Looking After Your Glass Bongs 

Looking After Your Glass Bongs 

If you have your own place, then leaving the pipes, bongs, dab rigs where they were last used may seem appealing. I tend to feel like this most of the time, especially after taking a few rips.  

I remember living with friends, and we would each have a bong on our bedroom floor or desk. There would often be a pipe in the kitchen, and our coffee table would be cluttered with a few smoking options, including at least one water pipe.

On any given day would be enough at hand, so even if several friends came by, they could all be smoking from a different vape, bong, pipe, or rig. 

This can be fun, and it's a way to show off your glass and other pieces without seeming to brag about it. While this is fun, it can result in some problems: several of my favorite items were misplaced, knocked off a table, and broken by some unknown guests. Eventually, it started to drive me crazy. Looking back, it's probably why I never invested in any lovely pieces then. I'd often buy cheaper glass pieces or opt for silicone on bamboo or metal alternatives because subconsciously, I knew there was a good chance if I purchased any nice glass, it would likely get damaged. 

When I finally moved into my own place, I made a conscious decision that I was going to look after my pieces and decided I didn't want to have my smoking wares spread over every surface of the house. I also have a dog, so keeping a bong on a coffee table or in the middle of the room is asking for disaster when his wagging tale inevitably sends it flying. 

Despite this, I didn't want to store everything away in some cabinet. I like the few goto pieces I use the most to be readily at hand. So I thought really hard about how to store my items safely without sacrificing the accessibility I so desired. In this article, I'll share some tips for protecting your glass without sacrificing too much convenience.

Credit for photo: healthline.com

Store glass out of the way if you have an active household

This sounds like a no-brainer. If you live in an active household, whether it's friends, roommates, or like me, an excitable pet running around, then it's always safe to keep anything that can be easily broken stored away. 

This means that you need to find a storage solution for anything glass. The easiest option is a display or storage cabinet, if money and space permit, but a large padded case, footlocker, or similar is absolutely fine. 

Rather than one dedicated space, it could be that several smaller storage spaces around the house suit your best.  

I like to use both strategies. As my glass collection has grown, trying to keep everything in one dedicated place isn't easy. 

Try out a few of these strategies to help keep your more delicate items safe. 

A dedicated storage space

In general, I like to have larger dedicated storage space for all the items I don't use very often. 

In this larger storage area, I keep a few big bongs that I only bring out for special occasions. There are a couple of other older pieces that I don't use often but can't bring myself to throw out or give away. Then there are a few spare storage jars, a hand full of old bowls, nails, and dab tools, as well as some gas for my lighter and other odds and ends I've accumulated over the years.

For me, this storage space is in the form of a lovely cabinet in the corner of my living room. 

But I'm sure you can find some safe out of way space in your home. 

Whether it's a closet, a cabinet, or trunk, they all work.

Whichever you go for, make sure your pieces won't be knocked or bumped because haphazardly heaping them all together is asking for disaster to strike. 

With that in mind, it can be useful to keep anything like bubble wrap or boxes that more delicate pieces come in. 

You need to think about how you organize the area and get access to each piece without disturbing the others.

In other words, if you were to put all the small pipes in one area, could you grab one pipe from the back without touching or knocking over any of the pipes in front? Or would you need to remove everything to get that one pipe from the back you want to use?

Try to keep your storage space organized so that each piece can be easily removed for use. 

I find the easiest way to do this is to keep my glass sorted in order of size. The smaller and shortest pieces are at the front, while the bigger, taller bongs are at the back. 

My bongs all have a wide base, so they are not top-heavy, but if you have pieces that are, try protecting them in a towel or bubble wrap and placing them down on their side. 

You have to decide which works best for your space, but I like to store my pieces in groups. All the nails and bowls are wrapped up and laid out near the front, with spoons and pipes behind them. Then along the back, I have the bongs, and dab rigs lined up. Spare containers, gas for my lighter, dab tools, and the like are off to the other side. In front of those, I have a basket with some spare cartridges and odds and ends. 

  This way, I can reach any piece without disturbing too much. 

Grouping your collection will mean you know where everything is at a glance and keep it all accessible. 

Credit for photo: the-bong-shop.business.

Keep daily use pieces within arm's reach.

I'm sure you'll agree that for daily use pieces keeping them in the cabinet and taking them in and out of it every day is an inconvenience we can do without. 

My current daily go-to bong is a reasonable size but has a large beaker style base. It's not likely to fall over by itself. However, I can't leave it sitting out on the coffee table. But I've devised an excellent way to keep it safe and easily accessible. I have a side table that is closed around the bottom on all but one side, and my bong sits under there perfectly. This way, it stays safe from wagging dog tails, and I can grab it while sitting on the sofa. 

Those other everyday items such as my pipe and vapes are tucked away in a draw under my coffee table. Easily accessible yet out of the way. I also keep my screens, tray, and rolling papers there.

If you're keeping anything glass in a draw, then be sure it can't rattle around and knock into anything else, be sure to keep those drawers tidy as well.

If you don't have drawers, you can always use the same idea of putting towels in a small basket and storing the pipes you're going to use there. Keeping your glassware in storage will make your glass safer and help prevent the house from getting too cluttered without sacrificing the convenience of what you want!

For your favorite pieces

For your favorite or most expensive items, I suggest you take extra precautions. I keep my favorite pieces apart from the rest of the glassware, where nothing can fall over or knock into them accidentally. 

I have dedicated the uppermost shelf of my cabinet to these pieces so they can take pride-of-place on display yet remain safely away from hazards. 

A dedicated display cabinet is probably the safest option, but they won't always come cheap, and because of the different sizes and shapes of the glass pieces, it can be hard to find a cabinet that fits all your unique pieces. So sometimes you'll have to improvise. 

As long as you can keep it in something with a hard exterior and where it won't accidentally be knocked, it should be safe. 

However, if you are willing to take on the challenge and are handy with tools, you can make a custom case or display cabinet for a reasonable price! It could also be the ideal project to keep you busy during these trying times.

Keeping your water pipes and other paraphernalia stored and organized ensures they will last longer and makes it easier to find the pieces you want when you need them! Hopefully, you got some ideas here on how to manage and look after your collection. If you liked this article you amy also be interested in our article on how to keep your weed fresh.