Have you ever smoked a new flavour on your hookah, and were only able to taste the flavour previously smoked? The main explanation behind this is that you had not thoroughly cleaned your hookah! It is important to clean and maintain your hookah, as this will ensure its longevity. We have put together a simple guide for hookah cleaning and care tips.
Dismantle your shisha pipe completely.
Place all grommets, bowls, and accessories in a bowl with warm soapy water.
Clean the stem of the hookah
Run warm soapy water through the stem of the pipe, then use your shisha cleaning brush. Make sure the brush is damp, for it to run through the shisha pipe thoroughly. The hookah brush is key in attaining robust results, as a hookah brush allows you to remove the old molasses and buildup which had previously occurred throughout previous sessions. Once you are finished with the brush, rinse the stem and leave it out to dry.
Cleaning the hookah vase
In order to attain the best smoking results,
it is important to fill the hookah vase with clean water before every session. After you are finished smoking, it is important to use warm, soapy water and a shisha cleaning brush to remove the build-up of old flavours or mold stuck to the shisha vase. You may also place the hookah base in a bucket of water, and leave it overnight after a thorough brush cleaning. At the bare minimum, the water in the vase must be changed after every session.
Cleaning the shisha hoses
Not all hookah hoses are cleaned the same, different techniques must be used depending on the hose. The traditional style hookah hoses, such as the ones found with the Khalil Mamoon’s, are not washable, as they contain a metal coil on the inside and are made from leather, so putting them underwater may lead them to become rusty and crack. Traditional style hoses should be used for hookah smokers who use the same flavour along with each session.
The silicon and soft-touch hoses, provide a higher quality hookah session and are easier to clean. One must run warm water must run through them and leave them to drip dry. If you can get your hands on a steamer, simply run the steam through the hose to help clean and kill the germs and bacteria.
Washing your hose between each use will help remove the residual flavour from your last session in preparation for your next season.
How to clean your bowl or heads for shisha.
First, remove the foil or HMD (heat management device) and shisha flavour from the bowl.
Get a small pot and fill it with water, place the pot filled with water onto the stovetop allowing the water to boil.
Next, place your hookah bowls/heads into the water face down, allowing the water to return to the boil. Let the bowl boil for 15-20 minutes and repeat if necessary.
Some staining is very difficult to remove and be careful as you can scrub off the glaze after long-term scoring. One must use a small pipe brush to also clean the inside of the holes, in order to remove the residual flavour that may be stuck to the head. If you are cleaning a glass shisha head, make sure that the head has cooled down before running it through water, as this may cause the head to crack.
Our final hookah cleaning tips for home.
Utilizing a cleaning solution such as dishwashing liquid, lemon juice, baking soda, or vinegar to clean your stem, vase, and head can be very effective as well if you don’t have specific hookah cleaning products.
Soaking the stem, vase, and bowl overnight in a cleaning solution, is also a very efficient method to prevent hookah flavour residue, which is what causes all the hookah flavours to start tasting the same throughout sessions.
Lastly, it is important to let your hookah dry overnight after a thorough cleaning, as this will also help to prevent the buildup of flavor residue and ensure that you get the best hookah session.
We have linked some important products that we use to clean our Hookahs down below!