How to clean a dab rig for reuse
Answer: soak the glass in 91% isopropyl alcohol with coarse salt for 15 to 30 minutes, shake it, rinse with warm water, and let it air dry. The rig is ready to use when no film, grit, or alcohol smell remains.
Top Pick for Dab Rig Cleaning Tips
What you need
- 91% or 99% isopropyl alcohol, 1 to 2 cups
- Coarse salt, 2 to 3 tablespoons
- Warm tap water
- Stoppers or rubber plugs
- Cotton swabs for the banger
- Nitrile gloves
- Two glass jars, one for waste
Do not use 70% alcohol. The water in it slows resin breakdown. Do not use acetone on silicone parts. Acetone eats silicone. Do not use boiling water. Thermal shock cracks borosilicate glass.
How to Clean a Dab Rig Salt and Alcohol
Steps
- Take the rig apart. Pull the banger, downstem, and bowl.
- Pour out standing water and reclaim into a glass jar.
- Fill the rig with alcohol until the resin line is covered. Add salt.
- Plug all openings with stoppers or your palms. Shake for 60 seconds.
- Let it sit 15 to 30 minutes. Shake again at the halfway point.
- Pour the dirty alcohol into the waste jar. Do not pour it down the drain.
- Rinse with warm water until the alcohol smell is gone. Two or three rinses handle most rigs.
- Air dry on a towel for 10 to 15 minutes. A hair dryer on the cool setting cuts the wait.
Cleaning the quartz banger
A banger needs a different method than the can. Heat is not part of the job. Swab the inside with a cotton swab dipped in 91% alcohol while the banger is warm, not hot. Wait until it reaches room temperature first. For heavy char, soak the banger in alcohol for 20 minutes, then scrub with a swab. Do not torch a banger to clean it. High heat clouds quartz and shortens its life.
Dab Rig Cleaning Kit: What's Inside and How to Use It
Reclaim
Resin in the neck and downstem is reclaim. It holds cannabinoids. Scrape it with a metal tool, or dissolve it in alcohol and let the alcohol evaporate in a glass dish. The result is a sticky oil. Reclaim tastes harsh. Some people discard it.
How often to clean
Change the water every day. Clean the rig every 3 to 7 days if you dab every day. A rig used twice a week can go 2 to 3 weeks between cleanings. Standing water grows mold and bacteria. A cloudy rig also changes the flavor of the dab.
Safety notes
Isopropyl alcohol is flammable. Keep it away from a torch, a lit joint, and a stove. Work near an open window. Wear nitrile gloves, since alcohol strips oils from skin.