Hookah Cleaning 101

[clickhea]

i was kinda hoping everyone could contribute their routine for cleaning their hookah.

Stem, Base, hoses, mods etc etc.

I think setting it up like the review section may be helpful, so that we can have all the information easy to browse in 1 thread.


Base:

Soak in hot water with baking soda and lemon for about 20 mins. Shake around base and allow water to empty out. Rinse a few times.

Stem:

I cut a coat hanger and bent it straight. At one end i attached about 3 or 4 pipe cleaners which are wrapped around each other. I use this to scrub the inside of my stem clean after each smoke. Every 2 or 3 smokes i allow water and some lemon juice to run through the stem to remove any smells left behind. I then will add some cooking oil to the stem to help prevent any rusting.

I purchased a rifle cleaning kit, but it has not come yet.

Hoses:

I dont currently own any washable hoses.

Scalli mod:

i allow the mod to sit in boiling water with baking soda for about 15-20 mins. Edited June 12, 2007 by clickhea

[leadpipecinch21]

base-Rinse out with water after every smoke...after about 2 weeks or so i'll fill a bucket with lemon juice and water, and let it sit for an hour or so to loosen anything that might have stuck to the glass, hit it with a cleaning brush, and rinse a bunch

stem-use stem brush after every single session...knocks out all of the juices and burned tobacco that might end up down there. every two weeks i let it sit in the lemon/water with the base, then hit it with the brush again to knock everything down, and rinse.

hoses-they're made of the vinyl tubing, so i just rinse out after each use...if they get extra nasty, i just throw out the tubing, and make another hose for another $.90...

don't have a scalli mod, but it'd probably be pretty close to what i do with the base...

[Calcartman]

Rinse with water after every smoke.
Every couple weeks fill up the sink with baking soda and hot water, and let all my bowls, grommets, stems, bowls, tongs, etc soak in the water.
Then scrub and rinse and put back.

[drfishy520]

Base: Rinse with hot soapy water
Stem: Run hot water through it. I've been meaning to buy pipe cleaners.
Grommets, ball bearing: Let them sit in hot soapy water
Smiley's glass bowl and screen: I let it soak in hot water for 5 minutes or so, and then clean it with the rough end of a sponge
Hose: It's washable, so I just run water through it

[hookahlife]

Hey everyone,

This is from the HKH-101 section of our website:

Your hookah is only as good as the care you provide it with. To keep your hookah smoking as thick and as smooth as the first day you got it you should:

1. Clean it after every use
   1. Run warm water through the hose, clearing all residue left behind from the previous smoke
   2. Rinse out the base (you can use lemon juice as well as baking soda with warm water in combination with a base cleaner to provide a more thorough cleaning.)
   3. Run warm water through the stem, using a stem cleaner to clear any excess tobacco that has fallen through the bowl as well as smoke residue that has planted itself on the inner walls of the stem.
   4. Wash the bowl with warm water. Clear all burned tobacco off the inner lining of the bowl as well as the inside were some of it might have fallen through.
2. Use Fresh Tobacco
   1. Once you open your tobacco it will only stay moist for a few days under normal conditions.
   2. Putting your tobacco into an air-tight jar will keep it moist for a few weeks longer, but even then it will still dry out.
   3. By mixing your dry tobacco with honey or molasses you can recreate that "moist" consistency it once had.
3. Change the water after every use
   1. Dump out the old water.
   2. Clean the base with warm water, lemon juice, baking soda, and the help of a base brush.
4. Change the Hose
   1. Every hose experiences wear and tear, but how much wear in tear is too much?
   2. After 30 or so uses the inner lining of the hose as well as the inside of the wooden ends starts to wear down and deteriorate.
   3. You should change your hose anywhere between your 30^th-50^th smoking session, depending on how long your average smoking session lasts.

Following these steps will keep your hookah smoking like a champ for years on end!

[chinamon]

i just put some baking soda in to my stem (about 3 grams), pouring in some warm water and shoved my cleaning brush in it. it took out a lot more dirt than i thought. i had just finished cleaning my stem yesterday and havent even used it yet.

[tj154906]

You should change your hose anywhere between your 30^th-50^th smoking session, depending on how long your average smoking session lasts.

Does anyone really do this? I've had my Mya washable hose for way longer than 50 smokes and it seems to be doing well. I'd have to get a new hose like every month to keep up

[Foos]

You should change your hose anywhere between your 30^th-50^th smoking session, depending on how long your average smoking session lasts.

Does anyone really do this? I've had my Mya washable hose for way longer than 50 smokes and it seems to be doing well. I'd have to get a new hose like every month to keep up

Ive never heard of anyone doing that before, Ive used non washables longer than 30 sessions and I just got a nammor hose and I definatley dont plan on replacing it after 30-50 smokes.

[Ocrap]

I just bought a new hose. My other one lasted me almost a year. I had to have had more than 100 sessions.

[lightphinx]

I didn't have any vinegar or baking soda at the moment so I used orange Listerine mouthwash. I blocked one of the end of the stem, and put the mouthwash in, and shake the stem up and the mouthwash that had the color orange had a reddish/pink tint to it. I guess it's because of the rose shesha I've been trying to finish off. After that I then ran hot water through the stem. I know I probably need a cleaning brush to get more gunk off, but i can see the reflection of the light shining through my stem. I also did that for the base, I just swirled mouth wash into it, then rinsed it with hot water, and then put soap and hot water and rinsed the base again.

If you have one of those shower hoses in your bathroom, you can use the high power pressure to hot and pressure clean the base without a brush.

[armenakadino]

I was wondering about those hookah cleaners sold on hookah websites does anyone reccomend that.

[Rani]

I rinse everything with hot water after every use and let it air dry - which is pretty much nightly. Every weekend I seriously scrub it with brushes and vinegar followed by lots of hot water. And I use only Nammor hoses so I'm pretty much standing over here in the line that says no way am I throwing out hoses after 30 uses.

'Rani

[Sonthert]

Rinse with cold water, down main shank, hose port (hose removed, silly!), rinse jar, remove head gasket and rinse juice off and also rinse ask off tray. Use cold water and brush as needed (usually every fourth smoking).