How to Get Resin out of a Bowl

Resin buildup can make your pipe look grimy and taint the taste of new cannabis. Cleaning the bowl of your pipe regularly will help reduce buildup and practice resin sustainability. Whether you want a fresh, clean pipe or you want to get the most out of your stash, you can clean out the resin by soaking it in alcohol, freezing it, or boiling it in hot water.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cleaning With Alcohol and Salt

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Use a bobby pin or paperclip to dislodge as much as resin as possible. Set the resin aside to throw away or smoke later.
2
Put the pipe and isopropyl alcohol in a plastic bag. Open up a plastic sandwich bag and place the pipe inside. Then pour in 99% isopropyl alcohol until the bowl is submerged.^{[1]XResearch source}
- 99% isopropyl is preferable, but any percentage above 70% will sufficiently clean your pipe. A higher percentage will clean your pipe more efficiently.
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3
Pour a tablespoon of sea salt into the alcohol. The salt will act as an agitator and help break up the resin. You can also add some salt down the mouthpiece to clean out the rest of the pipe.
- If you want to evaporate the alcohol and smoke the resin later, don’t add salt. Perform the same steps and make sure the alcohol is completely evaporated before smoking the leftover resin.
Soaking in the alcohol and salt mixture will loosen up the resin and make it easier to remove.^{[2]XResearch source}
After soaking, shake the bagged pipe to agitate the salt and help dislodge any last stubborn bits of resin.^{[3]XResearch source}
If the pipe is particularly dirty, you may want to repeat the process. You can also clean out the leftover resin with a pipe cleaner or cotton swab to speed the process.
7
Wash the pipe with warm, soapy water once it’s clean. Throw away the baggie of resin or keep it to evaporate and smoke later. Wipe the clean pipe with a towel and let it fully dry before using it.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Be careful with the resin--it’ll be extremely sticky and will stain anything it comes in contact with.
- Make sure to rinse away all of the alcohol, since it is extremely flammable.
8
Clean your pipe weekly to avoid buildup. Cannabis resin is extremely sticky and difficult to remove, particularly with glass pipes. Clean out your pipe once a week to make the process easier and faster.
- Soak your pipe in isopropyl alcohol for five minutes every week to keep it clean.^{[5]XResearch source}
- If you have a wood pipe, do not soak it weekly. Rather, scrub the pipe with an isopropyl alcohol-soaked toothbrush to remove buildup.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Freezing the Resin

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1
Put the dirty pipe in the freezer for thirty minutes. With this technique, there’s no need to scrape first. Simply freeze the pipe and let the resin harden and dry out.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Don’t leave your pipe in the freezer longer than thirty minutes. Some cheaper glass pipes could break when exposed to extreme cold.
- Set an alarm so you don’t forget about your pipe in the freezer.
After thirty minutes, take the pipe out of the freezer and scrape out the dried resin. Work quickly, because it won’t take long for the resin to gum up again and become sticky.^{[7]XResearch source}
The resin will be hardened to a dry, sand-like texture, so you’ll want something disposable below the pipe to catch the resin as it falls.^{[8]XResearch source}
The freezing method is likely not a method you should use weekly because of the harsh temperature change. Use it once monthly as needed for a deep cleaning.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Boiling Your Pipe

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1
Boil a pot of water. Make sure to add enough water to cover your pipe when placed inside. Heat the water over a stove or hot plate until it comes to a boil.
- If you have a glass pipe, place the pipe in the pot before you start to heat the water.
- Don’t use this method on a wooden pipe. It may damage and discolor the wood.
With the pipe held between the tongs, gently ease it into the hot water. Move the pipe around a bit to dislodge the resin. Keep gently shaking it until the resin starts coming off in black clumps.^{[9]XResearch source}
3
Continue to move the pipe around for five to seven minutes. Be gentle with the pipe. Try not to knock the pipe against the sides of the pot. Move it around slowly and carefully inside the pot.
- Depending on how much buildup your pipe has, this process may take longer.
4
Strain out the resin. Pour the resin and water through a coffee filter or a mesh strainer to collect the leftover resin. If you want to smoke it later, roll the resin into a ball and freeze or let dry.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Once the resin is sticky and no longer damp to the touch, you can smoke it.^{[11]XResearch source}
5
Clean out the rest of the pipe with a paperclip or pipe cleaner. Scrape out any leftover resin in the bowl and chamber to get the pipe completely clean.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Pull out the resin and let it dry if you want to smoke it later. If not, discard it.
Because of the extreme temperature change, you should not boil your pipe too often. Use the boiling method as needed for deep cleaning.

Expert Q&A

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Is resin toxic?
Shelley Williams
Arts & Crafts Expert
Shelley Williams is an Arts & Crafts Expert based in Long Beach, California. After a 20-year career as an educator, Shelley brought her love of education to the world of crafting and creating things. Shelley opened CRAFT + LIGHT, a creative arts studio, in 2019. Since then, Shelley has taught over 1000 people to make soap, wood signs, alcohol inks, candlemaking, bath bombs, and more. In addition to being a craft store, CRAFT + LIGHT hosts private parties, family birthday events, open studio events, and other types of craft demonstrations. Shelley partners with City governments to curate creative care packages for at-risk residents and is a partner of the Long Beach Black Health Collaborative funded out of the City of Long Beach.
Shelley Williams
Arts & Crafts Expert
Expert Answer
Epoxy resin can be toxic, particularly for pregnant women, so it's important to avoid exposure to it. Even though it's commonly used as a beginner resin due to its ease of use, safety precautions like wearing gloves and goggles, as prolonged exposure can have adverse health effects. However, compared to professional-grade resin bases like polyurethane, epoxy resin is considered less toxic.
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Tips

When scraping, choose tools that fit your pipe. If you have a glass pipe, be careful to use tools that don’t have sharp edges that could scratch, damage, and even crack the pipe.
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When using alcohol to clean your pipe, always wait for your resin to dry because it must be alcohol-free before smoking. This process will take a long time and is not recommended for beginners.
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If your resin is a little fresh or you got it wet somehow, and you don't feel like waiting for it to dry, let any alcohol evaporate, roll the resin into a ball, and place it in the freezer so it hardens.
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Warnings

Be careful when scraping the bowl from the inside. This is sometimes the weakest part of a pipe, and applying too much pressure can break your pipe.
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Resin contains more carcinogens and tar as the result of being a concentrated byproduct of your plant matter's combustion. Smoking it may give you a headache.
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Make sure you rinse away all the alcohol. It's extremely flammable, and smells and tastes foul.
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