Hookah Cleaning & Maintenance

One of the most important factors in making sure that you are able to get delicious full-flavored clouds out of your hookah session is making sure that you maintain a clean hookah at all times.

If you've just unboxed your hookah for the first time, or if you've smoked a few sessions out of it and are wanting to try out a new flavor, then it's time to give your hookah a top to bottom cleaning before loading up that next session. 

This not only ensures that you'll be getting the best flavor possible from your shisha tobacco but also helps to preserve your hookah to make sure that it will be able to keep smoking well for years to come. 

Today we're going to go over how to clean each part of your hookah to make sure that you are able to have the best session possible each and every time.

Let's get started! 

There are several different hookah cleaning solutions that you can buy or make at home that work well for cleaning your hookah. There's really no right or wrong answer here, so let's take a look at some of the best options.

1. Warm water and lemon juice: Mix together warm water and lemon juice in a bowl. For heavy-duty cleaning, you can also mix in a little bit of baking soda to this mixture as well. (Great for cleaning all hookah parts)
   
   
2. Warm Water and dish soap: Mix together warm water and a few drops of unscented dish soap in a bowl. (Great for cleaning all hookah parts)
   
   
3. Warm water and Bling!: Bling! is a very useful non-toxic glass cleaning solution that contains cleaning crystals that really help to clean out tough residues. Mix warm water and Bling! together in a bowl making sure that the cleaning crystals are mixed well so that they do not settle to the bottom. (Not recommended for cleaning hoses due to the cleaning crystals)
   
   
4. Hookah Base Brush and Hookah Shaft Brush: We'll be using these to scrub out any built-up shisha residue in our hookah.

Once you have your preferred cleaning solution prepared you'll want to disassemble your hookah so that you can clean each piece thoroughly. Detach your bowl, tray, hose, and base from the stem, and remove your grommets as well. Now that we have our cleaning solution prepared, handy dandy cleaning brushes, and our hookah disassembled, it's time to start scrubbing! 

1. Pour your cleaning solution into the base and fill between 1/3 - 1/2 of the base.
   
   
2. Swirl the cleaning solution around in the base and then use your base cleaning brush to scrub thoroughly.
   
   
3. Once you've scrubbed the base clean pour out the cleaning solution and rinse the base several times with tap water to remove any lingering odors in the base. 
   

Also, for a more detailed guide on how clean a hookah base check out our blog on How-To Clean A Hookah Base.

Note: Glass can crack or break due to sudden temperature changes, so when cleaning a base make sure that you aren't going from hot to cold or cold to hot too quickly. 

1. Plug one end of the hookah stem with your thumb and pour some of your cleaning solution into the other end of the stem.
   
   
2. Using your other hand plug the open end and give the stem a few shakes back and forth allowing the cleaning solution to circulate throughout the length of the stem.
   
   
3. Empty the cleaning solution out of the stem and use your shaft cleaning brush to scrub the stem from both the top and bottom openings to make sure that you are able to clean the entire length of the stem.
   
   
4. Once you've cleaned the stem rinse it thoroughly with tap water to remove any lingering odors. 

Pro Tip: When cleaning your hookah stem it's also a good idea to unscrew your purge valve and scrub the ball bearing and also wipe out the interior of the valve with a paper towel or q-tip. This will help to keep the ball bearing moving freely inside of the valve when you need to purge smoke out during your sessions.

1. Plug one end of the hose with your thumb and pour your cleaning solution into the other end of the hose.
   
   
2. Using your other hand plug the open end and circulate the cleaning solution throughout the hose allowing it to rinse back and forth several times. Empty your cleaning solution from the hose and rinse with tap water several times to remove any lingering odors.
   
   
3. Once you are done cleaning the hose, you can either hold the hose by the middle of the tubing and swing the hose in a windmill fashion a few times to allow centrifugal force to push out any moisture trapped in the hose, or hang the hose on a peg or door handle to allow any excess moisture to drip out. 

Note: Before cleaning your hookah hose you will first need to make sure that it is a washable hose.

• Most traditional hoses like Khalil Mamoon Hookah Hoses or standard MYA hoses have a metal coil inside of the hose that can rust, so you will not want to run water through those types of hoses.
  
  
• Any modern silicone hoses such as Ripper Silicone Hoses, Amira Silicone Hoses or Aluminum Dream Hoses, or hoses that have a plastic lining inside of them such as Starbuzz Maximus hoses, will be washable.

If you are unsure whether or not your hookah hose is washable feel free to contact our Customer Service Team and they can let you know if your hose is washable or not. 

For regular everyday cleaning of your hookah bowl, using plain tap water is fine, but if you are cleaning your entire hookah and have your cleaning solution prepared you can use that to clean your bowl as well.

1. Rinse your bowl with plain tap water or your cleaning solution and make sure to rinse both the inside of the dish as well as the interior of the neck as well.
   
   
2. Use a sponge or steel wool to scrub any tough residue from the rim of the bowl and dry with a paper towel. 

And that's it, folks! Now that you've cleaned your hookah top to bottom you'll be ready to fire up a bowl of any shisha that you like and get maximum flavor!