Bong Cleaning Brushes

June 23, 2023 Der Knospenzwirbler
Weed Wissen

Acrylbongs brauchen bei der Reinigung besondere Aufmerksamkeit. Wir zeigen dir, welche Bürsten sich für Bowl, Chillum und Sieb eignen, warum weiche Wollbürsten Pflicht sind und wann Stahlbürsten ausnahmsweise sinnvoll sein können.

Unlike glass bongs, cleaning acrylic calls for gentler tools: no hard brushes, and definitely no steel brushes. In the worst case they can do irreparable damage to the material, sometimes even making the acrylic bong unusable. And even if it doesn't come to that worst-case scenario, the odds of ending up with a thoroughly unsightly piece are simply too high. Reaching for such heavy artillery isn't exactly good for your bong's lifespan either.

Wool brushes for the bowl

cleaning brush with wool head

The best compromise is probably a soft to medium wool brush, with or without a separate wool head. The latter comes in handy with bulbous acrylic bongs that have hard-to-reach “corners”, though it isn't strictly essential. Many seasoned bong cleaners swear by it, because acrylic's sensitivity means you can't soak it in bong cleaner for as long, so the brush matters more here than it does with glassware. In many cases the wool head lets you reach spots a conventional brush simply couldn't.

Cleaning the chillum

chillum cleaning brush

Things are a little less dramatic with the typical chillum brushes. Since the vast majority of chillums on acrylic bongs are made of aluminium, there's little to no risk of lasting damage. Any scratches don't matter much here either, as they'd only ever form inside the pipe where no one sees them. A thin to medium chillum brush is perfectly sufficient in most cases, and you can happily skip the pricey specialist brushes. That even holds for slide-bowl bongs (with a pull-out bowl and no fixed screen), although you can expect the chillum and the bong itself to get noticeably dirtier without a screen. That said, you should clean at regular intervals to counter a nasty layer of built-up grime. Even when the pipe looks clean again, long-standing residue leaves at least unpleasant smells (and therefore tastes) behind.

Cleaning the screen

cleaning brush for the screen

The only case where metal or steel brushes belong anywhere near an acrylic bong is cleaning the screens (if you use them). Here the gentle wool-head brushes won't get you very far and you usually need to reach for something more persuasive. This is the one spot for the rough approach, ideally a steel brush. Usually a few strokes over the dirty screen are enough to get it ready to use again. It's easier if you let the screens dry out a little first so they no longer have oily residue on them. Beyond the easier handling, that also means you get less gunk on your fingers. Once the screen is dry, the ash and grime more or less fall off on their own (hold an ashtray underneath!).

Author: Der Knospenzwirbler

‘Der Knospenzwirbler’ has been part of our company for over 20 years and has witnessed several generations of cannabis culture: from the early days right through to today’s developments. His many years of practical experience and his deep understanding of products, materials and trends make his contributions particularly valuable. ‘Der Knospenzwirbler’ is a pseudonym, but behind the name lies a real person with genuine experience. His writing is insightful, easy to understand and always packed with substance rather than empty hype.