How often do you clean your most us3d pipe, and how do you do it?

[jrfoxx]

Just curious how others do things. Never know, might learn a good trick.

I have used the same pipe multiple times a day, since I got it (my first pipe).

Every few days, I run a few pipe cleaners soaked in 99% isopropyl alcohol through the stem and shank, then a dry one through each to get any alcohol left behind (unlikely, 99% drys super fast since there's no water in it like common 70% from a drugstore), and just to make sure it comes back clean, so I know I got everything.

Every couple weeks, I do the same thing, but with white nylon brushes soaked in the IPA then again, a clean, dry brush to make sure it comes back clean.

Seems to work well. I never get any tar or oils in my mouth, or any funky taste from buildup of oils and tar.

What's everyone else's cleaning method and frequency?


I friggin love tobacco!

[dj1340]

There is no good or bad way. I think most clean as they feel it 's needed.
I always run a pipe cleaner through after I've finished a bowl. Maybe every couple weeks I'll
dip a cleaner in Rum and run it through. I also have some wooden cotton tips I dip in (like a cue tip only long wooden ones instead)
I'll clean the bowl really well with them.

[jrfoxx]

There is no good or bad way. I think most clean as they feel it 's needed.
I always run a pipe cleaner through after I've finished a bowl. Maybe every couple weeks I'll
dip a cleaner in Rum and run it through. I also have some wooden cotton tips I dip in (like a cue tip only long wooden ones instead)
I'll clean the bowl really well with them.

Yup. As long as it smokes fine, there's no wrong way, I agree.

This was purely out of curiosity how, and how often, others clean, and maybe pick up a neat trick, even though I very happy with my chosen method and it seems to work fine and even during the deep clean with brushes, it only takes a few minutes.

I chose 99% lab grade IPA as it is as pure as it's physically possible to get any kind of alcohol. It's impossible to remove the last 1% of water since all alcohol is hygrscopic. It's an excellent solvent, dries very quickly, and contains nothing that can be left behind like with the drugstore bought 70% IPA to taint the pipe with impurities or an alcohol taste.

I've seen other people mention cleaning the bowl, typically with a bent pipe cleaner soaked in booze mostly and am curious, as I thought building up a good layer of cake in the bowl (at least until it gets so thick your bowl holds have as much tobacco like the 1 estate pipe I got) was a good thing to protect the wood, so it doesn't get burnt/charred, and to keep the bowl cooler for holding it.

So, what's the story with cleaning the bowl, at least until it's time for a little reamer action?

I only cleaned the bowls of the ones I got used on ebay, as I had no idea if the tobacco smoked in them would effect the taste of mine, and just to start with them nice and clean, (and sterilized with the 99% IPA used as a solvent) as well as cleaning the stem and shank thoroughly (and again also sterilized with the IPA used as a solvent).

Plus, once I looked in the bowl, and ran an IPA soaked pipe cleaner through the stem and shank, it became quite apparent that the previous owner had never cleaned these pipes during his lifefetime (airflow greatly reduced, impossible to get a pipe cleaner through it and had to begin with the much stiffer steel shaft nylon brush) and one with a standard sized bowl that had cake on the walls so thick that the bowl volume was 50% capacity or less (can't imagine how much smoking over how many years that would take).

Am I mistaken about letting a decent layer of cake buildup in the bowl being a desirable thing?


And just for some Holy Crap factor, here's the estate bowl mentioned. the picture doesn't do it justice. Only the very tip of my reamer on the smallest setting, fit just a couple mm into the bowl and i just pressed and twisted until i finaly reached the bottom, then began expanding the reamer as I went until only a thin layer was left. This one had to have been an old guy's lifetime, daily pipe. This is a cropped pic of the lot of 6, so the picture wasn't intended to highlight the bowl cake. I with I had thought to take a good, well lit, closeup of the bowl before reaming and sterilizing.

I friggin love tobacco!

[dj1340]

That is a cake and a half. I clean the bowl with the wooden q-tips every couple days. not thoroughly but just a wipe around the bowl.
I think it's a personal thing and you'll get varied opinions. Glean what you want and settle on what works for you. Having been around pipe
smokers for a long time it's amazing how different people are.

[jrfoxx]

That is a cake and a half. I clean the bowl with the wooden q-tips every couple days. not thoroughly but just a wipe around the bowl.
I think it's a personal thing and you'll get varied opinions. Glean what you want and settle on what works for you. Having been around pipe
smokers for a long time it's amazing how different people are.

Yeah, right?
It was even more caked in person. I genuinely think 50% of the bowls volume was reduced from cake. I think some guy in his 20's bought it at a drugstore in the 60's and used it daily until he died. All the other pipes were relatively normal with only a tiny bit of cake, but the shank and stem were nearly completely plugged, so he did use all of them some, but this was clearly his daily smoker for 40 years or so,lol

Yup, it's exactly the same in the Cigar world. Everyone has different tastes and methods they like and stick to.

I'm perfectly satisfied with my method.
Was just curious about others routines, and you never know when you'll pick up a good tip/trick.

I friggin love tobacco!