Smoking a bong or bubbler is one of the most fun ways to smoke. A bong allows you to take extra big hits because of the large amounts of air and herbs the bong can hold. The water filling the bong helps cool down the smoke. Cooling the smoke makes your hits way smoother, which means getting a sore throat after a couple of hits is a thing of the past.

This article explains exactly how to use a bong in 7 simple steps. Happy smoking!

Step 1: Cleaning your bong

If you have used your bong before make sure to clean it out. You can do this simply by disconnecting all of the pieces and washing them with water. If the bong is made of glass you can also use a cleaning solution like Bong Cleaner to clean the bong. After you’re done cleaning, be sure to dry the pieces and carefully put them back together.

Step 2: Filling the bong with water

As said before, water helps to cool down smoke which is essential for enjoying smooth hits. Fill only the base of the bong till the downstem is just covered by water. This way the smoke has to go through the water. Don’t fill the bong up too high or you risk spilling bong water over your bud or yourself. The perfect height is about 1 inch (2,5 cm) above the bottom tip of your downstem.

Step 3: Fill up your bowl

Put in some herbs from your favourite strain. In some cases you have to use a screen to prevent the smaller pieces and ashes from falling in your bong. Check the instructions on the packaging or in your bong’s manual to be sure. Be sure not to put too much in at once as it makes it harder to burn and you don’t want to be left with half-burned herbs. Also make sure to grind the herbs before adding them to the bowl. Do this roughly so you end up with quite big chunks.

Step 4: Close all holes.

For the smoke to collect in the bong all holes should be closed. Do so by placing your lips inside the bong and the rim against the area around your mouth closing off the mouthpiece. Many bowls offer an extra hole to increase the airflow to clear the chamber when inhaling the smoke. This hole is called a ‘carb hole’ and should be closed by using your finger.
Pro tip: Use a finger of your non-dominant hand to close this hole so that you can use your dominant hand to light up your herbs.

Carb Holes make using your bong easier because you don’t have to lift up your bong and remove your bowl while taking a hit. This reduces the chances of your bong or downstem breaking. Bongs without a carb hole do pack a stronger punch and don’t require you to focus on making sure the carb hole is closed while inhaling.

Step 5: Light it up

This is where the magic happens. Get comfy on your favorite couch or chair. Lighting up is easy and can be done with a regular lighter. Be careful not to burn yourself. Keep your thumb away from the fire. Holding the lighter sideways makes this easier. We offer a couple of really cool lighters and some hemp wick that we think you’ll like. Check them out in our store.

Step 6: Start to inhale

You should start inhaling as soon as you light up the herbs. You’ll see the smoke collecting in the chamber of your bong. Keep inhaling till enough smoke has filled up the chamber. Be gentle as inhaling too fast might make your bong water end up in your mouth.

Pro tip: If you want to make smoking a bit easier you should inhale and exhale a couple of times before lighting up the bong using your diaphragm (belly breathing). Doing so will increase the amount of oxygen in your body, making it easy to inhale more smoke through your bong without coughing or getting out of oxygen.

Step 7: Release and take a hit

Put your lighter away now and get ready to open up the carb hole that you have been closing with your finger or the bowl if your bong doesn’t offer a carb. Once the hole is open, air can flow through and clear the chamber. You can now inhale the smoke from your bong easily because of the extra air flow. Keep the smoke in your lungs for a few seconds before exhaling to maximize your hit.

When you’re done smoking, throw away the bong water and clear the bowl of all the excess burned herbs. You can easily clean the bowl by giving it a quick rinse.

Happy smoking!