Cleaning Pipes

[waznyf]

Greetings friends,

For those who don't know, I have recently started smoking my pipes again after a nearly 3 year break. It has been roughly a month or so now and I realized that I haven't cleaned my pipes since I last used them.
My questions for you: How do you deep clean your pipes? How often do you clean them? What do you use? What ways do you clean your pipe after each smoke?

From what I remember, I used to deep clean my pipes around once per month. I would use Everclear, a cleaning brush, and pipe cleaners. My after smoke routine has just been to wipe out the bowl and stuff a pipe cleaner into the pipe.

Perhaps some of you can offer me new ideas or reinforce my current practice. I am afraid that some of my pipes have been neglected a bit too much and may be permanently ghosted with nasty flavors. I will ensure that any new pipes I acquire are properly maintained.

Frank

 

[waznyf]

I am watching some YouTube videos at the moment but feel free to link videos that you like also!

 

[ovidsmuse]

I like to do a run with a bristle cleaner dipped in high proof alcohol, the kind safe to drink, until it comes out mostly clean. Then regular cleaners until they come out dry. Then trim the cake with a pipe tool and paper towel. This is assuming no ghosting. For the outside I wipe bowl and stem with a damp cloth until clean and then air dry it. For the final touch wipe it all down with some olive oil and let it dry completely and then buff with some felt.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I use 151 proof rum for deep cleans. After every smoke, I simply corkscrew a paper towel into the chamber and run a pipe cleaner through the shank.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Look up the threads on water cleansing. Been doing it now for around 1 1/2 years. I rarely, if ever, have to deep clean now. Also helps keep the rims clean.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I disassemble them after each smoke and clean them. No need for deep cleaning.

 

[bullet08]

Take a dry puff. If it tastes fine, load up and smoke. If nasty, clean only the internal parts with you choice of spirit. Don't drip 'em on the outside. Might damage the finish.

 

[thefishguy]

Warm water and a bristled cleaner on my briar pipes after 5-6 smokes. Cobs get a little 100% ethanol and a good scrubbing with a bristle when they get funky. All my pipes get swabbed out with a dry doubled over Blitz cleaner after every smoke. Haven’t ruined a pipe yet.

 

[mikethompson]

I only deep clean/sanitize estates. Just a regular wipe of the bowl and water flush of the stem is enough for me for regular use.

 

[prndl]

Evil lurks in the hearts of mortisi.

I do the traditional "paper towel bowl/pipe cleaner airway" constitutional after each smoke, as well, but the mortise and tenon areas worry me more. These get a bit closer attention, though not as often and never with spirits.

I've yet to lose a good pipe.

 

[BROBS]

No alcohol on the wood. Only water on a bristled cleaner if it needs it.

 

[ray47]

When my pipes start tasting bad I'll deep clean them, otherwise it's just a pipe cleaner thru the stem and shank and swabbing the bowl with a bent pipe cleaner after each smoke. I will from time to time run a pipe cleaner dampened with Everclear thru the stem and shank. Cuts down on deep cleaning.

 

[smokeyweb]

I remove the stem once pipe is cool, and use a pipe cleaner with dish soap until stem is clean. Then use pipe cleaners and paper towels soaked in Jack Daniels to clean the stummel. For my beater pipes I do a hot water flush. This works well too. Then let rest a day before firing it up again.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Warm water wash them just like I would forks and spoons, minus the soap.

 

[trouttimes]

What is this cleaning you talk about? Grandpa never cleaned his pipes, he smoked them. If you get it hot enough it will burn all the gunk out. Why do you think he smoked PA?

 

[alaskanpiper]

I just run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank after each smoke, then bend the same pipe cleaner and use it to swab out the inside of the bowl. Once the pipe is cool I will disassemble it and run a fresh pipe cleaner through both stem and shank again, and then bend it in half and use it to swab the mortise.

For deep cleans on estates and high use pipes I use a 75/25 mix of everclear and bourbon on a pipe cleaner and run as many as it takes to come out clean-ish on both stem and stummel, then a few dry ones to mop up in there. Being very careful not to get any on the outside of the stummel of course. Unless it is vulcanite, then just the same procedure with warm water.

 

[mau1]

Do not use olive oil to rub down the briar afterwards. Olive oil turns rancid. Use mineral oil if needs be, and then very little. Wipe off after only a very short period.

 

[Dandy Pipesmoker]

As many other said: I just run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank after each smoke, then bend the same pipe cleaner and use it to swab out the inside of the bowl.

For estaes or ghost issues is better a more deep cleaning with alcohol or dedicated pipe cleaning solutions. I'm not a fan of the salt and alcohol treatment, in my experience using just the alochol works fine.

I heard of so many crazy and dangerous methods that can not believe someone would treat his beloved pipes that way!
But anyway, there are so many different tastes...

 

[BasketCase]

After room in which I keep my pipes was starting to smell a bit, I gave the briars a quick warm water clean as others have mentioned - worked a charm! They still have a faint smell but if anything it's a much nicer smell less ashy if that makes sense?

So from now it's a warm rinse, kitchen towel round the bowl, and a pipe cleaner down the stem

 

[Gubbins]

I avoid deep cleaning my pipes by swabbing the bowl and shank with Everclear on pipe cleaners after every smoke and ream if needed. Why let every bowl you smoke get gradually funkier and funkier until you can't handle it anymore and need a deep clean?