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Cleaning Advice


shesmokes

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[quote name='Caterpillar_2' timestamp='1305344551' post='509455']
Is plain tap water ok to clean your stem, base and tray? A friend of mine uses distilled water to clean them. He is a bit paranoid, though.
[/quote]

if your tap water is safe to drink, It's safe to clean your hookah with. I wouldn't be too worried.
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[quote name='MichaelLCP' timestamp='1305393335' post='509493']
[quote name='Caterpillar_2' timestamp='1305344551' post='509455']
Is plain tap water ok to clean your stem, base and tray? A friend of mine uses distilled water to clean them. He is a bit paranoid, though.
[/quote]

if your tap water is safe to drink, It's safe to clean your hookah with. I wouldn't be too worried.
[/quote]

it's safe I guess... the reason he insists on using distilled water is all the minerals and stuff that tap water contains.. he told me that they can "stain" the hookah and even make it rot
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Okay, I need to ask this. When I use lemon juice to clean my hookah, am I supposed to run concentrated lemon juice down the stem? Or am I supposed to mix parts of it with water? I ask because my hookah starts to smell all lemony after I use concentrated lemon juice, even after I rinse it out well with water afterwards?
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You clean it with lemon juice, yet your surprised it smells like lemons after?

Kill it with fire. Seriously, just throw it in the fire, solves everything.
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I dilute the lemon concentrate with water. Usually 1 part lemon juice 3 parts water. I then rinse with plain water usually 2-3 times after cleaning with lemon juice mixture.
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Hey guys, I got a hookah off craigslist and it hasnt been cleaned in a while. I polished the outside with Brasso and it looks really nice, but I was wondering if I should use it on the inside of the stem? It seems like that would be a mission to clean though. So, should I use brasso or just hot water/ lemon for a stem that hasnt been cleaned out.
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[quote name='kajon' timestamp='1305739123' post='509839']
Hey guys, I got a hookah off craigslist and it hasnt been cleaned in a while. I polished the outside with Brasso and it looks really nice, but I was wondering if I should use it on the inside of the stem? It seems like that would be a mission to clean though. So, should I use brasso or just hot water/ lemon for a stem that hasnt been cleaned out.
[/quote]

Run some vodka down the stem and since you can't tell when it was cleaned last by the one who sold it, I'd say give it a good scrub with a stem brush and all.
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  • 3 weeks later...
I wash mine after every use with warm water usually...little bugger comes apart in almost every section. Granted I dont smoke every day, maybe once to three times a week, but that seems to be more than enough, rather than putting soaps and whatnot. I dont have a brush for mine, and when I'm just rinsing it out, it always seems clean after I'm done and I've never had an issue of lingering flavors, especially from my old hose too(rip lol)...looks like everyone does it differently though.
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  • 4 weeks later...
For glass bases, rubbing alcohol and salt in there and shake shake shake it up! This will take ghosting or stains off really well. Rinse well after.

For everything else, I use hot water and a gun barrel brush.
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[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1290746123' post='489503']
[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1290742600' post='489496']
Same as above.. hot water + soap. I don't have a washable hose so I just blow through it.


question though. I have an old hookah I acquired but it sat with water in it for a while and now has a little bit of mold in the base. I would like to get rid of the mold.. anyone know a chemical/ cleaning agent that can easily break down the mold? '
I'm not going to smoke the hookah, just want it clean to use it as decoration and maybe down the line see if i can get any money out of it.
[/quote]

I had something growing at one point in my hookah. Only thing that got it out was a brush... I don't think the cleaning solution would matter much though.
[/quote]

REALLY hot water and bleach, then let it sit for a while, use a stiff brush to get it all out. Rinse really well to remove all the bleach and then leave out to airdry, preferably upside down on a towel. (That's how I make my maid clean my pipe!)
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[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1290746123' post='489503']
[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1290742600' post='489496']
Same as above.. hot water + soap. I don't have a washable hose so I just blow through it.


question though. I have an old hookah I acquired but it sat with water in it for a while and now has a little bit of mold in the base. I would like to get rid of the mold.. anyone know a chemical/ cleaning agent that can easily break down the mold? '
I'm not going to smoke the hookah, just want it clean to use it as decoration and maybe down the line see if i can get any money out of it.
[/quote]

I had something growing at one point in my hookah. Only thing that got it out was a brush... I don't think the cleaning solution would matter much though.
[/quote]

REALLY hot water and bleach, then let it sit for a while, use a stiff brush to get it all out. Rinse really well to remove all the bleach and then leave out to airdry, preferably upside down on a towel. (That's how I make my maid clean my pipe!)
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[quote name='Scrappydoo' timestamp='1309689942' post='514478']
[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1290746123' post='489503']
[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1290742600' post='489496']
Same as above.. hot water + soap. I don't have a washable hose so I just blow through it.


question though. I have an old hookah I acquired but it sat with water in it for a while and now has a little bit of mold in the base. I would like to get rid of the mold.. anyone know a chemical/ cleaning agent that can easily break down the mold? '
I'm not going to smoke the hookah, just want it clean to use it as decoration and maybe down the line see if i can get any money out of it.
[/quote]

I had something growing at one point in my hookah. Only thing that got it out was a brush... I don't think the cleaning solution would matter much though.
[/quote]

REALLY hot water and bleach, then let it sit for a while, use a stiff brush to get it all out. Rinse really well to remove all the bleach and then leave out to airdry, preferably upside down on a towel. (That's how I make my maid clean my pipe!)
[/quote]

OOPS I didn't mean to make that go twice and I really do have a maid/house cleaner. I read that later and it sounds dirty (if I were a guy).
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[quote name='noodle' timestamp='1309765368' post='514544']
[quote name='MichaelLCP' timestamp='1309674891' post='514463']
Rubbing alcohol? That sounds dangerous.....
[/quote]

Make sure the alcohol has completely evaporated and you'll be fine.
[/quote]

I think I'll just stick with hot water and soap.
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Not as long as you rinse it - it'll be fine. It lets the salt act as an abrasive/scrubber. It is only for glass though, I wouldn't use it on anything else. Edited by nkfm
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[quote name='nkfm' timestamp='1310242747' post='515304']
Not as long as you rinse it - it'll be fine. It lets the salt act as an abrasive/scrubber. It is only for glass though, I wouldn't use it on anything else.
[/quote]

Yeah I'll try it next time.
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  • 1 month later...
For really stubborn stains, you can use OxyClean too. Or go to a homebrew place and get carboy cleaner (it's the stuff you use to clean out those 5 gallon fermenting jugs). I wouldn't use that on hoses, but you could probably use it on the stem as well as the vase and bowl. If you have stained tubing (like for the homemade hoses), while you're at the homebrew place, pick up some line cleaner.

These are suggestions for those really stubborn stains. Otherwise the vinegar or lemon juice sounds like the ticket!
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A good way in lieu of utilizing hot water, soap and lemon juice - listerine works wonders on getting the nasty taste out of the stem, glass base and certain hoses. But it tends to leave a minty after taste during the first smoke.
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[quote name='Satou' timestamp='1314850377' post='522137']
A good way in lieu of utilizing hot water, soap and lemon juice - listerine works wonders on getting the nasty taste out of the stem, glass base and certain hoses. But it tends to leave a minty after taste during the first smoke.
[/quote]
Interesting, I'll have to try this... I prefer minty to that weird old-hookah flavor.
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