How To Clean Your Bong Without Alcohol or Vinegar?

Nobody likes looking at a disgusting dirty bong. In addition, Regularly Cleaning your bong is essential for pure and tasty hits.

To effectively clean a bong, you really only need 2 things: something acidic, and something abrasive.

Most people default to isopropyl alcohol or vinegar when cleaning their bong, but it isn't mandatory.

Have you ever found yourself needing to clean your bong but don't have alcohol or vinegar on hand?

Don't worry, there are several alternative ways to get your glass bong sparkling again.

Today we will teach you how to clean your bong from resin without alcohol or vinegar with various methods so you can choose the one you prefer.

Bong Cleaning Materials

Before starting the cleaning process, there are a few things that you need to get. Here is the list of all the items that you will use.

Select your preferred bong cleaning agents:

Dish Soap.

Lemon juice.

Glass cleaner like Formula 420.

Nail Polish Remover or Acetone.

Denture Cleaning Tablets.

You'll also need some bong cleaning supplies:

Clean water. 

Sink, basin, or large container. 

Rubber bong plugs or cotton balls. 

Plastic bags that can be sealed or some sort of plastic container with a lid. 

Barbed pipe cleaners, q-tips, or a bottle brush 

Latex or Disposable Plastic gloves. 

Towel

How To Clean Your Bong Without Alcohol or Vinegar?

There are 5 alternative methods to clean a glass bong from resin without using rubbing alcohol or vinegar.

1. Dish Soap

Regular Dish soap + Hot water is perhaps the simplest but effective method in removing debris and leaving your bong fresh and clean.

The heat of Hot water helps to soften and dissolve resin residues, making them easier to remove.

Start by emptying the water chamber and disassembling the bong, then fill your bong with hot (not boiling) soapy water and let it sit for a few minutes, clean each piece separately using warm soapy water and a brush.

Pay attention to hard-to-reach places such as percolators or downstems. Once everything is clean, rinse the bong with hot water to remove all the soap residues.

2. Lemon Juice

The acidic content of Lemon Juice will help break down the greasy resin and other things down. Baking soda works as an abrasive, which will help scrub away residue.

You can use either the juice of a fresh lemon, or those little bottles of lemon juice concentrate that they sell at the grocery store…both work fine!

And bonus, it leaves behind a lovely, fresh lemony scent to enjoy in your next sesh!

To clean a bong with Lemon Juice and baking soda, half-fill the bong with Lemon Juice and spoon a few tablespoons of baking soda.

Be sure to cover the openings with your hands because the mixture will start to fizz.

3. 420 glass cleaner

Beyond the do-it-yourself approach to bong cleaning, there are specialty bong-cleaning products.

Glass cleaners tend to use a mixture of alcohol and an abrasive like kosher salt.

These are ideally suited to getting cannabis oil and resin off glassware, ceramic, and even silicone bongs.

One of the cheapest options is Formula 420 glass cleaner, which is non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe.

It's been around for years and the preferred affordable option by many stoners. It works in five minutes or less!

More importantly, it smells great and leaves behind a fresh citrusy flavor.

4. Nail Polish Remover or Acetone

A little known substitute for alcohol is nail polish remover (or acetone). It's readily available at drug stores and makeup stores.

While not as strong as isopropyl-alcohol, with a little elbow grease, it's pretty effective.

Acetone is really good at removing resin. Then, just clean with hot soapy water.

Acetone is disgusting. But if you clean with hot water and dish soap after there will be zero residue or smell remaining. If possible, buy unscented acetone.

5. Denture Cleaning Tablets

Just like they break apart built-up plaque on dentures, they can help break up resin and particles on your dirty bong.

All you have to do is put 2 or 3 denture tablets into the bong chamber and then fill it up with hot water.

Allow the denture tablets to chill out a bit while the tablets do their fizzing thing, maybe 15-30 minutes or so.

After that, rinse the bong thoroughly with water. While rinsing, use a bottle brush to clean the remaining dirty areas.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to clean your bong.

Step by step guide to how to clean your Bong without Alcohol or Vinegar

Follow these simple steps to clean your glass bong:

Step 1: Remove bowl and downstem

Remove the bowl and downstem and place them into separate sealable storage bags.

Using different bags ensures that the two pieces won't be damaged or broken and affords them a more thorough cleaning.

However, you can add them both to one bag if you handle the pieces carefully.

Step 2: Empty old water

Pour out any water remaining in your bong. Put on latex or dish gloves to avoid bacteria from the sitting bong water getting on your skin.

Step 3: Add the cleaning agents

Add the base cleaning agents -- Dish Soap, lemon juice, 420 glass cleaner, Acetone, or Denture Tablets -- and fill the chamber of bong, each container and bag.

Make sure the bong chamber, and the bong pieces are submerged with the combined cleaning agents

Step 4: Add an abrasive

Pour a few tablespoons of the abrasive -- coarse salt, rice, or baking soda -- into each plastic bag or container. This will help scrub away residue.

Step 5: Seal and Shake

To ensure that the cleaning agents does not escape, make sure all plastic bags or containers are sealed tightly.

When you are cleaning the stem of the bong, you'll need to plug any holes either with your hands, rubber plugs, or cotton balls before shaking vigorously.

Put your favorite song on, Shake the bong for several minutes to loosen and remove buildup.

Step 6: Rinse thoroughly

Empty the cleaning agents and rinse the bong with warm water until all residue is gone.

If you are not satisfied with the cleanliness due to some residue that has clung to the pieces, then you need a deeper spot clean.

Hold the bottle brush, plastic scraper or q-tip to get in all of the bong's tiny crevices to scrape the residue, being careful not to scratch the glass.

After removing the resin, clean the glass with soap and water and dry it thoroughly.

Step 7: Dry the Bong

If you aren't planning on lighting up your bong right away, let it air dry to make sure all the water dries.

If you want to hit the bong instantly after cleaning, make sure you properly towel dry all the pieces to restore its shine.

How often should you clean your bong?

If your bong is not clean you will be inhaling the toxins and bacteria from the resin build-up, which can be very harmful to your lungs.

For the best taste and a healthy smoking experience, clean your bong after a few days to a week of use.

You must also replace your bong water often, ideally after every smoke session, to avoid mold spores and bacteria to grow.

Conclusion

Keeping your bong clean is essential for an optimal and healthy experience.

The main objective of the entire process of cleaning your bong is to break down that build up as much as possible so you can wipe it clean.

Dish Soap, lemon juice, 420 glass cleaner, acetone, and denture tabletsp are all useful alternatives that can dissolve stubborn resin buildup and leave your bong sparkling clean.

Remember to rinse your bong thoroughly after using any of these alternative methods to ensure that no residue or cleaning agents remain.

Some alternative methods may not be as effective as using rubbing alcohol, so you may need to repeat the process or use additional cleaning techniques if the resin build-up is stubborn.

We hope this informative guide helped you learn some useful tips and tricks for deep cleaning your glass bong without alcohol or vinegar.