What is the best way to change the water in my hookah?

…put it in a freezer….... the rubber will get hard/contract and all joints should be easy to get apart…............... do not leave it in so long that the water freezes <g> .... it expands and would potentially break the bulb…...

I recently read that putting a bong in the dishwasher can (if it’s sturdy enough) clean it without breaking it. Also, I know from personal experience that boiling a bowl is a much more effective means of removing the resin than, say, scraping it out with a key in the back of my car after a long day.

POINT IS hot water may erase the need for a deep cleaning, depending on how your hookah is put together.

Where did you buy it? You could probably check with the store…

@trumi This particular hookah is too delicate for the dishwasher, and would not fit in any boiling pot I’ve ever seen. Hot water rinses help, but don’t do the whole job.

We actually mentioned this problem to the clerk at the place we got it. He said yep, that’ll definitely be an issue. They didn’t even have extra downstems of the right height for it. What was the name of that place again, Capt_Bloth?

It is very thin glass, and I think it might be cracked. The hot water helps ( I always advocate hot water) but we cannot boil it.

Edit: @wildpotato you beat me. The name of the place was Freaky’s.

Aww, I love it when flutherites are in the same room. Who needs live conversation anymore, right?

:)

@trumi We’re actually about half a mile apart at the moment. But we do fluther in the same room, sometimes :o)

@Capt_Bloth Oh duh, Freaky’s. What a bad head shop that was. You think it’s already cracked? Oh no. :(

We are on opposite sides of the Hudson.

@wildpotato I heard thought I heard a crack last time we cleaned it, but I can’t see anyting.

Why not clean it with alcohol and salt?

It’s cool, I’m glad you both are enjoying the Collective. I only have one close friend that fluthers, and after he told me about it we both agreed to keep it our little secret. As he says, “sharing it with people you know in real life takes away the anonymity.”

Hard to answer a question about your favorite sex position when your cousin Jill is very possibly “observing.”

Anyway, have you considered pipe cleaners? They serve a purpose other than creating kindergarten art. Although I find them tedious and frustrating in either use…

Hmm. I’ve learned something today!

@uberbatman The down tube is about an inch from the bottom, and the hose goes in about an inch. A good deal of water remains in it and I am afraid of leaving salt and alcohol behind. The best I have come up with is to fill the hookah completely with water, blow out as much as possible and repeat, and repeat. It just doesn’t work that well.

id just fill it, let it soak for a while, and then just keep filling it with water to wash it all out. Any left over salt will dissolve in the water and wash out, and alcohol evaporate.

thanks again wildpotato for the alcohol salt trick. All my bowls look brand new :)

Have you tried cleaning it with vinegar? It works pretty well on my coffee pot. You might try baking soda and vinegar, as they will fizz up when mixed together and might remove some of the build-up inside. You can always rinse it out with water a few times to get the vinegar smell out. If vinegar and baking soda will unclog a drain, it might clean a bong, too.

Use soap and warm water to make it slippery, then pull it out.

Use Simple Green or rubbing alcohol to clean the tar out. Soaking it in simple green overnight would also work, then flush with a stream of water.

Update: we were able to work the hose out. IT IS CLEAN!!!!

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions.