wash them with warm soapy water. Set aside the parts that are not made of silicone.

2. Let the silicone bong dry.

Ideally, the bong will have no moisture when you place it in the freezer. Water droplets will work against you once it freezes and makes resin removal difficult.

3. Put the silicone bong in a ziplock bag.

Put your pipe in a zip lock bag. You can bend silicone bongs and pipes and fit them inside a large zip lock bag or wrap the bag in freezer wrap. The reason for this is to keep moisture out during the freezing process.

4. Place in the freezer for (x hours)

Put the wrapped silicone bong in the freezer for four hours. Make sure not to lay the bong on a surface in the freezer with many built-up touches of frost.

5. Remove the bong and scrub of resins

Once you remove the bong from the freezer and the bag or wrap, it's time to use a dab tool, scrapper, or poker to chip off the frozen resins with ease.

6. Rinse and let it dry.

Give the bong a rinse with hot water, and then let it dry out. After about an hour, test it with water to ensure it's fresh and clean.

Method #3: Using Vinegar on Silicone Bongs

Vinegar is a typical household cleaner that can clean silicone. Vinegar is best used for minor and routine cleaning because it is a mild acid.

1. Follow steps 1-2 from the boiling method.

Give your bong an initial wash and rinse with soapy water and let it dry.

2. Fill the silicone bong with vinegar.

Fill up the bong with vinegar and allow it to sit for fifteen minutes.

3. Wash the silicone bong and let it dry.

The vinegar will loosen the bonds that keep the resins stuck to the bong. Use warm water to wash away the vinegar and the stuck on resins.

Using Rubbing Alcohol on Silicone Bongs

As noted previously, solvents should be used sparingly on silicone bongs because it can degrade the material. Only use alcohol to wipe down the surface of your silicone bong.

1. Follow the same steps as using vinegar on a silicone bong but don’t soak.

Wipe down the silicone bong with an alcohol wipe or swab. Pour warm or room temperature alcohol through the bong to loosen and remove any resins. Do not soak the bong in alcohol or it will damage the silicone.

How do I use Silicone Bong Cleaner?

How to clean silicone bongs with a pre-made cleaner - Silicone bong cleaners are especially made for cleaning silicone surfaces. These cleaners are versatile and formulated to be used with your bong for any cleaning method. Depending on the level of cleanliness you are going for in your bong you’ll want to give it a quick wipe and rinse or a long soak.

Soaking is good for breaking down stuck-on resins and gunk. Scrubbing will use less of the cleaner since it involves putting a small amount of the solution in the bong and using a tool to scrub and clean the resins off. Using a silicone cleaner as a rinse involves pouring it through the bong multiple times and reclaiming the cleaner in a container to be reused. This rinsing process can work faster if the cleaner is combined with hot water.

1. Separate the parts of your silicone bong.

Remove any plastic of glass parts and clean them separately.

2. Give the silicone bong an initial rinse with soapy water and rinse with warm water.

Wash any easy to remove particles off the bong with warm soapy water and the rinse it and allow it to dry.

3. Pour a small amount of the silicone cleaner into the bong and let it soak for a couple of hours.

4. Using a scrub brush or other cleaning tool scrub the inside of the bong and the interior of the joint.

5. Use hot water to rinse and flush out the bong.

Rinse the bong thoroughly with hot water. You should notice particles flowing away with the water and the interior of the bong will be much cleaner.

How often can I boil my Silicone Bong?

The boiling method to clean bongs can be used frequently without harming your bong. If you use it occasionally to remove stuck on resins and build-up you will want to be sure that the bong maintains its shape. When the silicone is heated it is more pliable and can hold an altered shape slightly once cooled. Just make sure your bong is standing upright while cooling to avoid any unwanted changes.

How to Keep Your Silicone Bong Clean

If you want to clean you bong less often and enjoy a fresh smoke whenever you use it there are a few things you can do. You can use RezBlock to prevent the resins from sticking to the interior walls of the pipes. When you use RezBlock the resins stay in the water and can be easily poured out with a water change.

Make sure to change out your water regularly with each smoke session if you want your bong to stay cleaner longer. Using 420 Wipes to keep the mouthpiece, joint, and bowls cleaner can cut down on how often you need to deep clean your bong.

Clean Your Silicone Better With 420 Science

We’ll help you keep your silicone bong or dab rig cleaner longer with our many cleaning products and tools. Take a look at our cleaning section for everything you need to keep your silicone pipes fresh and hitting like new.