How to use a Water Bong!











The Health Benefits of Using a Water Pipe

Long known for their association with marijuana or other illegal substances, water pipes, or bongs as they are commonly known, have often been avoided for this very reason. There have also been many negative articles posted in the last few years regarding the use of water pipes as a conduit for tobacco smoking. However, some of these long publicised disadvantages might be countered to an extent with the moderated use and good hygiene of your product. During the course of this article, I will be discussing some of these counter measures. However, some positive attributes remain prevalent.

For example, the filtering effect water pipes have on tobacco and other legal substances make them somewhat healthier than you might first think. Suitability for newer smokers too. Here are just a few advantageous facts about smoking with a water pipe:

Newcomer friendly: A water pipe is a somewhat easier way for newcomers to try smoking. The bubbles the pipe produces during inhalation make the smoke smoother on the throat than the average cigarette or cigar. Taking shallower breaths for much shorter time periods can help a newcomer ease into the experience of smoking for the first time.

A Smoother smoke: To elaborate on the above, the main reason why many smokers might opt for a water pipe is purely because they won’t irritate the smoker’s throat like cigarettes, roll up tobacco or cigars can. Warm water kills off any bacteria in the smoke, offering a cleaner inhalation while cool water will subsequently cool it. This can reduce exposure to common smoking-related conditions such as bronchitis when used in moderation.

Using a glass water pipe: Using a glass water pipe, as opposed to a home made plastic or aluminium one can help reduce the additional chemicals water pipes are often criticised for exposing consumers to.

Always clean your water pipe after use: re-using dirty water or cleaning solution might be eco-friendly but it certainly isn’t healthy. In fact, neglecting to clean your water pipe actually cancels out its filtering effect, so make sure that you clean your pipe thoroughly and regularly.

Suitable for casual use: Water pipes actually filter out a number of carcinogens per inhalation, lowering the smoker’s chance of vulnerability to illnesses such as lung cancer. However, it does also drive the smoke deeper and faster into the lungs. So while the toxins inhaled in a single hit of tobacco from a water pipe might be less than those of a cigarette, caution is advised. Like all legal highs, such as alcohol, you should always use tobacco and your water pipe in moderation to avoid cancelling out these health benefits with overuse.

Remember, when using a water pipe there are two things above all that should be considered: using a pipe is a personal preference and one, if regulated and properly used, has health benefits other methods don‘t have that can be taken advantage of. Water pipes are a cheaper, more aesthetically friendly and accessible alternative to smoking. As a smoker, you invariably run the risk of negative health effects - take responsibility for your usage and, with the proper care and maintenance of your pipe, why not make it a safer alternative?

How To Clean Your Water Bong!

A water bong can be your best ‘hit’ buddy only if you clean it properly and make sure you do it on a regular basis. There are various measures that can be taken into action to clean your bong. This varies from basic bong cleaning to cleaning it using solvents and abrasives. This article will guide you through these various procedures of maintaining your water bong sparkling clean. At the end of the article you’ll also find some tips that I personally recommend. Let’s start with basic bong cleaning.

First, remove the slide and bowl from your bong and place them on a flat surface. Dump all the bong water into the sink. Please make sure that you don’t spill any of it on your carpet or anywhere on the floor because it will leave bad odour which take ages to go away. Now, soak your bong with some hot water and allow it to sink. In case you have spilled bong water on your carpet, you can apply white vinegar and baking soda paste and leave it for about an hour. Then wash the paste using water and there will be no odour left. Place the removed slide and bowl in reseal-able plastic bags and soak them with any kind of cleaner. Shake the bag until some resin start to come off. Use any kind of pointed (not sharp) objects like chopsticks from outside of plastic bag to clean the bowl. Try not to puncture the bag. Leave your slide and bowl submerged in cleaner. Drain the hot water from your bong and fill it up with the cleaner. Seal the bong opening using your hand and shake it vigorously several times and rinse it. Repeat this several times until the resin is completely removed. Finally, check the slide and bowl that you left in the plastic bags. Remove the cleaner. Use a napkin or a paper towel to get a shiny new look. Your bong is clean, shiny and ready to be used again.

Second method would be using an Abrasive and a solvent to clean your bong. Get a solvent (denatured alcohol solvent etc.) and salt (Abrasive) which is easily available in the supermarket next door. Put the solvent and 1 teaspoon of salt into your bong. Let it soak for about 10-15 minutes. Finally, shake your bong vigorously to clean the resin out and rinse it using hot water to remove any dirt left.

Third method includes using boiling water and dish washing detergent. Dissemble your bong and pour dish washing detergent with hot boiling water. Let it sit for few minutes (about 15-20) so that it can remove the resin away. Wrap the bong with a cloth and shake it. When the bong is clean, rinse it with hot water. Repeat this process several times until the bong is resin free.

Lastly, you can clean hard to reach areas easily using a flexible coat hanger or some thick metal wire. Fold and twist the metal wire or coat hanger so that its firm enough. Twist the metal wire into ‘J’ or ‘L’ shape. Using a rubber band, tie a paper towel at the folded end of metal wire or coat hanger. Rinse it with denatured alcohol and use it to reach hard areas of your bong. Simply change the angles according to the surfaces you are cleaning. Now that you have done your hard work in maintaining your water bong clean and shiny, it’s time to have a smoke again.


Useful Tips: Avoid using soaps or washing gel. Else next time you smoke, it’s going to taste as if you are inhaling soaps. Some users add a few drops of milk to the bong because milk prevents resin sticking to the glass and reduces roughness. In case you are using denatured alcohol or any alcoholic solutions to wash your water bong, try doing so in ventilated areas. Make sure there is no fire around as alcohol is highly inflammable.