Cleaning:
If you own any kind of smoking/vaping piece it will eventually get dirty. Getting that sticky resin off of everything can be difficult with just soap and water so I’ve come up with a very good cleaning solution recipe to get the toughest gunk off of your glass. There are many products in stores but they are way overpriced considering you can make it yourself at home with a little experimenting. For those of you who don’t like to experiment, don’t worry, I’ve done the hard work for you.
Strong Cleaning Solution*:
2 parts 91-99% Isopropyl Alcohol
1 part Acetone Nail Polish Remover
Abrasive Sand or Salt or small beads/PVC Pellets
1-2 Drops of Dish Soap
*Will dissolve most plastics. Use with glass only
Alternatively, if you have acrylic pieces or ones that aren’t all that dirty, you can use Isopropyl Alcohol (91-99% preferred) and some Kosher salt or food-grade rock salt.
Now as far as cleaning tools, bristled pipe cleaners (with one tapered end if you can) are probably one of the best things to have. Bottle and bottle nipple brushes work well for some pieces as well. You can invest in special pipe cleaning brushes but a box of pipe cleaners are cheaper and much less maintenance. Q-Tips should be part of your cleaning kit, as well as small brushes like you find in with men’s electric shavers. They are great for scrubbing your grinder before you clean it and other pieces too.
Odor Control:
It should come as no surprise when I tell you that cannabis has an odor. While most cannabis enthusiasts enjoy the smell, those around you may not. There are many ways to reduce and even eliminate cannabis odors and below I will go into more detail.
Every experienced smoker will tell you to go with incense usually. However, I know this isn’t always something people like because it can be overpowering. If you’re into them though, go for it. They work great.
Oil warmers/Wax melters have got to be one of my favorite ways to eliminate odors. I love candles and good smells and this combines both into a nice table piece. You light a candle below a reservoir of scented oil and just let it burn while you smoke. The fragrance is strong but not overpowering and reduces the smell almost completely.
Air neutralizers are another way but they can be pricey. Good products like “Hogwash” have no odor to the spray and just neutralizes the smell to eliminate it. Products like this can get pricey though.
Air it out! Open your top and bottom halves of the windows in your house. The top being open allows circulation to take place. The top will suck hot air and smoke out (smoke rises) and the bottom half will bring in fresh air. This won’t eliminate odor right away but it will keep the smell from lingering after you’ve finished smoking. You can add an exhaust fan to the window as well.
Odor Eliminating Candles are another good one. They range from 4-8 dollars and are sold in smoke shops and pet stores. Pet stores have them labeled as Pet Odor Eliminators but they are the same candles. They actually work quite well to reduce the smell as you smoke.
If you rent and you have a surprise visit and need to mask the smell right away, burn popcorn, burn bread in the toaster or cook/burn bacon. Those smells quickly overpower the smell of cannabis.
Dual draft door guards work great at keeping your apartment/room insulated and also keep the odor in your apartment/room and not outside of it.
“Sploofs” are a name for a homemade device (and now actually made commercially) for masking the smell of the smoke you exhale. Essentially you would take an empty paper towel roll and attach a fabric softener sheet to one end and exhale through the other end to create a fresh smell without the odor. There are variations on sploofs. Commercial ones use activated carbon in a breathable chamber so it naturally gets rid of the smell. You can make your own with activated carbon by filling a soda bottle with the carbon (get from a pet store) and poking breathe holes on the bottom of the bottle for smoke to exit. Make sure you wet the charcoal though. It makes it work better.
Misc. Pro Tips:
If you have a 1-hitter/bat, use it as a roach clip for joints and blunts. If you don't have one, alligator clips that you can buy at Radio Shack and similar stores work very well too.
If you like rolling joints, make sure you use slow burning papers made from hemp like Skunk brand, Raw, and Elements to name a few. Skunk has non-flavored papers as well as sweet hemp (skunkalicious), blueberry, strawberry, and Piña colada. Skunk brand are my favorites personally.
The best way to keep your cannabis fresh is by keeping it in an air-tight jar like a mason jar. It will help keep the odor down as well too.
If your cannabis is too dry, adding an orange peel to your storage container for a day or two should revive your herb and give a nice flavor to it.
