Cleaning Your Hookah: How to Easily Clean Your Stem & Glass Base

Last updated on 18.03.2025 | Reading time approx. 06:39 min

Cleaning your hookah is a very important topic. The individual parts of the hookah become moist, and residues can accumulate. Especially if you don't clean your hookah immediately after smoking and it sits for a while, it is necessary to clean it before using it again!

But even in general, cleaning your hookah should not be neglected if you want to avoid an unpleasant aftertaste. Only by cleaning your hookah regularly can you ensure that you experience the true flavor of the tobacco in your hookah bowl.

Besides flavor, hygiene is another crucial reason for regular hookah cleaning. Additionally, isn't it much nicer when your hookah looks as good as new rather than showing its age due to neglect? Not sure how to clean your hookah? We’ll explain it step by step! You only need a few small tools, all of which are available for a few bucks. Plus, we have some expert tips to help you use them effectively – and of course, those come free of charge!

Cleaning Your Hookah: How to Make Your Glass Base Sparkle Again

To clean the glass base, add stainless steel balls and hot water. For stubborn stains, a bit of dish soap or baking soda can help. Gently swirl the glass to reach all areas. The glass base is usually the first part of the hookah to get dirty. If you don't clean it right after smoking, a thin layer of grime will quickly form on the inside, clearly marking the water level.

This happens because small bits of tobacco often end up in the water, making it dirty. Even if you empty the glass base after each session, these stains appear over time as molasses and tobacco particles mix into the water. But don’t worry: there are plenty of cleaning tools that make glass base maintenance a breeze! We'll show you exactly how it’s done.

Step 1: Empty the Used Water

If there's still used water in your glass base, pour it out first. Only then can you begin the actual cleaning process.

Pouring used water into the sink

Step 2: Add a Cleaner to the Glass Base

First, add a hookah cleaner to your glass base. These cleaners come in different brands and forms. We offer both powder and liquid cleaners in our hookah online shop.

Adding a cleaner to the glass base

Both options work wonders if you follow these steps. For stubborn stains, we recommend the powder! Both types of cleaners are very efficient. A bottle of spray cleaner contains 300 ml, which amounts to around 400 sprays. The cleaning powder comes in 0.15 kg packs, enough for about 30-40 cleaning sessions.

Once the cleaner is in the glass base, fill it halfway with lukewarm water and gently swirl it to mix the cleaner with the water. After that, fill the base up to the top and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Use a Glass Base Cleaning Brush

The glass base brush removes residue

Step 4: Rinse Thoroughly and Dry

Rinse the glass base multiple times with water. Keep doing this until the water runs clear and no longer foams. That way, you’ll know all cleaner residues are gone! Finally, dry it with a cloth to prevent water spots. Now your glass base should shine again, and you’re ready for your next hookah session!

Dry the glass base with a cloth to prevent water spots.

Cleaning the Hookah Stem

One of the most neglected parts of a hookah is the stem and mouthpiece. The reason is quite obvious: you can't see the dirt inside the stem because you can't look through stainless steel or aluminum, unlike the glass base! However, it is important to clean the metal parts regularly as well. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Apply Cleaner

For cleaning the stem parts, a hookah spray cleaner works best. Simply spray it inside the tubes. Make sure to rotate the tubes while spraying so the cleaner is evenly distributed on the entire inner surface. If you don’t have a spray cleaner but instead have cleaning powder, you can prepare a water bath, dissolve the powder in it, and soak all the parts.

Spraying cleaner into the hookah parts

If you're using cleaning powder, it's best to leave the parts soaking in the water bath. Wait for about 5-10 minutes to allow the cleaner to break down any residue on the metal surface.

Step 2: Use a Stem Brush

Once the cleaner has had time to work, use a stem brush to thoroughly scrub the inside of the tubes. Continue scrubbing until all dirt and residue are completely removed.

Cleaning the hookah parts with a brush

Step 3: Rinse the Parts

To remove any remaining cleaner, rinse all parts thoroughly under running water. Once the water no longer foams, you're done and ready to use your hookah again!

Rinse the hookah parts with clean water

Cleaning the Hookah Bowl – Here's How!

The hookah tobacco often leaves behind black stains in the bowl after smoking. These stains can get burned in over time. If they bother you – either for aesthetic reasons or because they affect the flavor – we’ll explain what to do.

How to Remove Stubborn Residue from Your Hookah Bowl

There are special wire brushes designed for cleaning the hookah bowl. These brushes are made with brass wire, which is softer than stainless steel or regular steel. This provides the perfect level of abrasiveness to scrub away stubborn residue without damaging the bowl’s glaze. If the stains won’t come off with the brush alone, try soaking the bowl in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing.

Cleaning the blackened rim with a soft brass brush

How to Keep All Hookah Parts Clean: Our Cleaning Kit

If keeping your hookah clean is important to you, we recommend getting a complete cleaning kit. It contains all the tools you need to clean your hookah quickly and easily. We’ve put together a bundle in our shop that includes all the essential cleaning items – and you can even save some money by purchasing it as a set! The cleaning kit includes:

• 1x Glass Base Cleaning Brush
• 1x Hookah Hose Cleaning Brush
• 1x HMD Wire Brush
• 1x AO Koka Clean Powder
• 1x Hookah Stem Cleaning Brush

The regular price for the items in this set is 31.90 euros. However, in the bundle, you can get it for just 24.90 euros. That means you save 7 euros when you buy everything together.

Moze

Cleaning Set

Hookah Cleaning Set

The Hose is Often Neglected

Many hookah smokers tend to neglect cleaning the hose, even though it is extremely important. You'll realize this the moment you cut open an old and frequently used hookah hose and look inside! Many customers also don’t know that there are special brushes designed specifically for cleaning the hose, making the process super easy.

Cleaning the HMD

Cleaning your heat management device (HMD), also known as a smokebox, is just as important. If you don’t clean it regularly, the leftover tobacco residue that sticks to the HMD can affect the flavor of your session.

How Often Should You Clean a Hookah?

How often you should clean your hookah depends on how sensitive you are to buildup and taste changes. Either way, we recommend changing the water at least every 2-3 days and running fresh water through all parts at the same time. However, a deep cleaning with the tools described in this article should be done at least every 1-2 weeks to ensure all parts are properly disinfected.

FAQ: Hookah Cleaning – How to Keep Your Hookah Clean!