3 Easy Ways to Clean a One Hitter

Time to clean the chillum?

"Yay Cleaning Resin!" -Nobody Ever

Make it easy on yourself when you learn 3 ways to clean your one hitter with stuff you probably have in the bathroom.

So you have a one-hitter. You’re happy that it was affordable and it’s convenient to have on the go. 

You’ve smoked your new one hitter many times already, and now it’s filled with sticky resin and other nasty residues.

It’s time for a deep clean of that chillum pipe. 

We got you though. Keep reading below to learn how to keep it fresh.

TL; DR

• Soak your one-hitter in a plastic bag or container with isopropyl alcohol and salt.
• For more natural cleaning solutions use salt and vinegar, or baking soda and vinegar.
• If you’re in a rush, a paper clip or nail works.

You got a one-hitter and it's gross. Now what?

One hitter pipes have been a staple in the smoking community for a variety of reasons. 

They are not only portable but also one of the simplest and oldest glass smoking accessories available. 

One hitter pipes are a great solution if you want to conserve your herbs, are on-the-go, or if you just don’t want to use a big bong.

When you are using a glass one hitter, they get real nasty, real quick.

Your chillum can last a long time if you take care of it, but the reality is that most people bother with the daily cleaning and maintenance to their cheap glass pipes.

Evaluate If It's Necessary to Clean Right Now

In order to properly clean your smoking device, you must first understand how it gets clogged. 

At the end of any one-hitter is a small bowl where you pack your finely ground up buds. The stem is the end you smoke out of. 

These are the parts that get clogged and need extra care.

There comes a time when you must admit to yourself that your pipe desperately needs to be cleaned, and that might be right now. 

Yes we know, a friend with weed is a friend indeed, but how are their bongside table manners? 

Will a friend clean your one hitter after a fun night at your place? 

Um, yeah, good luck with that. You’re on your own and you know it. 

Create New Good Clean Habits

Just take a quick moment to think about this: 

When you take out the trash, do you do it because it’s enjoyable? 

On some level, it's about hygiene and falls under "stuff that just has to get done around the home to feel healthy."

The same goes for your one-hitter and the new cleaning habits that will be required to let this glass chillum live forever. 

You have to take out all that gross, sticky, resinated black and brown goo. 

Yeah, it’s not the most exciting thing to do, but cleaning is what makes it usable. 

Ultimately, it will be to your advantage to have a nice and tidy glass pipe. 

And let’s be honest, it’s quite easy to clean it. Just get up and f'ing do it!

Here are three low-budget hacks on how to properly clean a one-hitter:

Isopropyl alcohol & salt

Isopropyl alcohol is very flammable, which is also why it can break up the resin in your glass pipes so well. So, be careful!

This is the most popular method of cleaning a one-hitter: soaking it in Isopropyl alcohol and salt. Here are the supplies you need in order to get the job done: 

• A plastic bag
• Q-tips/pipe cleaners
• Paper clip (something metal and wiry)
• A bottle of Isopropyl alcohol
• Salt (we recommend you use sea salt but any kind of salt will do the trick).

First things first, make sure to remove any loose particles from your glass pipe. 

Then get a sealable plastic bag or container and pour the alcohol - your one-hitter has to be completely covered. 

Next, add about 4-5 tablespoons of salt into the bag and lightly shake it or stir it to ensure that everything is mixed up.

You’ll see that this solution will remove all the nasty stuff. You just have to let your one-hitter soak for minimum 30-60 minutes. Ideally, you should let it soak overnight. 

The next step is to rinse it with slightly warm water and if there is still some resin in the hard to reach spots of the one-hitter, you can use the q-tips or pipe cleaners. 

In the end, just rinse the chillum pipe once again and let it dry.

Natural Alternatives 

Another method of cleaning your one hitter chillum is to use different household items (we can call them as alternative cleaning solutions). 

For each of these natural ways of cleaning you have to follow the same steps as above.

One solution is to use salt and vinegar cleaning method - this method is almost the same as the Isopropyl alcohol and salt cleaning solution. 

It’s easy to use, it works fast and it’s really effective. 

In this case, the disadvantage is the strong smell of the vinegar that can linger in the glass for a few rinses. 

However, this should not be a problem if the one-hitter is kept in a airtight container during the soaking process.

One more alternative way of cleaning a one-hitter is to use baking soda and vinegar, which is very similar to the previous solution (salt and vinegar). 

This method can be a little bit less effective because baking soda is not grainy like salt, so it’s more difficult to clean those hard to reach areas. But if you let your one-hitter sit overnight in this cleaning solution, everything should be fine.

Pro Smokers Tip:

Always keep a straightened paper clip handy to poke through the bowl into the chamber for a quick and easy way to unclog your chillum.

Bobby pins/hairpins or paperclips

Everyone has bobby pins or paperclips at home, this is why they are a common method of cleaning a one-hitter. 

In some situations when you don’t have the time to use one of the methods we’ve talked about previously, bobby pins, pokers, or paper clips can be your ultimate savior.

The first thing you have to do is to open the bobby pin straight or to unfold the paperclip. 

Then you start scraping the inside of the bowl. 

That’s it. 

You just have to be careful when you do this because if you’re scraping too aggressively you might damage your smoking accessory.

Clean, clean and clean again

Ultimately, the best advice we can give you is to make the cleaning of your glass chillum pipe a regular habit. 

Stop being gross. You are better than that and this is why we're here.

Make your life a little bit easier with these hacks and get back to smoking and living present in the moment.

If you think that it’s time to buy a new glass piece and you’re looking for a fresh set of Atomic Blaze one hitters, head over to our online smoke shop and check out our selection of cheap glass pipes and great deals on products designed to help you #StayLit.

For being such a decent human and now my new smoke buddy, take 5% off any of our chillums one time, with coupon code: chillum5