Sanitize, Sterilize.. 99.9% Germ Free

You shouldn´t forget that nicotene is a very strong toxic. You estate was pretty much germ free form the start. The rest is for beauty and psychological reasons..... :wink:

If you can arrange shipping to and from the US, Mike at Walker Pipe Repair can run your pipes through his ozone generator. The ozone will sanitize your pipes and, provided you have removed sufficient cake and deposits in the shank and stem, excise ghosts. Treatment for the first pipe in a batch costs 5 USD, with each subsequent pipe costing 2 USD. For what the treatment achieves, I think the cost is minimal.

throbinson:
Unless I am mistaken (and if so, then someone here on the Forums will correct me), the only way to sanitize the stem of an estate pipe so that it is truly "germ-free" is via the use of either chlorine bleach or ozone.

OxiClean is a "bleach" and you are good to go!
It uses sodium percarbonate instead of sodium hypochlorite ... way better for you and the environment.

Let's start with definitions:
Sanitize:

transitive verb san·i·tize ˈsa-nə-ˌtīz
: to make (something) free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by cleaning it : to make (something) sanitary
: to make (something) more pleasant and acceptable by taking things that are unpleasant or offensive out of it
Sterilize:

transitive verb ster·il·ize ˈster-ə-ˌlīz
: to clean (something) by destroying germs or bacteria
The two words mean quite different things. Sanitizing is a cleaning process (but doesn't necessarily kill all the germs, mold, fungus and bacteria); Sterilizing is killing all of the germs and bacteria etc. (but not necessarily cleaning the object). So something can be sterile, but quite dirty. What you are seeking to do is to sanitize. A weak chlorine bleach solution will do the trick (follow dilution instructions on the bottle...concentration varies), but only use it on hard surfaces like stems, not on briar.
Also not to be confused with Stalinizing, in which the history of your pipe vanishes, along with it's previous owner, and any threads that you may have started about your pipe on this forum.

I'm no so sure it's "germs" that are the issue. I saw somewhere that while a dirty coffee cup was a petri dish of seething evil death, a dirty ashtray was virtually sterile. Although, we think of pipes as dirty, and they are, it's not germs but toxic chemicals that should be the issue. The oxides from the vulcanized rubber smells like the belts on an old tractor, and we create one of the nastiest biproducts on purpose with ashes, and years of layered tars and carbonized sugars we call cake.
I really don't mind of my new estate pipe is germ-free, what germ would grow on a nasty pipe? I just want it to smell good, or at least not like my well used pipes do. Ha ha.
However, I am no scientist, but maybe this is just one of those things that our brains tricks us into thinking?

You are most likely correct, Michael, not much in the way of pathogens will survive in a dry, aerobic atmosphere. Still, it makes me feel better to strip off the accumulated layers of slobber on (and inside) a stem.
Or maybe I just shouldn't think about it.

Some people avoid using isopropyl alcohol to clean their pipes because it is not a potable liquid.

I use it to clean the stems and shanks of my pipes, and my pee-pee hasn't fallen off (yet).

So I think it is a safe way to disinfect whatever you're cleaning.

not much in the way of pathogens will survive in a dry, aerobic atmosphere.

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Now Dan ... you know that's not entirely true!

I stand corrected. What was I thinking?
I was thinking about the common culprits like herpes, HIV or the flu. Or even cholera.
TB, though is long lasting. What else? MRSA..some other nasty stuff like yeasts and fungus. Mmmmm
I was way off base.

Ozone generator... wow... I thought I was high tech with my sonic cleaner.
Really wanting to keep it all in house, learn to do it myself etc.

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Build your own chamber. Just keep your vulcanite away from the ozone generator while it's in operation. Ozone is known to aggressively attack rubber, which is the main component in vulcanite. Get a generator like the one in the link below, some corks of various sizes (natural cork, not synthetic), some rigid acrylic airline tubing for aquarium under gravel filters (Walmart item), and a drill bit to match the OD of the rigid tubing. Drill a hole through the middle of an appropriate sized cork, slide in a short length of rigid tubing and attach the flexible tubing from the generator. This little 5 minute project would allow you the means to force pump the ozone exactly where you need it, down into the bowl to be vented out through the shank. Get yourself a cheap polyethylene (ozone resistant) container for your "chamber" and you are in business.
I got a customer return unit (you could tell it hadn't been used) so I paid about half of what the one in the below link costs so you can find really good deals on these. At 600mg per hour I doubt this would cut it for commercial purposes, but for a single pipe "hobbyist" unit this thing works a treat due to being able to force pump the ozone through the stummel and mine was constructed for under $70. Just don't stay in the same room when it's running. Even pumping into a container I could feel it start to restrict my breathing after about a minute. I run mine in the garage, turn it on and head back into the house. Use common sense and don't breath that stuff intentionally.
O3 Pure Ozone Generator

In this document (Cleaning & Sanitizing) The Ohio State University defines "sanitizing" as follows: "...the reduction of germs to a safe level so illness is unlikely to occur. The most commonly known germs causing illness are Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Norovirus. Toxin-producing E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes are less common in the kitchen, but cause very serious, if not deadly, illnesses."
Admittedly this is not "germ-free," for that I suppose you would need an autoclave or an ethylene oxide system (and I shudder to think what either would do to a Vulcanite pipe-stem), still it strikes me as better than the use (alone) of dish soap and pipe-cleaners followed by Everclear.

Sanitizing also removes as much detritus as possible. It is possible to sterilize something that is absolutely filthy looking, but something that has been sanitized should look clean.

I'm pretty sure my pipe has a significant less bacteria, fungi, and other detritus than my skin or mouth.
The only thing contaminating your pipe with your cleaning method is touching it or putting it in your mouth when your finished.
PS If you could hear a newly cleaned pipe thinking...
"Dude would you please oxy-clean that big wet reddish pink crap you are wrapping around me? I'm going to puke smoke at you until you stop drooling all over me with your germ laden saliva"

DIY Ozone Chamber

"DIY Ozone Chamber"
What? No UL label?

Actually, it carries the disclaimer label that Simon posted earlier today!

I'm in Canada, so, that 90 proof grain alcohol stuff is a no go.

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First off, there are parts of Canada that exist outside of Ontario. Some of these places sell Everclear.
Second, why not use isopropanol if you are set on using an alcohol?