Wax oil rigs aren’t simple smoking devices. They’re designed to vaporize the cannabis concentrates which are cannabis in their most potent form. However, the dab rigs will become dirty over time and will need to be cleaned.
The excess oil may clog the glassware or change the flavor of your next dab. Whether your dab rig is made from glass or silicone, you will need to clean the rig to enjoy it in the future. Here’s how to clean a rig so that you can enjoy your dabbing experience safely.
Key Takeaways
- Cleaning a dab rig improves the dabbing experience and prevents clogging from excess oil buildup.
- Use isopropyl alcohol, coarse salt, and warm water to clean the rig, soaking for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Alternative cleaning methods include using vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, or acetone.
- Keep the dab rig clean by cleaning after each use and performing regular deep cleans.
Why Dab Rig Cleaning is Important
Cleaning a dab rig is important to improve your dabbing experience. Dab rigs build up excess oil which can clog the dab glassware and impede the flavor of your next dab. Allowing THC concentrates to build up in your rig compromises its integrity.
In addition, a clean rig is not only an efficient rig but also a healthy rig. Cleaning it prevents viruses, bacteria, and mold from growing in the rig.
How to Clean a Dab Rig
You can clean a dab rig after each use using hot water, isopropyl alcohol, and salt.
- Time: 90 minutes to overnight
- Difficulty: Beginner
What You’ll Need
- Isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol
- A coarse salt such as table salt, rock salt, or sea salt
- Resealable plastic bags or cotton balls
- Cotton swab
- Container with lid
1. Make a Cleaning Solution
Make a cleaning solution by mixing 2 cups of isopropyl alcohol with ½ cup of coarse salt. Mix this solution until the salts have completely dissolved.
2. Fill Dab Rig
Take your dab rig apart and fill the chamber with the cleaning solution. Stop up the openings of the chamber with cotton balls or plastic bags.
Put the attachments into a large container and cover them with alcohol. Secure the lid to the container.
Alcohol evaporates quickly, so stopping up the openings and covering the container will prevent the alcohol from evaporating.
3. Agitate Cleaning Solution
Carefully agitate the cleaning solution inside the rig by swishing it around. Also, gently shake the container to make sure that the cleaning solution covers all the parts of the dab rig.
4. Soak Dab Rig
Soak the dab rig for at least 30-60 minutes or even overnight.
5. Rinse Dab Rig
After the dab rig has soaked, pour off the cleaning solution and rinse the pieces with warm water. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold as the temperature change could damage the dab rig.
Use a cotton swab to clean the hard-to-reach places in the banger, nail, carb cap, and mouthpiece.
6. Dry Dab Rig
Allow the inside of the dab rig to air dry and use a microfiber cloth to dry the outside.
How to Clean a Dab Rig Without Alcohol
You can clean the dab rig without alcohol by using one of these alternative cleaning methods.
With Dab Rig Cleaner
You can use a dab rig cleaner such as Kryptonite Glass Cleaner. Lightly coat the dab rig with the cleaner before pouring the cleaner into the dab rig. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes to dissolve any tough residue buildup inside it.
Pour the solution away and rinse the dab rig with warm water. Allow it to dry completely before using it again.
With Salt and Vinegar
Put your dab rig into a container or plastic bag. Pour salt into the container or bag and gently shake it until the dab rig is covered with salt. Now pour vinegar over your dab rig until it’s completely immersed in the vinegar.
Let it soak for at least 2 hours. After soaking, shake the container again. Use a cotton swab or brush to scrub the dab rig clean.
Rinse well with warm water and allow the dab rig to air dry on a towel.
With Vinegar and Rice
Another option is to use vinegar and rice to clean your dab rig. Put your dab rig into a plastic bag and pour rice over it. Shaking the bag to make sure that the dab rig is covered by the rice.
Pour enough vinegar into the plastic bag to cover the dab rig and seal it. Gently agitate the bag for a few minutes. Let the vinegar and rice soak for 30 minutes or so. Agitate the bag again to encourage the rice to remove the residue from your dab rig.
Pour off and toss the vinegar and rice. Use a cotton swab to scrub your dab rig clean. Rinse it well with warm water and allow the dab rig to air dry on a towel.
With Acetone
You can clean your dab rig by putting it in a plastic bag and soaking it in acetone instead of isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes or even overnight. After soaking, pour off the acetone and use a cotton swab to scrub the dab rig clean.
Rinse the dab rig well under warm running water. Allow it to completely dry before using your dab rig again.
With Lemon Juice and Water
Soak your dab rig overnight in some lemon juice. Then pour off the mixture and use a cotton swab to clean the dab rig. Rinse it well under warm running water and allow it to thoroughly dry before using it again.
With Baking Soda and Vinegar
Put the dab rig in a plastic bag. Fill the bag and the dab rig with vinegar and add a dash of baking soda. Let it soak for at least 2 hours before pouring out the baking soda and vinegar solution.
Rinse the dab rig with warm running water and wipe it clean. Allow it to completely air dry before using it again.
Tips For Cleaning Dab Rigs
Making sure that your dab rigs and bong are clean is important. Here are some tips to help you clean them.
- Clean your devices after each use.
- Torch your dab rig by heating it with a torch until the reclaim and residual carbon burns are gone.
- Plan on repeating the steps to clean your dab rig several times to remove all of the resin in it.
How to Get Reclaim Out of Rig
The resin or reclaim in your rig can be reused in several ways. Here’s how to get the reclaim out of your rig so you can use it later.
- Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Beginner
What You’ll Need
- Freezer
- Toothpick
1. Place Dab Rig In Freezer
Put your dab rig in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove Reclaim
Use a toothpick to remove as much of the reclaim and resin as you can. It will quickly become gummy, so put the dab rig back in the freezer to refreeze as needed.
How to Keep a Dab Rig Clean
The best way to keep your dab rig from getting dirty is to make sure you keep it clean.
- Clean your dab rig after each use.
- Deep clean your dab rig regularly.
- Wash your dab rig with warm soapy water to help prevent residue from building up.
- Torch your dab rig to remove resin and reclaim.
FAQs
How Do You Unclog a Dab Rig?
Unclog your dab rig by running hot water through and over all the parts of the dab rig including the nail. Then make sure that it’s empty of all water. Add a generous amount of salt to the chamber.
Shake the dab rig to make sure the salt covers as much of the dab rig as possible. Pour alcohol into the dab rig up to the water line. Then plug the openings with cotton balls.
Agitate the dab rig before letting it soak. You will need to let it soak for at least 10 minutes and possibly even overnight if it’s clogged.
After soaking, pour out the alcohol and wash the rig with hot water. Make sure it’s completely dry before using it again.
How Do You Use Reclaim?
You can use the reclaim to make a variety of edibles, tinctures, and capsules.
In Conclusion
It’s important to clean your dab rig of weed residue using the proper tools or a cleaning kit. This will ensure that your dab rig doesn’t have any excess oil to clog it. It also makes certain that you can enjoy your dabbing experience in a healthy manner without mold, mildew, or bacteria changing the flavor.
To summarize the steps:
- Put the dab rig into a plastic bag.
- Pour salt all over your rig.
- Add enough isopropyl alcohol to cover the rig.
- Shake the bag to mix the salt and alcohol together.
- Soak for 30 minutes to overnight.
- Shake the bag again.
- Pour off the cleaning solution.
- Rinse the dab rig under warm running water.
- Allow it to air dry completely.
