Shank Brush, Soap, and Water = Deep Cleaning

I was washing the dishes after breakfast and moved on to my pipes. I didn't plan to, and didn't even think about it. I just collected them all and dropped them in the sink, running on autopilot.
The soap I used was a bar soap, unscented. From what I can tell, it's unadulterated.
I rubbed the bar soap into a green/yellow scouring pad and then went to work on the pipes. A lot of suds were made, so I got my shank brush and worked it into the shank and bowl of every pipe. Really scrubbing. I washed them all off, used a pipe cleaner to dry out the shank a little more and a paper towel for the bowl.
Once done, I lightly oiled my briars and put them on a towel in a baking pan. Turned the oven on for a couple of minutes, opened the door to let the humidity out, shut the oven off and closed the door.
They came out dry.
My pipes have never been so clean.
Reason for drying them in the oven is because I'm in a very humid environment. Otherwise, it's probably not necessary.
The selection of pipes I cleaned this way were standard briars, smooth and blasted, some with bamboo shanks and two meerschaums. That's right. Meerschaums got the exact same treatment and they look beautiful. Some of them were average priced pipes, but a couple were moderately expensive. I paused briefly, but since I was already well into it, I had no trouble picking up a $500 pipe and giving it the same treatment.
They all have natural finishes. So, who knows what happens to something with anything but an oiled finish.
Thinking back on it, I don't know why I pandered to my pipes as I used to. In a cleaning, I was always thorough with alcohol, incredible numbers of pipe cleaners, and repeated cleanings with a shank brush and alcohol to get it out as clean as it went in... which can take awhile, depending on time between cleanings. Ploughing through them with lots of suds and soapy water cut the cleaning time in half or more. And it was far more thorough than anything I've ever achieved with alcohol.
I tried the simple running water through the pipe as suggested by someone here awhile ago, and it worked ok, but I went back to alcohol. This time, with soapy water and a shank brush, I was able to really get them clean. So clean, they smell and taste like new.
When you dry them off, your pipes will look dull. So you have to oil them later if you want a nice finish. They look as new as the day I bought them and taste fantastic.
Highly recommended, but I'd be cautious about the type of soap you use. Mine was a very basic soap without additives like moisturizers, scents, colours, etc. Other soaps may work just as well, but I would be careful in case they don't.
Anyway, it's a piece of wood. Very durable wood. They don't get soggy with this treatment. I've just smoked one now, about a half hour after the wash, and it's as dry and tasty as if it had been resting for a week.

I'd be careful if you have any special finishes. I tend to go for the natural wood look, so a light buff of oil brings them back to original store bought conditions. I was a bit embarrassed about how much grime a couple of my pipes had. To me, it was a patina or something. I'm fairly sure it was just dirt. They look brand new.
I can see why some people balk at the idea. There's so much discourse on resting the pipe, tobacco moisture, etc. that it may seem counterintuitive to blast water on it with abandon. But, I can assure anyone reading that the pipes were quick to dry and they did not suffer in the least. In fact, it was such an incredible improvement. The smoke coming through them is as fresh as a brand new briar... without the charred wood note.
Perhaps it is only useful to pipes without finishes of anything but oil. I can't say, because I don't have anything else. But, having done it myself, and tossed in some fairly expensive briar to the mix, I'm converted. It's like washing a glass or any other wooden bowl. Even the holiest of holies -meerschaum- did not change in the least. My two meers are block, if that helps.
I have a couple of wooden bowls of beautiful Brazilian hardwoods that I use to hold my fruit. I regularly wash them without any ill effect. I have no idea why I got it into my head that briar was somehow special and would melt like candy-floss or suffer some other kind of horrible fate. It's simply not true.
As for stems, mine didn't change colour because I didn't wash them with water.
Anyway, to all of the nay-sayers, if you have a pipe with an oil finish that isn't a prize in your collection, why not give it a shot? If you have a bit of oil to buff it back to perfection when you're done, a small experiment on an inexpensive pipe is hardly a risk.
You can smoke it inside of a half hour to see for yourself.
Lots of suds, a good shank brush, and you might be transformed.
Jpm- Thanks for planting the seed of water in my head. It is a revelation. The soap, even more so. I just can't get over how well my pipes cleaned up.