Keeping Your Herb Grinder Clean
Your trusty grinder is a handy tool for helping you to have a better session with your favorite herb. But even your grinder needs a little love and care every now and then. Every once in a while, it is a good idea to clean all the grit and gunk out of your grinder. It will help keep your device sharp and functioning at peak performance, as well as lessen the resistance you encounter when trying to use it. There are also health risks associated with dirty grinders, with old debris providing a potential breeding ground for bacteria, mold spores and other allergens. Cleaning a grinder doesn’t take much time, yet is well worth the couple of minutes it takes to get the job done right.
Here are the basic steps to cleaning a grinder
Preparing To Clean
At the first sign of your grinder working less efficiently or when the screen is visibly clogged, that is a good sign that it is time to clean your grinder.
But before we get started, there are a few items you should gather to help with the cleaning process:
A paper plate – This will be used to catch loose debris and keep the mess contained.
Toothpicks and Q-tips – These can help get into hard-to-reach areas.
Toothbrush or paintbrush – This will be your cleaning tool.
Paper towels – You can set your grinder on this to try or poke it into the grinder.
Isopropyl alcohol – For metal grinders only!
Rubbing alcohol – For deep cleans
Hair dryer – Impatient for a dry grinder? Put your styling tool to use!
Now that you have all your tools gathered, we can go through the basic cleaning steps for your grinder.
Disassemble Your Grinder
Using a toothbrush, or a soft paintbrush, brush out any remaining particles. Make sure to get in between the nooks and the threads, getting into every individual groove.
TIP: If the grinder is in need of a deep clean, apply a little rubbing alcohol to the brush while you sweep.
2. Special Step for Metal Grinders
If you are using a metal grinder, you will also want to clean it with isopropyl alcohol. Place the pieces of your metal grinder into a Ziploc bag, and use just enough isopropyl alcohol to cover the grinder.
Let the grinder soak in the alcohol until the liquid turns a muddy color, and you can see particles floating in the liquid. A higher concentration of isopropyl alcohol will work faster.
After the grinder is clean, rinse it out and let it dry. Then you can re-assemble your metal grinder.
WARNING: Do not use isopropyl alcohol with plastic or acrylic grinders, or even metal grinders that have an acrylic window at the top. For these, use the next method.
Special Steps for Acrylic or Plastic Grinders
Isopropyl alcohol can dissolve these grinders, so boiling water is the way to go. You can also choose to use soap and warm water.
- Boiling Water Method –Place all the pieces in a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. After this, remove the pot from the heat, and let it cool for 10 minutes. Remove the grinder pieces from the pot and run a toothbrush through each one to remove any particles. Then, set them out to dry.
- WARNING: Do not use this method with a metal grinder, or the grinder may rust.
- Soap and Water Method– It’s as easy as it sounds! You can use your toothbrush or a Q-tip to scrub soap into every nook and cranny. After this, rinse your grinder pieces with warm water and let them dry.
- The Importance Of Keeping Your Grinder Clean
- Look, we get it…cleaning your grinder is probably the last thing on your never-ending to-do list. And it probably doesn’t seem all that important in the grand scheme of things.
- Why bother when it works, am I right?
- But there are actually a number of good reasons for cleaning your grinder on a regular basis. Ones that can affect everything from your health to the flavor of your herb.
Why You Should Clean Your Grinder Regularly:
- You extend the life of your grinder. Allowing your grinder to stay full of gunk increases the risk of parts breaking. By cleaning your grinder, you save money that would be spent on a new one.
- You increase the efficiency of your grinder. A dirty grinder becomes hard to work with, and more of your herbs may become stuck within the grinder, meaning that you may lose some in the process.
- The grinder will not be able to achieve a fine grind. When the nooks and threads get dirty, it will be more difficult to turn large pieces of herb into a small, fine grind. By cleaning your grinder, you ensure that you will continue to get a fine grind to work with.
- Metal grinders can begin to lose metal shavings into your materials if not kept clean. This poses a variety of health risks.
- Bacteria can also accumulate in a dirty grinder. These bacteria may end up in your lungs. Keep those grinders clean!
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It doesn’t take much work to clean your grinder, but doing so may have a significant influence on your subsequent smoking session and is, in my opinion, well worth the short amount of time it takes.
If you haven’t done it lately, spend some time today finishing this crucial duty. If you take the time to maintain your grinder, it will reward you with the ideal grind for many years to come.
Not to mention that your subsequent session could be a little bit fresher and more tasty than before.