Do know How to Clean a Grinder? Have months gone by, and you are postponing cleaning your grinder? It might be a tricky task when you don’t know what you’re doing, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize it is not a big deal. Learning how to clean a grinder is essential for numerous reasons, which we’ll share with you and much more.
Taking the time to clean your grinder is difficult and can do wonders for the ease of use and efficiency. In addition, cleaning your grinder is essential to keeping it in good condition for a long time. On top of that, it improves functionality and reduces the risk of bacteria buildup and germs that are not good for you.
As you can see, learning how to clean a grinder is a special skill you’ll be glad to know. Now that you know the importance of keeping your grinder in top shape, it’s time to get to know the actual process. Discover essential tips and tricks that will help you along the way.
How to Clean a Grinder
Tools:
- A toothpick
- A small, soft-bristled brush
- A freezer
- A plate or bowl
- Isopropyl alcohol
- A toothbrush or some other type of stiff brush
- A Ziploc bag or glass jar
- Clean water
- A towel
Method 1: Quick Method
- Disassemble the dirty grinder. Begin by taking apart and separating each chamber of your grinder.
- Soak the grinder in alcohol. Fill a container with enough isopropyl alcohol to submerge all grinder parts fully.
- Scrub the grinder. Pour out the alcohol and use a stiff-bristled brush to scrub your grinder.
- Rinse and dry the grinder. Use clean, warm water to rinse your grinder thoroughly. Dry off your grinder with a clean towel.
Method 2: Deep Clean Method
- Disassemble the dirty grinder. Start by disassembling the grinder and removing each chamber from the others.
- Dump out residue. Dump out leftover plant matter onto a plate or into a bowl.
- Freeze the grinder. Arrange each piece of the grinder to sit upright inside the freezer. Leave the grinder in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Harvest plant residue. Remove the grinder from the freezer. Use a toothpick and small soft-bristled brush to gently scrape away as much of the plant material as you can. Use your plate or bowl to collect everything.
- Soak in alcohol once you’ve harvested as much leftover plant material as possible, and place each chamber inside a large Ziploc bag or a glass jar. Fill the container with enough isopropyl alcohol to fully submerge the grinder and allow it to soak for 20 minutes.
- Clean off the remaining residue. Pour out the alcohol and remove the grinder from the container. Use a toothbrush or another stiff brush to scrub your grinder clean.
- Rinse and dry. Give the grinder a good rinse in clean hot water, ensuring that all the alcohol and plant residue are gone. Use a clean towel to dry off the grinder.
Common Questions Regarding How to Clean a Grinder
What is a grinder?
A grinder is a tool you use to break your cannabis up into small bits for smoother-hitting bowls or wraps in rolling papers and blunt wraps. There are several ways to grind cannabis if you don’t have a grinder, but grinders speed up the process.
Reasons to clean your grinder?
Improves Durability
Resin clogs up the threads that allow your grinder to screw together. If you allow buildup enough, it can become an impossibly thick, almost glue-like substance that is extremely difficult to remove.
Reduces Germs
If your bud becomes a little moist and is kept in there for a while, it can develop mold and other bacteria that can be harmful to your health if inhaled.
Remove Resin and Build-Up
The teeth and threads in grinders become clogged over time, no matter how well you take care of it. Making an effort to check them each time you use them can save you hours later in the cleaning process.
Collect more Kief
Cleaning the screen in your grinder regularly is one of the easiest ways to get more Kief.
Better Grinder Experience
To keep your grinder working well and keep your experience smooth, it is best to clean your grinder every few months.
How often should you clean your grinder?
It is advised to clean your grinder every 3 to 6 months to keep it free of bacteria and reduce resin build-up. Bear in mind that people who use their grinder more may have to clean it more frequently due to more resin buildup.
How do you clean a metal grinder without alcohol?
Metals will rust when exposed to water. Acrylics and other plastics will dissolve, warp, and generally degrade when exposed to isopropyl alcohol. That’s why it’s essential to figure out what your grinder is made of before you clean it.
Isopropyl Alcohol is the bathwater of choice for cleaning metal grinders actually. If you have a metal grinder, you can clean your piece thoroughly while still retaining all the THC goodness that would otherwise get washed away with soap and water.
One exciting candidate for cleaning your grinder is common household milk. For this cleaning process, you’ll need milk, your grinder, and a double boiler; if you lack a dedicated double boiler, a glass or metal bowl set on top of a regular water-filled pot will also work just fine.
- Place the grinder in the top part of a double boiler.
- Cover with milk, turn on the stovetop to medium-high heat, and wait.
- Keep an eye on your mixture as it is steep; you’ll want to ensure this doesn’t go above 150°F to help protect both your milk and your cannabinoids. Otherwise, after a couple of hours in the drink, your grinder is ready to be removed.
- You’ll want to give clean your grinder with a quick soap/water/alcohol rinse to remove the remaining milk and may want to check for any remaining clumps of plant matter that weren’t removed in the steeping process.
- Having been infused into the milk, anything remaining on the grinder can be safely scraped out and thrown away. Otherwise, your infused milk should now be ready for consumption.
How Do You Clean a Smoke Grinder?
The external parts of the grinder should be cleaned with hot water and soap. Once we have cleaned all the exterior faces, we move on to the interior.
- It is best to dismantle the grinder so that all its parts are separated. If it contains a pollinator, we take out the two toothed parts.
- Prepare a glass with ethyl alcohol or ethanol, introduce all the grinder parts in its interior so that they are submerged, and wait at least one hour.
- When you notice that the alcohol darkens, that means that it has extracted the resin, so you can remove all the parts of the grinder and give it one last checkup rubbing with the help of a toothbrush and pour the alcohol on a plate.
- Let the alcohol evaporate at room temperature, and when there is nothing left, you can collect the remaining layer of resin on the plate and consume it as you like. This method is valid for any metallic grinder and those with the shape of a card.
Does Putting Your Grinder in the Freezer Make More Kief?
Freezing your grinder before cleaning it will make the cannabis residue inside more brittle, yes, for as long as it stays frozen.
The act of being exposed to the freezer is also likely to help wick away both moisture and cannabinoids, decreasing the potency of your pseudo-hash.
A grinder coin can improve the amount of kief you gather from your ground cannabis without too much reducing the potency of your cannabis-consuming experience. Placing your grinder (containing your freshly ground herb) into the freezer for 5-10 minutes before shaking vigorously.
Can you Boil a Metal Grinder?
Another option is to place your grinder in boiling water on your stovetop. If you choose the boiling water route, separate your grinder pieces, place them together in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Next, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
How to Dry a Grinder?
Gently dry it with a towel; leaving it in fresh air for 30 minutes or an hour should do the trick. Alternatively, you can always use a hairdryer (as long as it is not too hot on acrylic grinders). Before screwing it together, be sure to check for moisture one last time.
Best Places to Buy Brinders?
4 Piece Herb Grinder Aluminum
This cute little spice herb grinder is a powerful beast. With aircraft-grade feather-weight aluminum, its scratch-resistant metallic body makes it ideal for grinding all types of spice herbs.
The four-piece design is super easy to assemble and dismantle for cleaning. Its magnetic lid acts as a perfect seal and prevents anything from leaking out of it. It’s fitted with a high-quality stainless steel micro-sieve. It comes with a small-sized scraper for collecting.
It’s perfect for grinding tea and spices. Its specially crafted poly O-ring gives you the best grinding experience without any noise. The high-grade metal blade remains sharp even after continual use.
Features:
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
- Stainless Steel
- High-grade metal blade
Harley Quinn 4-Piece Metal Herb & Spice Grinder with Pollen Catcher
Durable, scratch-resistant anodized aluminum ensures long life. A non-Stick nylon ring ensures smooth grinding and prevents residue build-up and metal-on-metal contact.
For ease of grinding and effortless shredding, it comes with micro mesh screen filters and separates excellent pollen into the catcher.
The threaded lower chambers prevent spillage and store your ground herb until ready.
Features:
- Magnetic lid
- Threaded chambers
- Sharp diamond cutting teeth
- Aerospace-grade aluminum
3-Piece Magnetic Acrylic Herb & Spice Grinder
Sharp shark tooth design for effortless shredding. 54 teeth for a fine grind every time. Durable, scratch-resistant acrylic ensures long life.
Its powerful neodymium lid magnets allow for quick loading and secure your herbs while grinding. The airtight lower chamber keeps your ground herb stored until ready.
Features:
- Portable
- Magnetic lid
- Airtight storage
Additional Tips on How to Clean a Grinder
- When cleaning metal grinders, you should make sure that you use Isopropyl Alcohol. You want to avoid using anything with bleach, as cleaners that are not near a neutral pH can damage or even remove the anodized coating, making some grinders scratch-proof.
- When cleaning acrylic grinders, you want to make sure that you stay away from cleaning your grinders with Isopropyl Alcohol, as this can actually dissolve and deform acrylic. Instead, opt for a soap and water method.
- Always dry your grinder before using it again. Otherwise, you can also expose yourself to bacteria growth.
- When drying acrylic grinders, if you use the boiling water method, you want to first let your grinder cool for 10-15 minutes before trying to dry any remaining moisture. You can either use a paper towel or a hair dryer to do this job.
How To Clean a Grinder Tutorial Video
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