Pipe cleaning, is it really that straight forward?

[Emjaysmash]

First let me preface this by saying that I am by no means an expert or even close to an expert.
For cleaning, after every bowl I run a pipe cleaner through the shank and stem, and store my pipes with a pipe cleaner in them. I do this to absorb moisture.

I only alcohol clean when my pipe turns sour and gets a really funky taste.

I usually can get the dottle out of my pipe after it sits and the moisture has been absorbed by the pipe cleaner or cake. I use part of my Czech tool or just turn the pipe upside down and blow through it.

Hope that helps.

[Commander Quan]

Everyone seams to have their own routine. After i'm done smoking I use a Czech tool to cleanout all the loose pieces in the bowl, run a pipe cleaner through through the stem and shank, and then bend the cleaner in half and run it around the inside of the bowl.

I have some rotgut 151 proof vodka that I use to clean the stems on my most used pipes once a month and on the less used pipes when they taste bad. And I do a salt treatment on the pipes as it's needed then it starts to sour. How often you clean your pipes should depend on how often you smoke, and if you are smoking strong tobaccos like englishes, and lighter tobaccos in the same pipe.

[cp478]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

First let me preface this by saying that I am by no means an expert or even close to an expert.
For cleaning, after every bowl I run a pipe cleaner through the shank and stem, and store my pipes with a pipe cleaner in them. I do this to absorb moisture.

I only alcohol clean when my pipe turns sour and gets a really funky taste.

I usually can get the dottle out of my pipe after it sits and the moisture has been absorbed by the pipe cleaner or cake. I use part of my Czech tool or just turn the pipe upside down and blow through it.

Hope that helps.

Bingo! Well said, same here for me!