Cleaning and maintaining your hookah / shisha pipe is one of the best ways to preserve your pipe and ensure you get longevity from it. This will also allow you to change flavours regularly and not be stuck with having to taste old sessions every time you smoke.
Here is our simple guide to some of our hookah cleaning and hookah care tips and practices.
Cleaning the stem of your hookah pipe.
Run some warm or warm soapy water through the stem of your Shisha pipe first. Then use your shisha cleaning brush. Remember to dampen the brush with warm or warm soapy water before inserting the brush into the stem.
Using a specific Hookah brush allows you to remove and clean out the unwanted molasses and buildup that has occurred during your session. Once completed ensure that you rise the stem thoroughly with warm water. Rest to air dry.
Cleaning your Hookah base or shisha vase.
Try to avoid letting the hookah vase or base sit around with water sitting still inside from your last session. Even if you cannot be bothered cleaning the entire unit straight after you session, the next morning or later in the day once everything has cooled down, simply empty the water from the unit. Every session is best started with clean and fresh water.
For the best results, use warm soapy water and soft sponge or alternatively, cleaning beads or a shisha cleaning brush as they offer a reusable cleaning solution that is quick and requires minimal effort to ensure the entire vase has all build up removed after each session.
Be careful with your water temperature when washing your wash, if the vase is warm to hot ensure that you don’t use water that is too cold or on a vase that is cold increase water temperature gradually to ensure that your vase or base glass does not crack.
Some believe that leaving the water in from previous shisha sessions adds to the flavour, however the stagnant water can cause mold to build, and this can be extremely harmful, so ALWAYS change or refresh your water at the bare minimum.
Cleaning you Shisha and Hookah Hoses.
There are 2 main styles of hookah hoses so make sure you treat them with the specific steps for the style you have.
Cleaning traditional Hookah Hoses.
Most traditional hookah hoses are not washable as they have a metal coil inside of them or are made with leather, so you don’t want them to rust and get brittle and crack. There is not a definitive way to clean these hoses without potentially causing damage to the units.
Traditional shisha hoses are designed more for shisha smokers that stick with a specific flavour when smoking at each session.
Cleaning silicon and soft touch shisha hoses.
With the new style silicon and soft touch hoses, run warm water though them and let them drip dry. Alternatively, if you have a steamer at home, simply run the steam through the hose to help clean and kill the germs and bacteria.
Washing your hose between each use will help remove the residual flavour from your last session in preparation for your next season.
How to clean your bowl or heads for shisha.
First remove the foil or HMD (heat management device) and shisha flavour from the bowl.
Get a small pot and fill with water, place the pot filled with water onto the stove top allowing the water to boil.
Place your hoookah bowls / heads into the water face down, allowing the water to return to the boil. Let the bowl boil for 15-20 minutes and repeat if necessary.
Some staining is very difficult to remove and be careful as you can scrub off the glaze after long term scoring. Make sure to rinse or use small pipe brushes to clean out the neck and holes of the hookah bowl also.
Our final Hookah cleaning tips for home.
During the thorough cleaning of your hookah if you don’t have specific Hookah cleaning products, we suggest you use a cleaning solution such as dishwashing liquid, lemon juice, baking soda or vinegar to clean your stem, vase, and head.
Some like to soak the stem, vase, and head over night in a cleaning solution, which is also suitable.
Using a cleaning solution will also help to prevent hookah flavour residue, which is what causes all the hookah tobacco flavours to start tasting the same.
Finally letting your hookah dry overnight after a thorough cleaning will also help to prevent the buildup of flavor residue and ensure that you get the best from your Hookah pipe at your next session.
To shop for some new hookah cleaning accessories click here.
