How to Clean a Quartz Banger
Steps by Step Guide to Clean Your Quartz Banger
Are you ready to dab but want to knowhow to clean a quartz banger first? We understand completely. Keeping the bowl clean enhances your experience the next time and allows you to get more use from your purchase.
Cleaning the bowl isn’t tricky. Take a few minutes today to learn how to keep your new banger crystal clean, and it’ll be useful for far longer.
Before We Start: Things To Avoid
The quartz banger is delicate, so you must avoid using any acid-based cleaners or bleach. These cleaners react with the stone and cause it to degrade. A blend of 99% ISO alcohol mixed with distilled water will do the same work without damage.
The alcohol acts as a solvent on the resinous material, gumming up the works. It’s an efficient way to break the resin’s bonds without damaging the quartz.
Distilled water is best because it has no minerals in it. The calcium in tap water leaves a residue and causes a build-up of limescale. This residue makes the banger look cloudy.
Never use an abrasive cloth or bottle brush. Instead, get out the cotton swabs or Q-tips. Abrasive cleaners will scratch the surface of the quartz, leaving grooves in which residue collects.
Stick to low-temperature dabbing. Ideally, you should never heat the quartz to more than 600° F. If the temperature exceeds 1,000° F, or the crystal becomes red hot, it will discolor.
Cleaning Your Quartz Banger
Regularly cleaning the banger nail will keep the crystal from yellowing and becoming cloudy. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes with our quick and simple tips.
The method you use depends on how much residue there is in the mechanism. Try to get into the habit of cleaning the banger every time you use it. If you allow the residue to dry, it bakes into the quartz and is almost impossible to remove.
If you’ve already used it a few times, here are some tips for cleaning it.
Learn More: Banger Dab
When the Banger Starts To Turn Black or Brown
A black or brown color indicates resin remnants. It isn’t pleasant, but it’s fixable. To prevent this from happening in the future, clean the banger before you start to feel high and forget.
Water and alcohol alone won’t lift this baked-in gunk. You’ll need to make an alcohol saline solution instead. Mix enough alcohol to cover the banger completely with about four tablespoons of salt.
Stir it to mix well and then place your banger into the solution. Leave it in the mixture for at least twenty-four hours, shaking it occasionally to loosen the residue.
The next day, remove the banger and use warm water to rinse it thoroughly. Try to wash away as much of the residue as possible. Then use a Q-tip to wipe away any stubborn bits.
You should now heat the bowl to around 600° F. Heating it will incinerate most of the goo. If there’s anything left, set the banger aside and allow it to cool enough that it’s safe to wipe down again.
The sweet spot is just before the resin cools enough to become like sludge — it needs to be reasonably liquid for this to work.
While the bowl is still a little warm, wipe it down with a swab soaked in alcohol. At this stage, it should be easy to get all the gunk off. Use a clean swab to clear out excess alcohol.
You may need to repeat this step a few times to clear everything off.
When the Banger Starts To Turn Yellow or Light Brown
Discoloration won’t take as long as you think. Your best defense is to clean the bowl after every use. When it’s just a light residual layer, cleaning is more straightforward.
Follow the steps above, starting with heating the bowl. When it’s cooled down a little, clean it with an alcohol swab until you’ve removed all the resin.
How To Look After a Clean Banger
The best way to keep things clean is to clear the resin before it cools too much. You’ll get away with skipping cleaning after one or two hits. Try your best not to miss any cleaning — the quartz will lose its gloss and gradually turn yellow.
All you need is a steady supply of:
- Alcohol: One bottle will last a while, so it’s not going to cost much.
- Q-tips or Cotton Swabs: Q-tips are best for cleaning the bowl when it’s warm. If you’re using cotton swabs instead, use a pair of tweezers to hold them, so you don’t burn your fingers.
- Distilled Water: If you don’t live in a hard water area, tap water should be okay. To be on the safe side, finish off by wiping with an alcohol-soaked swab.
The Importance of Buying Quality Quartz
As with anything in life, better quality comes at a price. There are different grades of quartz, and this affects the cost of these appliances.
You’ll find some models for the unbelievable price of $10. There’s a reason that the deal sounds too good to be true — it’s usually that the manufacturers used a lower-grade crystal.
Lower quality crystal won’t have as much heat resistance and is likely to crack more easily. There’s no way you can stop these from discoloring over time.
A high-end model might go for as much as $130, but there are several good choices in between.
How much you spend depends on your budget and how well you’ll look after the appliance. If you can only afford $20 or know you won’t care for the pipe correctly, it’s not worth splurging.
If you have a little extra money, choose a better-quality model. Get that one for $130 if you know that you’ll look after it properly and have fun with it.
Have You Waited Too Long To Clean Your Banger?
If it’s too late for your current glass bowl, browseour selection to find the perfect replacement. Now that you knowhow to clean a quartz banger, you’ll be able to keep the new one in good shape.
