Anyone who's had a bong or bongs for a while is familiar with what resin buildup looks like. It's sticky, can get pretty thick, and clings to the inside of the glass in a very determined way. Most bong owners won't let bong resin get too far out of hand. Nonetheless, they'll put up with it for a while before they break down and give their bong a good cleaning. But it still raises the question: Is the resin buildup in your bong harmful? In this guide, the team at Puffr Wholesale Smoke Shop addresses that question in depth.

What is Bong Resin?

Everyone knows bong resin when they see it, but most people don't know what it's actually composed of. Bong resin comprises oils, ash, and various chemical compounds released during the combustion process from the cannabis. As the cannabis smoke moves through the bong, some, but not all, of these materials get captured by the bong water. But a lot gets through the water and ends up stuck to the inside of the glass of the stem and that of the downspout.

The longer you use the bong without cleaning it, the more resin will accumulate. And while some stoners consider a tarred-up bong to be a kind of proof of their stoner bona fides, in reality, it's nothing quite so romantic. Although it's a good thing the resin is sticking to the inside of the bong instead of entering your lungs, even on the inside of your bong, it can pose a hazard.

Reasons to Remove Resin Buildup From Inside Your Bong

It doesn't matter if you have a discount bong or an expensive custom bong, bong resin is bong resin. Below, we're going to get into the various reasons - many of them health-related - why you should make sure your bong is always as clean as possible.

Reason 1: Resin makes your hits harsher

The reason you have a bong is that the water filtration system produces cleaner, smoother hits than joints or hand pipes. But if you let bong resin accumulate, you're going to wind up with equally harsh hits, which defeat the whole purpose of the bong. Bong resin is responsible for:

• Rougher, hotter hits.
• A burnt aftertaste that can ruin the taste of your cannabis.
• A more restricted pull than when the bong is clean.
• A noticeable increase in coughing, especially after big hits.

Now, those reasons alone ought to be enough to convince the average stoner that allowing resin to accumulate in their bong is a bad idea. But if they're not, then here are some more good reasons to purge your bong of resin.

Reason 2: Resin buildup affects what you breathe in

As we tell folks at the Puffr wholesale smoke shop all the time, a gunked-up bong isn't just gross to look at, it also changes the chemistry of your smoke by:

• Revaporizing old residue: A deep hit on a dirty bong can reactivate old resin clinging to the inside of the glass. Once reheated, that old resin can release vapors you shouldn't be inhaling. Vapors that are more chemically concentrated and more irritating to your throat and lungs (which is one reason why people cough more when smoking from a tarred-up bong.)
• Microbes - Ewwww: Standing water and resin are an ideal environment to promote bacterial growth. Research indicates that stagnant bong water can harbor bacterial colonies, fungal spores, yeast, mold, and other potentially dangerous substances you'll inhale if you don't clean your bong.
• Reducing filtration efficiency: When the interior of your bong is coated with resin, the smoke isn't filtered as effectively as when the bong is clean. As a result, all kinds of chemicals that the water was intended to filter out get drawn into your lungs instead.
• You could end up inhaling resin flakes: If resin inside the bong is allowed to accumulate thick enough, small flakes can break off and get drawn into your lungs. Besides being just plain gross, those resin flakes deliver an unwelcome dose of concentrated chemical residue.

So, Does Bong Resin Actually Represent a Health Risk?

It does, mainly because of:

• The increased harshness of the hits is not good for your throat and lungs.
• The increased potential for inhaling particulates and chemicals that the bong was supposed to filter out.
• Greater exposure to inhaled bacteria.
• Reduced filtration effectiveness, which allows more chemical irritants to reach the lungs.

All this does not necessarily mean that smoking from a dirty custom bong is going to cause you to develop some hideous respiratory condition, but the fact is, it will increase your odds of doing so.

Typical Signs That Indicate Your Bong Resin is Becoming a Potential Problem

Regular bong cleaning should be considered part of owning a bong. That said, if it's been a while since you've cleaned your bong, here are some signs that the accumulating bong resin is developing into a potential problem:

• If your bong smells musty even after you rinse it out.
• The bong water becomes dark.
• You cough more than you usually do.
• The taste of your cannabis is compromised by a metallic or chemical aftertaste.
• Hits feel hotter than they normally do.
• You notice significant resin accumulation on the downstem.
• The bong water develops a slimy skin.

Practical Ways You Can Reduce the Potential Harm of Bong Resin

You don't need to change everything about your cannabis ritual, or become something you're not in order to reduce the potential harm of bong resin. Adopting the following habits can significantly reduce any health risks:

• Get in the habit of changing the water in the bong after every use.
• Rinse out the entire bong daily with hot water.
• Keep the downstem and bowl clean.
• Install ash catchers or pre-filters.
• Deep clean your bong using isopropyl alcohol and salt at least once a week.

How to clean a bong (Isopropyl Alcohol and salt method)

By keeping your bong clean and free of resin, you lower your exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals and bacteria and the noxious vapors that can result from reheated residue. You'll also help keep microbes out of your lungs, where they don't belong.

For Quality Bongs And Customized Glass Pipes, Trust the Puffr Wholesale Smoke Shop

Bong resin used to be looked at as a kind of humorous by-product of stoners being too wasted to muster the energy to clean their bong. These days, we know bong resin is not only unsightly, but it also represents a variety of potential health threats, including respiratory distress and more.

If you're looking for the best selection of high-quality cannabis paraphernalia, try the Puffr wholesale head shop, where you'll find everything you need to enhance your cannabis experience.