Cleaning

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="3"][color="#4b0082"]I'm wondering how often and how everyone cleans their pipes! I am surprised that some people have said they clean theirs after a few uses or rarely! I clean my pipe thoroughly after every use, change the water after each bowl. I use lemon juice/baking soda sometimes if I've smoked an especially strong flavor! I hate ghost flavors. I use a slender brush for the stem and hose input thingy and a dish washing brush for the base. I run high powered water thru my washable hoses every time I use it and hang them up to dry. Maybe I'm a little extreme?[/color][/size][/font]

[mix_tape]

I usually rinse my hookah out after every use and clean out the bowl but sometimes due to lazy-ness or getting distracted I forget and leave my hookah set up after I'm done smoking for a few days in which I do a mega clean with lemon juice or if I haven't done a good cleaning on it in a while but I do experience some ghosting from to time time.

[Vladimir]

How much I clean has more to do with storage than smoking. If I feel like it has stored long enough to collect dust and maybe insects or whatever, it get's cleaned.

My routine is pretty much this.

Vase gets a quick rinse and fill, stem goes in... smoke. After smoke the vase gets poured out, rinsed thoroughly, the outside of the stem is dried off, the hose and stem get blown dry with the air compressor and the vase gets set inverted in my closet over paper towels. Bowl gets the same treatment as the vase.

I just got the new 23" and cleaning is much easier than it was on my 34" so may clean a bit more now. The 34" got the stem actually cleaned out maybe three times over a year and a half... with non-washable hose... never have I had a problem with ghosting. (I consider what I do maintenance, cleaning is running a brush over shit ).

[Jondd88]

I rinse everything out with hot water until the water coming off / out of it is clean.
I also scrape off any tobacco from my bowl.
I do this prior to every session as I am usually too lazy to do it afterwards

[Pretender85]

I usually just rinse it out with hot water after im done for the night..and i run lemon juice through maybe..once a month or so? never gets dirty if ya rinse it off every time

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Lately I've been pretty bad at cleaning my pipes regularly. I've had water sitting in my AF for 6 days now....chalk it up to laziness and an incredibly busy holiday season. When things are slower for me I rinse them after every use and clean them every couple weeks with water, baking soda, and lemon juice, after a thorough washing with dishsoap. I don't have the time to deep clean them after every use.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

after each use i thoroughly clean mine, the vase gets clean with dish washing soap and a scrubing, the stem gets the same treatment..dish washing soap and h water then followed by lemon juice and baking soda and a scrubing from both ends of the stem..the whole thing takes like 5 minutes.

[Zinite]

After every session I rinse the hose, stem, vase and bowl with water. If something is smelling funky, I'll add baking soda and lemon juice to the cleaning process

[Arcane]

i clean them after i done smoking for the session....i'll use the pipe for more than one bowl if i know i'm popping a new bowl on top within an hour or so...

if it's like 6hrs or more, i'll wash the hookah...

[Click]

I give them a scrub with water before every use.  Especially if it is brass to get the green stuff out.  

[nars2k]

Everytime before I smoke, change the water, run the brush through and run water through it

[Hippo_Master]

After every smoke, no need for ghosting. Edited December 13, 2009 by Hippo_Master

[fillup]

Ill usually clean it in the morning after smoking. If I smoke too much I might do it inbetween sessions.

Just use soap and water in base and only water in the stem. Than I alternate between just water + water and soap for the bowl.

[T355]

I just empty the base out and rinse for a couple of seconds after each time I smoke. I also just run water down the downstem, then look down it, if it looks clean I just blow the water out and call it a day.

As far the bowl goes, I just wipe it down with a wet towel. Never had a problem with ghosting, I just hang the hose up after each use.

Then maybe once ever two weeks or so ill run some soap or baking soda through it.

[thesmokinghose]

Use the brush to run through the stem then wash it out and just change the water in the base. For the head I use water and just wash it

[Chreees]

My hookah gets cleaned with hot water after every session. Deep baking soda/lemon juice cleaning comes about every month or so or if I smoke a really strong ghosting flavor.

[liquidglass]

Well normally I'll clean mine directly before a session (because I smoke Tangiers nearly exclusively) I see it as part of my ritual and honestly wouldn't feel like a fulfilling session without doing it.

I turn on some music/ipod, use baking soda/vinegar on the stem with some hot water then cold water to cool it off before the smoke. Paper towel through the inside to dry it. Rinse the base with hot water, fill it. Clean the bowl with a magic eraser while coals are lighting. Then pack it and boom ready to go.