Cleaning Routine

[Jahman7]

We all have different cleaning routines that work for our different pipes... I'm curious what yours are. I'll go first...

Daily: I smoke a bowl, swab entirely with dry pipe cleaner first, then a bristled pipe cleaner next, making sure to remove tars from stem and ash from bowl, then blow out the loose material, then store till the next smoke. If there is excess unburned tobacco at the bottom of the bowl, I may tamp it down tight - especially in a cobb pipe, and it serves as a buffer for the sometimes delicate bottom of the bowl to keep that bottom from charring too much/often.

Briars/hardwood pipes:

After 5-10 bowls or when pipe begins to smell sour, swab with alcohol/cleaner solutions made for the pipe using pipe cleaners.

Once a year: ream out most of the carbon cake, swab with alcohol/cleaner solutions generously, let sit for a day or two before smoking again.

Cobb/porous pipes:

After 10 or so bowls, or once pipe starts to smell sour, swab with alcohol/cleaner solutions made for the pipe/stem.

Once every 1-2 years: Put away in an antique cabinet/storage and buy a replacement. I don't worry about reaming my cobb pipes.

Goal: remove tars and buildup of loose material that cause bitter, ashy flavors.

 

[captainsousie]

Cue the water flush crowd as well as the various liquor crowds. I run pipe cleaners and q tips after each bowl and a bit of iso after 10 or so bowls. Wipe the chamber with a paper towel or a quick scrub with a folded bristle cleaner between smokes to keep cake down.

 

[warren]

Pipes smoked during the week are cleaned, as needed, Sunday afternoons for the most part.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Pipe cleaner down the stem and the bent to scrape the sides of the chamber after each smoke. Then wadded paper towel to chamber and rim.

I was using a brown liquor dipped pipe cleaner after each session, but don't do it as often (but do it when the pipe seems sour or off).

 

[bullet08]

There are few things to notice. 1. Mortise needs to be cleaned. 2. Any left over tobacco that hasn't been cleaned out of the chamber could leave a bad taste.

I know some people never pull the stem out unless they have to. But guess where all the crap ends up at? Mortise. It's good idea to clean mortise occasionally. I clean it after each smoke.

Chamber doesn't need much cleaning or reaming if you keep it nice at all time. After the smoke, I run pipe cleaner through the stem and shank. Then fold it in half and clean out the chamber. At which point, I'll rub out the loose cake with paper towel.

I never have to do deep cleaning. It really doesn't take long to run through the process.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I wash the pipe in the sink with warm water... No pipe cleaners needed. Plus the water goes all through the airway to clean out that gunk.

@captainsousie, have you tried the warm water rinse?

We all ways need a few more good men to join the club.

 

[Sigmund]

In France paper towels are garbage. One of the coolest things Ive found to clean the chamber are wipes my wife had to remove makeup. They have a gentle solvent and these thing will not rip at all and they are adequately absorbent. Typically I use them to deep clean but when they dry out I use them to wipe out bowls after smoking. I use a bristle cleaner on the stummel.

I smoke mostly 9mm filter pipes so the stems on my pipes are incredibly clean. One pipe cleaner will clean more than a dozen stem.

For deep cleaning I have a bunch of bottle/test tube brushes I got from Amzon to clean the stummels with either hot water or alcohol.

 

[captainsousie]

@captainsousie, have you tried the warm water rinse?

Yes, yes I have. I tried it for a while with a couple of pipes and I didn't find it to be the revolution that many think I to be. It did a good enough job but the stems oxidized faster for me.

 

[captpat]

Chamber doesn't need much cleaning or reaming if you keep it nice at all time. After the smoke, I run pipe cleaner through the stem and shank. Then fold it in half and clean out the chamber.

^^^ This. Reaming and a water flush are on an as-needed basis, which isn't too often

 

[Jahman7]

There are few things to notice. 1. Mortise needs to be cleaned. 2. Any left over tobacco that hasn't been cleaned out of the chamber could leave a bad taste.

I know some people never pull the stem out unless they have to. But guess where all the crap ends up at? Mortise. It's good idea to clean mortise occasionally. I clean it after each smoke.

Chamber doesn't need much cleaning or reaming if you keep it nice at all time. After the smoke, I run pipe cleaner through the stem and shank. Then fold it in half and clean out the chamber. At which point, I'll rub out the loose cake with paper towel.

I never have to do deep cleaning. It really doesn't take long to run through the process.

Thanks for the info.

I usually don't get to smoke the unburned, super tamped stuff at the bottom of a cob. It's beneath the stem anyway so it just adds a buffer for the good stuff to be fully used up.

I clean the entire inside of the pipe by taking the stem out and running pipe cleaners through every piece, then doing a hard and fast blow through the pieces to blow out any loose material. This includes the mortise.