We’ve all been there, you buy yourself a new stylish and clean piece, you take a couple of dabs and find yourself up in the sky – it’s amazing. However, after some time, this stylish and clean piece changes its color and starts to look very ashy!
Now, how can you avoid that from happening and keep your piece as clean as it deserves to be?
Below we share some tips and tricks on how to exactly do that!
Is it Necessary to Clean Your Quartz Banger?
There are a couple of reasons why it makes sense to clean your quartz banger as good as possible:
- Intensified taste
Your dabs start to loose its taste as the resin builds up. The quartz banger starts to change it’s color and every hit starts to smell more and more ashy. By cleaning your banger on a daily basis you can avoid the resin build up and therefore you have a much nicer and cleander hit – you don’t want to miss out on that! - Reduced exposure to chemicals
The built up resin contains chemicals that can be harmful to us. This is another reason why it is important that you clean your banger as much as possible. Don’t let laziness harm your body – it’s not worth it! - Keep it as new as possible
When you clean your quartz banger after every session it will always look like it is new. This way, the quartz banger can also keep up with a great performance and will give you the hits you deserve.
“Must Haves” to Clean your Banger
To give your quartz banger a nice and thorough cleaning, be sure to have the following supplies ready:
- Hair dryer
- Towel
- Salt
- Q-tips
- Ziplock bag
- Rubbing alcohol
- Gloves
- A toothbrush
- A dab torch
Let’s see how to best apply those supplies to get your nice and clean quartz banger back.
7 Easy Steps to Get Your Clean Quartz Banger Back
Follow those 7 easy steps of cleaning to get a nice and clean quartz banger:
- Let the quartz banger soak in a salt and Isopropyl alcohol solution
- Rinse the solution off in warm water
- Remove the residue and dry the banger
- Heat up the banger
- Q-tip clean-up
- Repeat if needed
- Go HAM on the banger (again)
Let’s get into a deep dive on every single step above:
Step 1: Let the quartz banger soak in a salt and Isopropyl alcohol solution
→ So that you wont cause any damage to the banger, make sure that it has room temperature. Start to mix the Isopropyl alcohol with a handful of salt and stir the solution. You can leave the banger in either a plastic bag or a container. You should let the banger soak in the solution for 30 minutes up to 1 hour. We recommend that you even leave the banger in the solution over night to get the best possible results.
Step 2: Risne the solution off in warm water
→ With warm water, rinse off all the resin in the quartz banger. This is where a toothbrush comes in handy. Try to reach every single part and scratch off the resin with the toothbrush. If necessary, repeat the first two steps until you get the desired results. If this is your first time cleaning a quartz banger give it some time. It might take a couple of rounds.
Step 3: Remove the residue and dry the banger
→ Once you removed as much resin as you possibly can, put the banger on a towel. Take the hair dryer and put it on the lowest setting. Apply the heat to the banger until it is dry.
Step 4: Heat up the banger
→ In order to get the rest of the resin out of the banger we need the torch. Heat up the banger with the torch and go as high as 600-800F. It’s important that you don’t go any higher than this to avoid long term damage on the banger. The heat should be applied for about 30-45 seconds.
Step 5: Q-tip clean-up
→ Let the rig cool down. In general about 10 to 20 seconds should be enough. You want to be able to get the resin while it is still liquid. However, be very careful that you don’t burn yourself. Hover over the banger to get a feeling how hot it is. Then apply the q-tips as many times as needed to get the banger clean.
Step 6: Repeat if needed
→ If your banger has been heavily used this will probably take a couple of tries, especially when your banger has a lot of resint built up. Be patient when heating up the banger and make sure that the temperature change is not too sudden. Otherwise you can damage the banger longterm. Once the banger is cooled off, put it back into the alcohol rinse and start the process all over again.
Step 7: Go HAM on the banger (again)
→ Well, do what you do best and go HAM on that nicely cleaned banger. Enjoy the intense and full flavor it is giving you. A pro tip from our side, use a q-tip evertime you are done with the banger. This way you can take away some of the resin already. It’s obiviously not as good and thorough as when you would go through the whole cleaing process, but it definitely delayes the process a lot.
From an Ashy Quartz Banger to a Brand New One
What if your banger has seen all the highs and all the lows, went through thick and thin and endured the ice cold and burning hot times with you? Well, he has definitely gone through some shit with you. A lot of times, if you don’t take good care of him, he turns ashy. Now there is a way to freshen up your quartz banger.
Some quartz bangers went way too high with you and the build up resin can’t be washed off anymore. However, there are some tricks that we will show you below that should give him a good treatment.
3 Easy Tips That Will Keep Your Quartz Banger Clean
Are you frustrated when it takes forever to clean you quartz banger? Here are some simple tips and tricks on how to save a lot of time:
- Clean after every use
- Prevent overheating the nails
- Invest in a reclaim or carb cap
Let’s explore why these tips are so essential to keep a clean banger.
Tip 1: Clean after every use
→ While you are already at it, to get a nice hit, we prepare so many different things. We got the torch in its place, the nail is right there, the oil is well prepared and most likely you also keep some gummy bears or M&Ms close for the munchies. Now, while you are at it, make sure to keep some q-tips close. As soon as you are done taking the hit, clean it with the q-tip. This only takes up around 10 seconds and will save you a lot of time in the future.
Tip 2: Prevent overheating the nails
→ So it’s no secret, smokers that are fairly new to dabbing mostly get an ashy quartz banger. The reason is, that in the beginning a lot of stoners don’t know how hot the dab nail has to be and heat it up all the way to 800F. In reality you should heat up the nail to around 650F. However, this takes some practice to master
When the temperature reaches 800F, the resin starts to burn and the banger starts to turn ashy. Furthermore, it also messes with your flavor and if you pushed the temperatures too high, it can damage your troath, mouth and lungs.
If you find yourself in the situation where you pushed the dab to 800F, take a couple of seconds and let it cool down before you take a hit.
Tip 3: Invest in a reclaim or carb cap
→ A carb cap lets you soak up all the extra resin that has been accumulated. The cap allows a nice airflow while keaping the heat in. This way you can keep almost all of the remaining smoke in the rig and enjoy a smooth and strong hit.
Reclaims are small parts that collect left over dabbing extracts in a separate chamber. There, they get drained and re-used.
FAQ About How to Clean Quartz Bangers
When we just started smoking, a lot of things were very new to us. We had to figure them out by ourselves over lots of trials and errors. Below you find a list of FAQs on how to clean your quartz banger, including some that we wish we knew back then.
How long does a quartz banger last?
There are a couple of things to consider:
- Quality of the brand
- Quality of the banger
- How long did you heat it up for
- How hot did you make it
- Did you clean it often
- How frequent was the usage
If you get a top notch quartz banger, use it carefully around once a day, apply heat to maximum 800F and apply it properly. This way, your quartz banger can last for years.
There are brands that have lower quality quartz bangers and they tend to break faster. However, you can also ruin a good quality quartz banger by applying way too much heat and by barely cleaning it. Therefore, make sure to take good care of your quartz banger.
How can I clean a quartz banger the best way?
One of the best ways to clean a quartz banger is with salt and Isopropyl alcohol. All yo need to do is soak it for about 1 hour. Best case however would be, if you let it soak over night. As a next step, you want to rinse it off with water and clean it with a toothbrush. Take your hair dryer and apply the heat. Then, take the torch and heat it up to around 600 to 800F. This will take around 30 to 40 seconds. Let it cool off for around 10 to 15 seconds and take the final residue out with a q-tip. You may want to repeat this step a copule of times until the banger is clean.
How often is it recommended to clean a quartz banger?
We know it is not easy, however, the best way to have a clean quartz banger is to clean it every time when you use it. Since we know that this is not realistic for everyone to apply, we recomment to at least keep a q-tip close by. This way you can scratch some of the remains after every hit you take.
Summary – Best Ways to Clean Your Quartz Banger
Now we finally have reached the end of the article – thanks a lot for reading! We hope you were able to learn quite a bit on how to best clean your quartz banger.
You see, with a little bit of discipline and pre work, you can enjoy your dabbing experience much longer on a muc higher level. Just don’t forget to bring a q-tip with you on every dab session.