Is Hookah Cleaning Necessary?

[Blakefox]

I've had two pipes now, a KM OG Tri-metal and a chinese pumpkin, and they've both eventually gotten that rusty taste/smell coloration from inside the hookah. I've bathed in water. I've added lemon juice. I've added baking soda. I've added both baking soda and lemon juice ( was like a science fair volcano). So is washing necessary. The only way I'd reckon it would get rust would be water. Could i maybe just brush it dry and just blow some air? I do smoke a lot of different flavors, so ghosting worries me. Would a brass stem maybe affect the rusting or how long it takes? I've also been recommended by a hookah owner to bathe it in a water/bleach solution. should i?

[ntur]

i clean mine with baking soda and lemon juice or just use soap about once a week. i dont know if bleach is a good idea unless you make sure to rinse all of the bleach out with water or use some soap after wards.

[cam]

I think i would be more concerned about the disgusting taste than washing possibly causing rust. To many ghosted flavors is just nasty.

[Chreees]

You should definitely run water through all the parts before or after you smoke each time. Different people on here do different things- but they all clean their hookahs somehow and sometime, whether it be every time they smoke or once a week. I like to clean mine immediately after I'm done smoking, using water. Then about once a week I'll do a deep clean with baking soda and lemon juice. I don't ever scrub, except maybe I'll run the stem brush through when I do the deep cleaning.

[ezxen]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' timestamp='1284146101' post='481834']
You should definitely run water through all the parts before or after you smoke each time. Different people on here do different things- but they all clean their hookahs somehow and sometime, whether it be every time they smoke or once a week. I like to clean mine immediately after I'm done smoking, using water. Then about once a week I'll do a deep clean with baking soda and lemon juice. I don't ever scrub, except maybe I'll run the stem brush through when I do the deep cleaning.
[/quote]
Yeah atleast every two weeks i give my hookah a lemon and baking soda bath. I have to sqeez lemons as we never have lemon juice in myhouse ,So with all the pipes parts laying around baking soda fizzing lemons cut looks like im up to something dodgy

[Patrick]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' timestamp='1284146101' post='481834']
You should definitely run water through all the parts before or after you smoke each time. Different people on here do different things- but they all clean their hookahs somehow and sometime, whether it be every time they smoke or once a week. I like to clean mine immediately after I'm done smoking, using water. Then about once a week I'll do a deep clean with baking soda and lemon juice. I don't ever scrub, except maybe I'll run the stem brush through when I do the deep cleaning.
[/quote]

Totally agree!

[no longer welcome]

cleaning your hookah is as necessary as brushing your teeth. it's the right thing to do. i keep it simple and scrub with water and stem brush before every use. once in a great while i'll use some soap.

[Mikeyyy.]

i used to only use my hookah twice a month so i only washed it every other month.. :/

[dizzbizz]

You definitely need to clean the pipe. But you need to SCRUB it. running water down it isn't justice. I'd run water down my KM for a long time before I bought my brush. I scrubbed it for the first time and the water turned black. Never again will I ignore the scrub.

You can't scrub MYA's though. They just need to be rinsed.

[Tom1]

My hookah gets cleaned once a week, and it is constantly in the water. If mine doesn't rust but somehow yours does... you are doing something terribly wrong.

[Genie]

I only scrub mine occasionally, maybe after every third or fourth session, but I always rinse everything after a session. I kind of wonder if you just need to put your hookah parts somewhere better to dry. Do you have good ventilation where you let them dry? I assume you're letting them dry thoroughly before putting them back together and setting them on a shelf somewhere? I don't assemble mine unless I'm about to smoke, it's just easier for me to store them that way and I have a feeling it's better on the grommets.

[Dr. B]

I'll use a pipe for a week with the same water.

I clean my pipe after I stop using it, which is typically every 3 or 4 weeks.

I only use water and a brush.

Don't believe the hype

[spectrum055]

I always try to clean mine before each use, and if I remember after the use. Hot water cleaning then a run through with cold water. After the smoke I take my cleaning brush and scruby scruby scruby with suds then water to a finishing shine inside ^.^

[Genie]

[quote name='Blakefox' timestamp='1284144731' post='481829']
I've had two pipes now, a KM OG Tri-metal and a chinese pumpkin, and they've both eventually gotten that rusty taste/smell coloration from inside the hookah. I've bathed in water. I've added lemon juice. I've added baking soda. I've added both baking soda and lemon juice ( was like a science fair volcano). So is washing necessary. The only way I'd reckon it would get rust would be water. Could i maybe just brush it dry and just blow some air? I do smoke a lot of different flavors, so ghosting worries me. Would a brass stem maybe affect the rusting or how long it takes? I've also been recommended by a hookah owner to bathe it in a water/bleach solution. should i?
[/quote]

Wait, question, can you SEE the rust or just taste it? I figure you can see it based on your wording but I have to ask. Because if you can only taste it, maybe it's just your hose and not your pipes. Maybe you'll have to break down and use a stronger chemical on your pipe, Lime Away is supposed to remove rust stains. But, boy, you'd have to rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse.

[LJ04]

i usually just run hot water through everything when i break it down after a smoke. brush clean it, usually just with hot water and dish soap, every 10 or so smokes. i don't smoke a lot of different flavors, though, and most are berry type flavors, so not a lot of ghosting. if i smoke something with a strong/different flavor, gotta brush it, cuz the ghosting can get FUNKY.