Getting Started & Setup · 7 min
What do I need to smoke hookah? Accessories checklist
Hookah, bowl, foil or HMD, natural charcoal with charcoal lighter, tobacco, hose and mouthpiece: the basic equipment for your first session.
Shisha Getting Started & Setup
How to clean a hookah: glass base, stem, hose, bowl and HMD
After every session, you pour the water away, rinse the glass base, stem and silicone hose through with lukewarm water and empty the cooled bowl. If you smoke regularly, a thorough clean is due once a week: let the cleaner work as appropriate for the application, brush and rinse until clear.
In this article11 chapters
- How often do you need to clean your hookah?
- Which cleaners and household remedies work?
- How do you clean the glass base?
- How do you clean the stem and dip tube?
- Which material can take what?
- How do you clean the hose?
- Cleaning in pictures
- How do you clean the bowl?
- How do you clean the HMD?
- Why does the hookah taste odd even after cleaning?
- Frequently asked questions
How often do you need to clean your hookah?
You change the water after every session. If it stays in the glass base overnight, it smells the next day, and the first bowl tastes of yesterday's. You do the thorough clean with cleaner and brush once a week if you smoke regularly, otherwise after every second to third session.
| Part | After every session | For the thorough clean |
|---|---|---|
| Glass base | Pour the water away, rinse with lukewarm water | Cleaner or cleaning balls, glass base brush |
| Stem | Rinse through with lukewarm water | Spray in cleaner, brush the stem from both ends |
| Silicone hose | Rinse through and hang up | Hose brush, boil if needed |
| Bowl | Leave to cool, empty, rinse | Poke the holes clear, boil clay bowl |
| HMD | Knock out ash and tobacco remains | Brass brush, soak if encrusted |
| Molasses catcher | Empty and rinse | Go over it with the small-parts brush |
If the hookah stands for longer than a week, the glass base stays empty and dry.
Which cleaners and household remedies work?
For the thorough clean you need a glass base brush, a long stem brush and something that dissolves molasses and gunk. Hookah cleaners are matched to glass and stainless steel, while household remedies need more time.
| Product | How to use it | Soak time | Not for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moze Rocket (spray) | Spray on, brush, rinse with lukewarm water | Follow the soak time on the bottle | Aluminium, painted parts |
| Koka Clean Powder | Dissolve 4 grams in lukewarm water, 8 to 12 grams for heavy build-up | 30 to 90 minutes | Anodised aluminium |
| Cleaning balls made of ceramic | Into the glass base with lukewarm water, swirl vigorously | None | Stem and hose |
| Baking powder | One sachet into the glass base, top up with lukewarm water | Overnight | – |
| Denture cleaning tablets | Two to three tablets in the half-full glass base | One hour | – |
| Citric acid against limescale | Two to three tablespoons to half a litre of warm water | Two hours at most | Aluminium, brass, seals |
Keep well away from oven spray, chlorine cleaners and scouring cream. After each product, you rinse until nothing foams and nothing smells any more. Brushes and cleaners are listed under Cleaning.
How do you clean the glass base?
Pour away the old water and fill the glass base halfway with lukewarm water. Add a cleaner suitable for glass bases and stick to the dosage and soak time on the packaging. Then use the glass base brush to go all the way round, down into the corners as well, and rinse two to three times with clean water.
Never use boiling or ice-cold water. With a sudden change in temperature the glass develops stress cracks, and with screw-fit glass bases the thread suffers first. In the dishwasher the glass turns cloudy.
How do you clean the stem and dip tube?
Spray the cleaner into the stem from the top and turn it as you do so. After the soak time stated on the cleaner, push the stem brush all the way through from both ends. Unscrew the dip tube and brush it separately, and do the same with the diffuser and hose connector. Rinse until no more foam comes out.
If the ball sticks in the purge valve, unscrew the valve and rinse the ball and seat in warm water. Grease or oil does not belong there. You empty a molasses catcher after every session.
Which material can take what?
Whether a hookah can withstand acid and cleaners is decided by the metal.
| Material | Can take | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel | Hookah cleaner, cleaning powder, diluted citric acid | Steel wool on polished surfaces |
| Aluminium, anodised | Lukewarm water, a drop of washing-up liquid, soft brush | Acid bath, strong cleaners, long soaking |
| Brass | Lukewarm water and brush | Vinegar and citric acid |
| Glass | All products from the table above | Boiling water, dishwasher |
| Lacquer, wood, epoxy resin | Damp cloth | Soaking and any cleaner |
You take seals off before soaking and rinse them with water only. If they are hard or cracked, replace them. Replacements are listed under Seals. If your hookah has a sleeve, take it off before rinsing. How to do that is shown in the article on the Moze Breeze.
How do you clean the hose?
Pull off the mouthpiece and hose connector. Fill the silicone hose three-quarters full with lukewarm water, hold both ends shut and let the water run back and forth. For the thorough clean, you pull a hose brush through. If it still smells, boil it for five to ten minutes in clear water.
After that, the hose hangs for a few hours with both ends pointing down. A hose rolled up damp goes mouldy. You rinse the mouthpiece through separately.
Hoses with a wire coil and leather hoses you do not rinse. The coil rusts and the inside never dries completely. Blow hard through them after the session. After a year, even a silicone hose is due for replacing. New ones are listed under Hookah hoses.
Cleaner as a spray
Spray on, let it work as suits the cleaner, and brush.
Cleaning balls
Into the glass base with lukewarm water, then swirl.
Soaking with powder
30 to 90 minutes, then rinse until clear.
Drying the hose
Both ends point downwards.
Boiling a clay bowl
Clear water only, no washing-up liquid.
How do you clean the bowl?
Let the bowl cool down first; held hot under cold water, it cracks. Take out the foil and tobacco, rinse with lukewarm water, and clear the holes with a hole poker or a toothpick.
Glazed bowls absorb nothing. Water, a drop of washing-up liquid and a soft brush are enough here. A wire brush and steel wool scratch the glaze.
Unglazed clay is porous. It soaks up molasses and aroma. Washing-up liquid soaks in just the same, so use only water. If the bowl's taste comes through, boil it for about ten minutes in clear water and leave it to dry for a day.
How do you clean the HMD?
Knock out the cooled HMD and brush the base and nubs with a brass brush. Brass is softer than steel wire. Keep the air slits and the hinge clear.
If the crust is stuck on, put the HMD in lukewarm water with cleaning powder and brush it once more afterwards. An anodised aluminium HMD stays in the bath only briefly and gets no acid. Stainless steel chimney toppers can take soaking. Models are listed under Chimneys and HMDs, how to smoke with the topper is explained in the article HMD and Smokebox.
Why does the hookah taste odd even after cleaning?
If every flavour tastes the same or musty, it is usually down to a part you have forgotten.
| What you notice | Why it happens | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Musty taste | Hose rolled up damp or old water in the glass base | Boil the hose and dry it hanging, change the water after every session |
| Every flavour tastes of the last one | Unglazed clay bowl has soaked up aroma | Boil the bowl, use a glazed bowl for strong flavours |
| Soapy taste | Washing-up liquid or cleaner not rinsed out completely | Rinse until nothing foams any more |
| Heavy draw | Molasses in the stem, diffuser or bowl holes | Brush the stem, clean the diffuser separately, poke the holes clear |
| White ring in the glass base | Limescale from the tap water | Citric acid, then rinse until clear |
| Glass base cloudy or cracked | Dishwasher or boiling water | Clean by hand with lukewarm water only |
Once everything is clean, build the next bowl as in the article Building a hookah bowl the right way.
Frequently asked questions
How often do I need to change the water in the hookah?
After every session. If the water stays in the glass base overnight, it smells, and the next bowl tastes of the old one.
How long does hookah cleaner need to work?
Spray five to ten minutes, cleaning powder 30 to 90 minutes. After that you brush and rinse until clear, until nothing foams any more.
Can I clean the glass base with hot water?
No. Use lukewarm water. With boiling or ice-cold water, the glass develops stress cracks.
Can the hookah hose be boiled?
Only a silicone hose, five to ten minutes in clear water. Hoses with a wire coil and leather hoses you do not rinse, because the coil rusts.
Can I clean a clay bowl with washing-up liquid?
A glazed one, yes. Unglazed clay soaks up washing-up liquid and then tastes soapy, so use only water here.
How do I get limescale out of the glass base?
With citric acid: two to three tablespoons to half a litre of warm water, two hours at most. Do not use it on aluminium, brass or seals.
About the author
Julian
Hookah expert
For this article
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