Safe hookah cleaning

[Sonthert]

Someone sent me a private message and I have seen several questions that create my post here. I have heard and seen some awful things...please don't hurt yourself! Smoking is dangerous enough. If you use milk...it will get stuck...it will sour and it will stink. Don't put anything in your jar that will spoil! ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------

Hi,

 You said in a post that using bleach for a glass base is a bad
idea.  I am curious to why, and what do you recommend? Thanks.

 

You know anything about chemistry? Here's a little
lesson, sorry if its too simple and/or you know about chemistry:

Bleach->Sodium Hypochlorite
Glycerine->1,2,3-trihydroxypropane
Propylene Glycol->1,2-dihydroxypropane
Rubbing Alcohol -> 2-hydroxypropane

Hypochlorite is an oxidizing agent, that is from a Bronsted-Lowry perspective,
it wants to steal electrons from somewhere else, namely, a nice big juicy
alkane/polyhydric alcohol (aka glycols). All those electrons!! So Hypochlorite
steals electrons and becomes Chorine gas which, in the presence of water
becomes Hydrogen Chloride gas which, again mixes with water to become
Hydrochloric acid. Chlorine is the stuff that burns your skin…or your lungs…like
a swallowing a blowtorch. I watched a man almost die from a similar chemical
reaction, in this case Phosgene gas (used by the British in WWI as a gas
warfare agent). He seemed fine for awhile; a little dizzy (He said it smelled
like moldy hay) and inside his warm, moist lungs; the gas was reacting with the
water in there. He started to cough a little...then desperately...struggling to
breathe and then he was projectile vomiting blood all in the span of 90 seconds
or so. He was hospitalized for 6 weeks, in an oxygen tent, his lungs permanently
damaged. Phosgene is far more powerful than bleach, but the reaction is more or
less the same. A little residue of bleach or a little residue of glycerine or
propylene glycol and they mix to form a dense, heavy vapor at the bottom of
your jar waiting for water. If you are unfortunate enough for the residue to be
on the side of the jar, above the water, then it goes directly into your lungs.
The same reaction happens when ammonia is mixed with bleach.

Cleaning-just water or if you feel spunky you can use beer or vodka. You can
also use rubbing alcohol mixed with water (about 5 or 10 to 1 for ratio) or in
other words, get an old gallon jug, add eight ounces of rubbing alcohol (one
cup) and then fill with water, shake well. Make sure to mark the bottle
clearly! Don't store in the refrigerator or near food. Enough rubbing alcohol
(Isopropyl alcohol) is poison or may cause blindness (coincidently, rubbing
alcohol, which is dangerous is one alcohol group away from being propylene
glycol which is VERY safe). If you have children, or stupid people
living near you, please, just use beer. Drunk is better than blind!

Some detergents or cleaning products secretly contain bleach and have it hidden
under different names. Avoid them!
------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------- -----------------------
I hope needless suffering can be avoided. Please be careful! Random experiments can be fun and can be dangerous when your talking about inhaling your mistakes. My friend Dan almost died. I don't want you to either.

[mitsubishimine2000]

Thank you for the info....Man everytime i have a Q about anything with hookahs you know it. The stuff i buy from you is so good ever since i got hooked on your stuff i the only experimenting i do is with mixing all the flavors around to see what i get like i made apple pie cinnamon and apple ohh so good.  I cant wait tell i go there next time to see what new flavors you got now, so are you in the 40s yet i think with all of the flavors you got and by mixxing them you could come up with thousands of new ones to try, so everyone once you go TANGIERS you WONT go back....

[hookahphxsmoker]

hmmm i am interested in sampling this tobacco before purchase....anyone wanna send me a sample? 

[gunsboy]

what about those metal/rust cleaning products ??
Do they work ? Are they dangerous ?

[ahwahoo2006]

Heres a good rule gunsboy:

If you wouldn't drink it or eat it, you probably don't want to smoke it. 

Granted, it would probably be such a small amount that it would only
make you sick and not kill you, but thats still not an experience I
want to have.  The only things I use to clean my hookahs are
water, a little dap of soap, and occasionally, like once every few
months an all-natural glass cleaner.  Most new hookahs are also
dishwasher safe if you want to get a really thourough clean.

[gunsboy]

Thanks bro

[dizzing]

so i guess that 50/50 bleach/ammonia mixture in the base to go with my nahkla mixed fruit is a bad idea?

[tjt486]

Yes, but what about hydrochloric acid?

[Soup]

Why not letting your base soak in hot water.  If your stem is stainless, it should be fine too.  Basically everything besides the hoses can be done this way, I'd figure.

[Sonthert]

If you put one bullet in a revolver and spin the chamber, put it to your head and pull the trigger, you should be fine, one in six chance isn't very good. Why risk it?