It’s officially spooky season and boy, do we have a tale for you. Think about the moldiest motel bathroom you’ve ever seen. Imagine that filth inside your bong, going straight into your lungs. Now THAT is a scary Halloween story, and unfortunately, it’s not fictional.
Even if it’s just a small amount circulating in the air around you, mold can cause a chronic cough and other respiratory tract symptoms. These can even be lasting effects that eventually lead to asthma. Plus, you don’t want to be that guy that has the dirty bong no one ever wants to hit… ew. The good news is that you can turn this horror story into a happy ending by simply keeping your bong squeaky clean!
So how does mold form, and how often do you have to clean your bong? For mold to form in your water pipe, you need three components: a surface, moisture, and nutrients (plant matter). As you take a rip, it's inevitable that plant matter will fall through the bowl into your pipe water. Keep reading to learn about the stages of mold development inside your bong and how to clean it quickly and easily.
The 3 Toxic Stages of Mold in Your Water Pipe
Just like any damp place, like a bathroom, water pipes are breeding grounds for many harmful kinds of fusarium, yeast, bacteria and other kinds of microbes. Fusarium is fungi that can cause you to feel ill if inhaled. Don't blow your high with fusarium, guys!
If you don't clean your water pipe daily, mold can begin to appear within 24-48 hours. The mold in your glass pipe will then progress into these three stages…
Stage 1. Fungus
Moldy water pipes will display a pink film, which is essentially fungus. This is what you see when you look at the build up inside your water pipe when it's been left for too long without a good cleaning. Fungi and bacteria are produced from live plant matter such as cannabis residue. If you keep your water pipe clean, you will stop this growth in its tracks! If you don't it will progress to the next stage... *cue tense string music*
Stage 2. White Mold
What begins as fungi that can simply be wiped away soon turns into mold that is nearly impossible to kill: white mold.
White mold is what comes as a result of keeping a moldy water pipe sitting for too long. White mold is extremely hard to kill with bleach, the toughest (most toxic) cleaner, which you don’t want to have to use in your water pipe. This is why it's so important to keep it consistently clean.
Plus, white mold will form in the most difficult places to reach and it grows back. Spooky! And speaking of spooky, if you've never heard of biofilm, you'll want to read about the third stage of mold growth in your bong.
Stage 3. Biofilm
Biofilm can grow anywhere there is a combination of a surface, moisture, and nutrients. Your water pipe is its perfect playground!
Microbes begin to release these tiny molecules that enable them to latch onto surfaces, like the walls of your water pipe and cannabis plant residue that lingers in pipe water. Biofilm is what protects these substances released by microbes. When infections and illnesses come about from this biofilm, it's all the more dangerous and difficult to treat.
Biofilm is the great protector of mold in water pipes and if you let it go long enough, it causes serious health risks.
So, what can you do to dominate mold before it dominates your water pipe, no matter what stage it’s in?
How to Clean Your Glass in 60 Seconds - Even with Mold
Resolution Gel is the quickest and safest way to clean a water pipe even with all 3 toxic stages of mold.
By using a natural, clay based solution, you no longer need to worry about the harmful effects of alcohol or the damage done to your favorite glass piece with coarse salt. Learn more on the dangers of isopropyl alcohol and salt and how to clean a water pipe without alcohol. To make cleaning as painless and easy as possible, the Res Gel Kit comes with everything you'll need to clean your water pipe fast!
Follow this method to clean a moldy water pipe in 60 seconds:
Step 1 : Shake to Activate Res Gel
By shaking your Resolution Gel water pipe cleaning pouch, you are activating all of the natural clay based ingredients that can eliminate the mold inside of your glass pipe. Don't sweat this part too much—a good 3-5 second shake will suffice.
Step 2 : Pour Res Gel in Dirty Water Pipe
Pour the Res Gel solution into your water pipe and apply the res caps to mouth hole and down stem opening. Gently swish the liquid around for about 20-30 seconds. Use a pipe cleaner to get those tough to reach spots if needed. This method will kill any harmful bacteria and molds without the need of rubbing alcohol!
Step 3 : Rinse with Warm Water
Since Res Gel is reusable (score!), you will want to pour the used solution back into resealable Res bag. You can use it again and again!
Always rinse your smoking glass in warm water, never hot! Any remaining resin build-up will be washed away by warm water, but if you use hot water, you will melt resin back down and it will stick back onto the glass. In 60 seconds, you've got a clean, sparkling water pipe! Watch this video to see the Resolutioncolo Bong & Pipe cleaner in action!
Pro Tip: After smoking from a water pipe, pour out the dirty pipe water immediately, leave it to dry, and refill with fresh water at the beginning of your next sesh! This gives bacteria, molds and biofilm less of a chance to grow.
See? It’s not such a spooky story after all! You don't have to use isopropyl alcohol or lemon juice to clean resin and molds from water pipes and glass pipes. Improve your cannabis experience in a much simpler way by keeping your pipe clean and free of harmful fungi and bacteria.
