How To Clean A Tobacco Pipe

Your Tobacco Pipes Need Care Too

The classic smoker is the one who can tell in a single blow if your tobacco pipe ought to be cleaned. Although cleaning isn’t on a fun list for smokers, regular cleaning, however, is only a few minutes of endeavor that will turn your next smoking session smoother and so much better.

The primary goal is to remove any impurities that are residing in the pipe. So, let us divulge a few quick pipe cleaning tips you can follow when your pipe turns sour.

Things You Will Need For Cleaning The Tobacco Pipe

These few accessories are necessary for cleaning your tobacco pipes:

Pipe Cleaners: While there are various types of pipe cleaners available, Soft Pipe Cleaners are the foremost choice of smokers and are a fine choice for daily cleaning rituals. Bristle Pipe Cleaners, as the name suggests, are great to bush out the dogged dirt.

Q-tips: Where pipe cleaners can’t reach, Q-tips prove to be invaluable because of their thicker and more porous cotton buds that can easily scrub stubborn dirt.

Cloth Or Paper Towel: Looking for a more ecological choice? Clothes are the best. Though the dirt stains won’t come out easily, the dirt in your pipe will vanish completely. Wash the clothes after every cleaning. To avoid washing clothes, paper towels do a great job. They are the best for deep scrubbing and absorb any foul liquids and provide a great surface lining.

Alcohol: Alcohol not only cleans the pipe well but also leaves a great after-taste for your next session. Rum, Whiskey, Brandy, or any rubbing alcohol or liquor that you prefer is a great choice if you love a sweet, pleasant flavor on the pipe.

Pipe Reamer: The best inexpensive device for pipe cleaning. The pipe cleaned with reamers lasts longer and ensures the right level of carbon cake in your pipe to provide you with a sweet flavor.

It’s Time To Cleaning Tobacco Pipe!

Here’s how you can increase your pipe’s longevity:

• Clean The Rim

First, carefully disassemble the mouthpiece from the stem after your pipe cools down completely after smoking. Don’t want your hands to get dirty? Use a cloth, handkerchief, or paper towel to scrub out the excess tar off the rim.

• Clean The Shank

Scrub out the stubborn residue with a Q-tip or pipe cleaner soaked in alcohol. Do not fancy the alcohol after-taste on the pipe? Simply stuff the bowl with a dry paper towel to avoid the alcohol dripping out of the bowl onto the finish.

• Clean The Stem (Filter)

Clean any mulch from the left afterward by running the alcohol-soaked bristle pipe cleaner back and forth through the stem from one end to the other. To remove the extra dirt and dry the stem, you can try repeating this step with a dry, soft pipe cleaner or Q-tip.

• Clean The Bowl

You can use liquor, as it is much gentler on the pipe than rubbing alcohol. Soak the pipe into some liquor of your choice. Scrub the interior of the bowl with the pipe cleaner or Q-tip until it is completely black.

If an excessive layer of cake has settled in the bowl’s interior, we recommend reaming it to avoid a bitter taste in your next session. The pipe reamer itself adjusts according to the size of a bowl. Run the reamer into the bowl and twist clockwise and then anticlockwise. Remember, pressing the reamer too hard can damage the interior, so be gentle.

Interested In A Homemade Solution?

Then Salt can come in handy. Start with cleaning the pipe, as mentioned above. Now, wrap a Q-tip with cling film and stuff the shank to avoid any leak. Fill the bowl, leaving a few inches under the rim with the kosher or sea salt as the crystals are bigger than the table salt. Carefully add only a few drops of liquor (not the rubbing alcohol) using a dropper to moisten the Salt, and let it rest for 24 hours.

Now that it has soaked properly, simply rub out the solution from the pipe using a pipe tool. To remove the leftover dirt, add more alcohol to the bowl, place your thumb on the rim, and shake it. Pour out the alcohol and wipe the bowl’s interior with a paper towel, and let it dry.

When Cleaning Is Done

Give your pipe a nice shine. Take a drop of olive oil on the cloth or paper towel and gently rub it on the outer and Voila! Your pipe is sparkling clean and ready to use.

How Frequently Is Cleaning Tobacco Pipe Useful?

Cleaning your pipe often will give you a cleaner and smoother smoke in your next session. This will allow your pipe to last longer than its traditional lifeline. While you can bottoms-up with your preferred liquor, it also gives a sweet after-flavor that even the person smoking for the first time using a pipe will ask for more.