For those that don’t consider themselves vapers, glass can play a huge roll in their dry herb consumption. Thanks to water filtration bubblers provide smooth draws and are a fantastic way to experience the flavor of your dry herb. While using a bubbler can be awesome for the first few sessions, there will come a time when you need to give your piece thorough cleaning. We’ve got a quick guide on how to clean a bubbler to ensure a “fresh out of the box feel” in no time at all.

Once you’ve decided to give your bubbler a facelift,  you’ll need to get your supplies ready. All you need to give your bubbler a healthy clean is isopropyl alcohol (the higher percentage, the better), salt (table or rock), something to swab hard-to-reach areas with, something to plug the holes of your bubbler, and a rag or towel to dry it off once finished.

If you don’t feel like grabbing all of those items from your local corner store, Higher Standards has packaged literally every item you’d ever need to clean your bubbler (or anything for that matter) in the Higher Standards Supreme Clean Kit.

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Inside the Higher Standards Supreme Clean Kit:

• ISO Pure: A 99% Isopropyl alcohol solution
• Salt Rox: Coarse granules of rock salt milled to fit into small spaces
• Pipe Dreamz: Fine-bristled pipe cleaners that are flexible, making tight corners easy to clean  
• Pipe Stix: 2-in-1 tool, a dart-shaped tip easily absorbs ISO Pure, while the flat-tipped side is a chisel tool
• Dot Wipes: Pre-soaked alcohol pads with embedded dots to help with scrubbing
• Tube Tops: Plugs openings to help ensure a spill-free cleaning session.
• Resin Rag: A cotton blend makes for top-tier absorption and polishing, great for touch-ups or as a cleaning “finisher”
• Salt Schute: Funnel to help get Salt Rox into your glass piece
• Steam Brush: Coarse bristled brush to aid with cleaning stubborn residue

This kit gives you all the tools you need to ensure your bubbler gets back to looking good and delivering smooth draws. Now that you have your tools, let’s breakdown how to use them to efficiently clean your bubbler.

 PREP YOUR BUBBLER FOR A DEEP CLEAN

Getting any extra debris out right away will make the whole process easier 

You’re going to want to make sure your bubbler is free of any loose debris or dry herb that is trying to stick around during your cleaning session. Pour out the dirty water from your bubbler and rinse the inside and outside of your piece with warm water. You probably won’t get all of the resin out of your bubbler during this step, and that’s ok; this initial step is just to give you a “clean slate” for the deep cleaning that will take place. Once empty, you can give your bubbler a little knock on a countertop to dislodge any pesky hangers-on, don’t be afraid to rinse your bubbler multiple times if you need to.

CREATE A SOLUTION TO CLEAN YOUR BUBBLER

No lab goggles needed, just be careful not to spill

Once your bubbler is rinsed, it’s time to get your mad scientist on and create a cleaning solution. If you’ve snagged the Higher Standards Supreme Clean Kit, take both the ISO Pure and Salt Rox and fill your bubbler to about where the water line is when it’s in use.

>Whether you have the Higher Standards Supreme Clean Kit or not, you'll want to get as close to a 2:1 alcohol to salt ratio as you can. If you’re not totally exact, don’t sweat it, just be sure the alcohol has enough room to get to every nook of your bubbler.

Once filled, use something like the Higher Standards Tube Tops to plug your bubbler holes; there aren’t much things worse than giving yourself an impromptu resin-water shower while cleaning your piece. If you don’t have the Higher Standards Tube Tops, a rag or cork will work fine.

If you’re dealing with a particularly dirty bubbler, let it soak in the solution you’ve made for half an hour; this will loosen up dried resin and make the next step a lot easier.

SHAKE YOUR BUBBLER

The Higher Standards Tube Tops come in handy here, but your fingers will work in a pinch

Now comes the fun part of cleaning your bubbler: shaking it! Grab your solution-filled bubbler and shake vigorously, but in control.

The salt and isopropyl alcohol solution will chip away at residue and caked-on dry herb from inside your bubbler. You will also be able to see chunks of debris coming off of your glass and the solution getting dirtier as it does its job. The Higher Standards Salt Rox are larger than regular table salt, so they do a good job of removing the most stubborn of residue.

Continue to shake until your bubbler looks clean. For corners or other hard-to-reach spots that may still be dirty, a pipe cleaner (or Higher Standards Pipe Dream or Pipe Stix) can be used to spot clean these areas. If your glass still isn’t clean, empty it and add new solution and get to shaking again—there’s no harm in making sure your bubbler is as clean as possible.

RINSE & DRY YOUR BUBBLER

After it's all said and done a nice polish completes the cleaning session

Once your bubbler is up to your standards of cleanliness, empty out the dirty solution and rinse your piece with water a few times. You’ll know the bubbler is properly rinsed when the smell of alcohol is no longer present. After you’ve shaken the filth out of your bubbler and rinsed it, give the outside a quick wipe down—this will remove any fingerprints or dirt that may have gotten stuck on the outside—and leave your bubbler looking as good as new.

Finally, let your bubbler dry for at least a half hour before filling it up and enjoying a clean session.

NOW YOU’VE GOT A CLEAN BUBBLER

Hey, you did it! Your bubbler is clean and ready to give you flavorful, smooth sessions with no problem. Regularly cleaning your bubbler will extend its lifespan and help you enjoy every aspect of your dry herb. Plus, you won’t have to put in as much effort every cleaning session compared to “deep clean” endeavors.  Remember, if you want to best equip yourself for cleaning your bubbler or ANY glass piece, you have to snag a Higher Standards Supreme Clean Kit and get all the tools you need for an easy cleaning session.

We hope this guide on how to clean a bubbler has helped transform your piece into looking as good as new.  If you have any favorite cleaning tips you’d like to share, leave a comment below!