Using isopropyl alcohol to clean your pipe.

[aaroncaseyis]

I want to use the salt and alcohol method to clean out one of my pipes but i live in Ohio and Everclear alcohol is illegal. I can get 91% Isopropyl Alcohol but i have heard that using it can be harmful. Is this true? And if it is what else could i use?

 

[matchstickman]

I was actually debating this sort of thing some months ago. I have cleaned a couple of pipes with isopropyl and still smoke them. They havent killed me yet. I have found that Everclear is best when it is available, however if you go to some places online you can get pipe sweetener which will do essentially the same thing as Everclear of isopropyl and is made specifically for that purpose. I know pipes and cigars sells a bottle of the stuff but I cant remember what it is called. You can actually also use any kind of high proof alcohol as well, such as Bacardi 151 or any other kind of rum, gin, or vodka.

 

[bronxbill]

I've used isopropl alcohol for years, never had a problem. Just make sure you let the pipes sit long enough for it to evaporate before you smoke them.

 

[ssjones]

This comes up a lot, with at times heated debate. FWIW, I've used both and can't tell the difference afterwards. Both are just as effective.

 

[ace57]

Isopropyl 91% is all that I use.

 

[ghost]

I use 99% Isopropyl for S/A treatments and stem and shank cleaning, and have never had any issues. As previously said, just make sure the pipes sit for awhile before you smoke them. It also goes without saying, keep it off the finish. Use an eye dropper to put the alcohol in the bowl if you can.

 

[wallace]

Needing a bottle of sweetener is a good excuse for a trip to the baccy shop. That is why it has been taught in my house that sweetener is most effective way to clean a pipe!

 

[allan]

Hardly being an expert in the matter, I've read on line somewhere that whiskey isn't bad. I have a bottle of Jim Beam I'm using (sparingly) to clean out the pipes every so often. I really don't like this brand of bourbon to drink (I prefer Maker's Mark or Michters) and it seems to clean out the stem and bowl holes quite well. I can tell this because after I do an initial cleaning with a bristle and soft pipe cleaner and I think its clean, the bourbon coated cleaners remove quite a bit more residue.
Allan

 

[flyguy]

Before I bought my bottle of Everclear, I used rum in my salt treatments. Rum worked well and sweetened my pipe.

 

[nsfisher]

It is all I have EVER used, except once in awhile I will dip a stem in Brandy

 

[pstlpkr]

I like Ezra Brooks as a sweetener. It can be a lot of fun cleaning pipes.

 

[aaroncaseyis]

Thanks for the input everyone, I now know what I am going to use.

 

[taerin]

I love how he doesn't say what it is, classy move!

 

[zanthal]

I've been having good results using pipe cleaners dipped in rubbing alcohol. Works great on stems, but I don't have any vulcanite stem pipes any more, can't be certain about how it does.

 

[instymp]

151 Bacardi here

 

[captainsousie]

I have used Everclear and 91% iso and after it has time to dry I can tell no difference between the pipes cleaned with everclear and the ones cleaned with the iso.