Those of us who live on the frontline of dabbing innovation have had to embrace our fair share of baptism by fire. It’s often a more ritualistic and at times complex scene than other facets of this culture and the learning curve can scare off those who are only casually interested in concentrates. But dabbing is no longer the mysterious, unexplored realm it used to be. Though it’s still an evolving part of the community, the dabbing basics have been thoroughly documented in blogs, videos, and message boards so that no one should feel their plunging into the deep end, no matter their prior experience. We still think it’s a good idea to refresh some of the tried-and-true best practices of dabbing so today we’re going to review a subject that gets overlooked because it’s just not that fun: proper cleaning of your quartz banger.
How Often Are You Cleaning Your Quartz Banger?
These days, it seems that almost every dab banger you find is crafted from some variation of quartz. This wasn’t always the case. We can clearly remember the days of titanium dab nails and ceramic dishes, but since those are so rare, we’re going to be focusing exclusively on cleaning your quartz banger today. The process would be more or less the same, but quartz is a very easy material to clean. It’s highly recommended that you clean a dab banger after every use. We’re not talking a deep clean here, but a thorough swab down nonetheless. If you think this seems like overkill, think again. Dropping more wax without cleaning the residue of the previous one is the fastest path to chazzing, the term used to describe the persistent dark brown stain that permeates your crystal clear quartz. But these routine cleanings need to be quick. You don’t want to give the residue time to harden so attack that banger with some dab swabs and isopropyl alcohol when the quartz is still warm.
We recommend using an iso jar to keep your cotton swabs and iso handy and in order. Otherwise, you risk searching frantically for your cleaning tools in a post-hit haze which is never a good time. The actual swabbing process is pretty simple. Start by soaking up some isopropyl alcohol with the cotton tip of a dab swab and drag it across the interior of the bucket, making sure to concentrate on the nooks and crannies where residue collects. You’ll need to wipe down any area where the concentrates touched the quartz. Then, simply flip your swab to the dry cotton end and mop up the moisture. Keep in mind, these post-dab swab downs are not the same as a deep cleaning. We’re about to get into the deep cleanings which are a bit more intense, but if you keep up with these regular swab downs, you won’t need to do deep cleans as frequently.
The Importance of Deep Cleaning a Dab Banger
Deep cleaning: two words that strike fear into the hearts of anyone seated in a dab circle (or a dentist’s chair, to be fair). Either way, you’re expecting it to hurt. But deep cleaning your quartz banger doesn’t need to be a grueling experience if you plan accordingly. Your first pro move is to have a backup dab banger waiting in the wings for just such an occasion. You can expect your Plan A banger to be going through the deep cleaning process for a solid 24 hours making a Plan B dab banger essential for some people. In a best case scenario in which you diligently swab down your quartz banger after every use, you’ll still need to commit to a deep cleaning about once every few weeks to ensure it stays in pristine condition.
Have you ever cleaned a water pipe? Then you more or less have the basic idea of how to clean your quartz banger. If you’re trying to save cash, you can create your own cleansing solution by mixing 99% isopropyl alcohol and salt. You’ll want to put this solution into some sort of sealable plastic bag (sandwich bags usually work quite nicely). Then, simply drop your dirty quartz banger into your DIY cleaning solution and let the magic happen. Your banger should be completely immersed in your solution soaking for a minimum of 24 hours. We recommend agitating the bag every so often just to make sure the salt is really getting in there and scrubbing that residue buildup away. If you need some extra strength, you can’t go wrong with Dark Crystal Polishing Drops which is specially formulated for cleaning residue from quartz.
Wrapping Up the Cleaning Process
Once at least 24 hours has passed, you can remove your banger from the solution and give it a thorough rinse with warm water. This should completely rid your sab banger of any residue but there are some circumstances, usually involving bangers that haven’t been cleaned after every use, in which some caked on residue remains. If you’ve just been using your own DIY cleaning solution, this would be the point where you move on to something more specialized, like the Dark Crystal cleaner. But sometimes, quartz just gets chazzed beyond salvation, unfortunately. Once you’ve rinsed down your banger, give it another wipe with a dry dab swab just in case there’s any remaining residue.
At this point, you just need to give your banger time to properly dry. You may wish to use a paper towel to speed up the process or simply to prevent the spots that can form as a result of air drying. It’s best to make regular cleaning of your quartz banger a matter of routine. After all, you’re cleaning your dab banger for more than looks. This is about flavor and performance too. Keep in mind those tasty terps as you reverently run those iso soaked swabs across the quartz bucket knowing that as long as you keep your quartz clean, you’ll never have to compromise on the quality of your sesh!