How to clean a dab rig? Follow this Best 8 methods

Do you know how to clean a dab rig? A dab rig is a small, thin piece of glass with a coil of thin metal to heat the oil for your dab. These rigs come in many sizes and shapes but are generally intended for tobacco or compatible oils.

They can also use for concentrates like dabs, waxes, hash oils, and the like.

Rigs for wax will have a coil at the bottom, holes to let the smoke out at the top, and a carb. Rigs for oil have four holes at the bottom and no carb (oil is thicker than wax so does not require air).

The length of these is usually between 5″ and 7″. They are like your average bong but smaller, because honestly when you want to smoke concentrates you don’t want something huge.

Although the glass pieces of a rig are generally fairly durable, they can occasionally develop small cracks; however, the glass breakage is usually not that bad. If your glass breaks or gets damaged, you will just want to clean it up and start using it again.

Why need to clean a dab rig?

The main reason to clean a dab rig is to remove any debris that has built up on the dab. This can happen over time due to smoke, oils, and the heat of the coils.

Some things you should do when cleaning your rig are put it upside down in a bucket of hot water with a cleaning solution and scrubbing brush. After scrubbing off all the gunk you want to take it apart and if it is looking too dirty to clean you can use a torch or an ultrasonic cleaner.

If you want you can also use a dabber on the coil and rinse it off with hot water (it will be a new feeling because most rigs do not have this). If you do clean your rig, make sure to wipe it off with rubbing alcohol after because it is a harsh chemical.

If the glass breaks and there is too much debris then your rig is done for. Environmental factors like not letting your rig sit around long enough before, or storing them in an area where they are too easy to break can cause glass breakage.

If your glass breaks and you are looking for a replacement, you should get glass that is of the same thickness. Different thicknesses of glass will have different degrees of heat retention.

If there are cracks that are too small to see with the naked eye then you should be ok to use it again, but if the cracks intersect with each other, then it’s done.

What is needed to clean a dab rig?

You need to have a few tools to clean a dab rig. The most important tool is a dabbing tool, this is something that has an atomizer on it to vaporize the wax for you.

The second most important thing is an ultrasonic cleaner. If you want all the benefits of an ultrasonic cleaner but do not want to buy one, then look for an air duster or air compressor that also has an attachment for cleaning things. You will also need rubbing alcohol and hot water to clean with.

As I said before you want to start by taking your dab rig and putting it in hot water and placing it upside down. While you are letting the rig soak for a few minutes, take the time to grab your dabbing tool and heat up some oil or hash.

Now you will want to clean out all the little holes on the bottom of your rig and hand wash it. After that is done, take apart your coil and place it in hot water with rubbing alcohol.

What is the best cleaner for a dab rig?

There are several ways that you can clean your dab rig.

We are all familiar with bleach, people use it to disinfect and clean things all the time. So why not dab rigs? Well, the main reason is that it can be bad for the health.

What would a cleaner be like that has bleach in it? That would be bad because it could hurt your lungs and make you sick. Besides, I don’t know of anyone using bleach to clean their dab rig (if you do then tell me in the comments).

There are several cleaners on the market that have mild antibacterial agents. One of them is 409 and another one is Windex.

If you want to use Windex on your dab rig then make sure that it is the one with ammonia in it and not the other stuff (Windex has a white bottle and not a clear one). If you choose to use Windex or 409, then make sure to only use it on the glass part.

Another cleaner that has been around is baking soda and vinegar. Most people use baking soda because it’s the mildest while they can also use vinegar. The problem with vinegar is that it ruins glass. If you are going to use vinegar on your rig, then make sure that you don’t mix it with alcohol because the mixture will be too acidic.

While we are on the topic of cleaners, I have also seen people using hydrogen peroxide. If you want to try this, then make sure that you only use an amount equal to a single capful and not just a couple of drops (this will not cut it).

How to clean a dab rig in 8 methods?

1. Blow it – This one is obviously not a good idea and actually should be avoided. It will damage your glass, but if you are desperate then you can try this method out.
2. Clean it with alcohol – At this point, your water is getting clean and the holes are pretty much cleared out, so it’s time to move on to the alcohol part of cleaning the rig.
3. Soak it – Removing the residue from your rig is the main goal of cleaning it, but you still have to soak the rig because there are still oils on it.
4. Rinse and repeat – After you have cleaned it with alcohol, then rinse it off and get rid of all the alcohol that is left on it, because if you don’t then you will get a chemical burn (not a good feeling).
5. Clean with ultrasonic cleaner – This is my favorite method for cleaning my dab rigs.
6. Use an air compressor – This is a great method to use because you can get them for free at most auto parts stores, and they are usually pretty good ones.
7. Use a torch – This is what I do and it works pretty much all the time but takes a bit longer to do than other methods.
8. Dishwasher – For those who want to clean their dab rig in their dishwasher, then go ahead and try this method out.

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How to clean a dab rig with alcohol?

The first thing you want to do is clean out your water and the air holes. Take a t-shirt and dip it into the hot water and squeeze it out. Then use that shirt to dab some liquid cleaning agent on the outside of your rig and on the inside as well, making sure that you get all of it.

Next, go ahead and turn your rig upside down, and put it in the hot water with hot water in a container (if you don’t know what a container is then just get one). After that is done, let it sit for a few minutes, and then remove it from the water and put it into cold water.

Now you want to soak your rig in alcohol, if you do not use rubbing alcohol then make sure that you are using ethanol-free vodka or something because there could be a chance that it could be flammable. You will want to soak the inside and outside of the glass. Once you are done then rinse it off with hot water.

After the glass is clean, you want to take that t-shirt and get 99% alcohol on the outside of the dab rig and on the inside (you will want to make sure that any kind of cleaner is soaked up. After that is done, then you will want to put it in boiling water with some salt.

After that is done (again) you will want to take it out of the water and put it into ice-cold water.

After that is done, you will get your pure 99% alcohol and wash the part of the rig that was left in the 99% alcohol. The part will be kind of sticky, so let it sit for a few minutes and then let her dry in the sun or in front of a heater. The next thing you want to do is clean out all your water and air holes with rubbing alcohol.

How to clean a dab rig with vinegar?

1. Take the rig out of the water(take that time to grab your dabbing tool and heat up some oil or hash).
2. Use a paper towel to clean off any residue on the outside of the glass.
3. Fill a bowl with water and add vinegar (make sure that you don’t mix it with alcohol since it will be way too acidic). Put the dabbing tool in it too.
4. Let everything soak for at least 10 minutes, but if you want then it won’t hurt to drink them longer.
5. Rinse them with hot water and let everything dry.

How to properly clean a dab rig with baking soda?

1. Take your dabbing tool and clean it out, put the tip back into the bowl of baking soda if you have one, or just dump it all on the floor and put it on the cutting board or something safe.
2. Take your dabbing tool (don’t use it right away because you’ll ruin it).
3. Put it into the water and cover it with baking soda, making sure that there is no residue.
4. Use your dabbing tool and let the tip sit in the vinegar for a little while, then rinse it off with hot water (don’t use it right away because you’ll ruin it).
5. Now you want to put some hot water in a container and put the glass and bowl in it, make sure that you are cleaning any residue off of your bowl and glass.
6. Now you want to get another bowl and put vinegar in it, cover the glass, and bowl in vinegar.
7. Take the dabbing tool out of the water and use it to clean any residue off of your glass and bowl, make sure that you take out all of the baking soda from the tips and completely wash your glass with hot water (don’t use the right away because you’ll ruin it).
8. Now you want to put some hot water in a container and put them both in it.
9. Take the glass with your dabbing tool and put it in the vinegar.
10. After you have done that, you want to rinse off your dabbing tool and put it into boiling water with some salt, then let it dry while it is in there.

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How to properly clean a dab rig without rubbing alcohol?

1. The first thing you want to do is clean out all of the water and shake off all of the residues, what you want to do after that is get a tablespoon and fill it up with vinegar. After that, put it in a container and put your rig in it for at least 20 minutes (but if you have time then you should let it sit there for 1o minutes).
2. After you have let your rig sit in there for 20 minutes, take it out and rinse it off with hot water and then let everything dry.
3. This is the hardest part of this, take a tablespoon and fill it up with water and then put the spoon into your container and fill it up with baking soda, make sure that you get everything covered in baking soda.
4. Now you want to take your rig out of the container and grab a cloth to wipe off all of the baking soda from your rig (making sure that you get all of it).
5. After that is done, you want to rinse off your rig with hot water and let it dry while it sits out in the open.

How to properly clean a dab rig for reclaim?

1. The first thing you want to do is use your dabbing tool (make sure that it is dry) and scrape off all residue from the rig, making sure that every bit of residue is off.
2. After you have done that, what you want to do next is take a cloth and dip it in 99% alcohol and then rub the rig down (don’t use 99% alcohol when you are cleaning the inside of the rig because it will clean it out and make it so that there is no reclaim stuck inside).
3. Following that, grab another cloth and soak it in rubbing alcohol and then put it in a container.
4. Now you want to take your rig out of the 99% alcohol, after that, you want to take the container with the soaked cloth in it and put your dabbing tool into it for about 5 minutes (but if you have time then you should let it sit there for 10 minutes or longer).
5. After that is done, you want to put the dabbing tool into boiling water with some salt, then let it sit in there for 10 minutes.
6. After that is done, you want to take your rig out of the water and go over it again (make sure that all residue is off) and let everything dry in the sun or on the heater for about 20 minutes.
7. After that is done, you want to wash the inside of the rig with a sponge or something similar with rubbing alcohol and let that dry completely.

Frequently asked some questions about how to clean a dab rig

Why clean your DAB rig properly?

After using your DAB rig it will be covered in residue. The residue is what makes the dabbing tool go into the oil and make the smoke come out, so when you use your dabbing tool it will taste terrible and the smoke will taste horrible too.

How to fill a DAB rig with salt?

Usually, when you smoke from your DAB rig, the smoke will taste like metal and it is because of residue that got into the rig. The best way to clean up the DAB rig is to fill it with salt, but not just any salt, you have to buy high-quality rock salt.

When you fill your dab rig with rock salt you’re making a salt solution that will dissolve all of the cement and glue residue and other things that get stuck inside of a DAB Rig.

What is Dirty Rig water and how do you clean it?

Dirty Rig Water is the water that was left in the DAB rig after a person uses it (like from when you dry fire it and so on). It can also be called “Residue” or “Dirty Water”.

How do I empty a DAB rig?

Dabbing tools are made out of plastic and metal, which means that you can bend them easily.

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How to use my DAB Rig?

To use a DAB Rig there are two ways. The first one is that you can fill the rig up with water and then put your dabbing tool into it, make sure that the tool is straight up and down, or else it will not work properly.

How do I clean the base of my rig?

If you have an old piece of acrylic that you use to hold your rig together then what you want to do is put the acrylic in boiling water and make sure that it stays there for about 20 minutes.

How to clean a DAB Rig with a Sharpie?

If you want to clean the base of your DAB Rig but do not have any cleaning agents then what you can do is buy a Sharpie and then dip it in rubbing alcohol and dab it onto your rig.

video credit: Cewpins

Conclusion of how to clean a dab rig:

Dabbing is something that is growing in the cannabis community, so it is essential to learn how to use a rig and clean it properly.

If you want to get into vaping then make sure that you take your time and do it properly because if you do not then you will not get the same result (like not feeling anything if you are trying to dab to feel high).