How To Care And Clean Your Dab Rig

Dabbing is becoming increasingly popular, and so is a dab rig. A dab rig is a water pipe used to vaporize cannabis concentrates. It works just like a bong by filtering concentrated vapor through water placed at the bong’s base. However, dab rigs are smaller than bongs to provide a smaller distance for vapor to travel quicker to the lungs and retain powerfulness.

This article will cover how to care for and clean your rigs regularly for their vapor purity and most favorable performance.

A dab rig filters vapor through the water at its base then up the neck through the mouthpiece for inhaling using a dab nail or a banger.

Importance of Cleaning your Dab Rig

Dab rigs work by filtering concentrated vapor through water, and the vapor moves up the neck of the rig to the mouthpiece. It then has a dab nail or a banger used to inhale the resulting vapor by placing a dab of concentrate at the nail.

Apart from making your dab rig look nicer at sight, cleaning your dab rig has many other advantages.

It’s always advisable to change the water at the base of the dab rig. This is because stagnant base water can be home to bacteria and fungi, just like in the case of stagnant water in a puddle. Dirty rig water can also be home to yeast and other microorganisms, and you do not want to ingest or inhale any of these substances.

One way to know that your dab rig water needs to be changed is by observing if the water has developed a top layer. This top layer is called biofilm and is usually formed across the surface of the water.

This biofilm houses several pathogens, such as black milder and E. coli. These substances can lead to severe illnesses when ingested or inhaled, so be vigilant about changing the dab rig base water.

Filtering harmful materials is one of the benefits of a dab rig, but you can only achieve this if your dab rig water is clean.

As an added advantage, regular maintenance and cleaning of your dab rig can be easily achieved compared to cleaning a bong. This is because a bong has combustion and the absence of this creates less residue build-up.

However, dabbing has build-up, which is waxy unevaporated cannabinoids that can clog your rig and hinder the flavor of each dab. To avoid this, regular cleaning of the rig neck and nail can help reduce build-up.

What you will need to clean your dab rig

Easy Method:

• Water
• Microwave, Stove, or Kettle.

Advanced Method:

• Your rig and nail for cleaning.
• Water
• Microwave, Stove, or Kettle
• Sea salt
• Microwave-safe container
• Cotton swabs.

Step by step cleaning of the dab rig

1. PREPARATION: Boil 2 cups of water on a stove, kettle, or microwave. Bring it up to a boil, and then let it cool for a few minutes before using it. For better results, you can hold the dab rig over the steam to loosen up the build-up.
2. ADDING LIQUID: Add the warm water carefully to the dab rig and then add into it the sea salt.
3. SHAKE IT UP: Cover the mouthpiece and nail, then vigorously shake it up! If the piece is filthy, keep doing this for a while, and you will start seeing the build-up gunk beginning to come off.
4. RINSE AND DISCARD: Spill out the dirty solution and then rinse with clean water.

If necessary, repeat the steps above severally and have fun with it!

The Easy way of cleaning your dab rig

Using hot water is one of the easiest ways of cleaning a dub rig. The best tip is to use the hot steam rising from the hot water to heat the piece so that you can loosen up the inside build-up.

Bringing the water to a boil is recommendable for this. After the water is fully boiled, remove it from the heat source and then let it sit for a minute. Be very careful while handling the glass and heat at this point. Use decent, quality tempered glass to avoid any accidents.

After this, add the hot water to the piece and shake it vigorously. Do this while covering the mouthpiece as well as the space where the nail goes.

As you pour out the water, do it in one instant swift move to avoid getting the oil caught up on the sides of the glass.

Using Salt and Alcohol for more cleaning power

Another intermediate option for cleaning your dab rig is the use of salt and water. This method starts by boiling water and letting it sit for about a minute.

While it is resting, add some cold isopropyl alcohol to your dab rig. Make sure your isopropyl alcohol is 85% and above for best results. Add some pieces of sea salt to it and shake it up vigorously. Add the hot water to the part after this. This helps them build up to gather up into the dab rig.

The sea salt helps to cover a larger area of the piece while the alcohol allows the hot water to remove the reclaim from the sides of the glass. During the fast pour, the sea salt also helps the build-up swiftly move out of the pieces.

Pro tip: Remember to swiftly and quickly pour out the residue after cleaning. It helps the reclaim not stick to the sides while pouring. So that you are not left to clean the piece again for a crystal clear look. Finally, rinse the dub rig with clean, cold water.

Most Advanced method of cleaning a dab rig

If you want to clean your dab rig using the most advanced method, lightly heat your isopropyl alcohol. This method is the most advanced because overheating the ISO in the microwave can cause a mild explosion of the ISO. Add the lightly heated alcohol to the dab rig and swish it around.

If your piece has a significant build-up, use sea salt as mentioned in the intermediate method above. This is the most effective, for instance, removal of the build-up.