Cleaning Your Herb Grinder

Your grinder is an often-overlooked part of your cannabis tool arsenal. However, the handy gadget is a godsend for providing you with fresh herb and potent kief. Sadly, if you use the grinder frequently then debris starts to build up in the gears and chambers. The sticky rubbish becomes a prime breeding ground for bacteria and mold. If you don’t want to become sick from potentially contaminated and less-than-clean weed, then cleaning your grinder frequently is imperative. 

Importance of Cleaning Your Grinder

You want your grinder spotless and operational at peak performance. Grinders range dramatically in price from a few bucks to over a hundred dollars. Obviously, the top end grinders you want to pay special attention to because you have invested a sizable chunk of change. However, even a low-end grinder deserves frequent cleaning for your health. You want your grinder to slice through your herb and bust down the kief like a knife cutting through warm butter. 

Extend the Life of Herb Grinder

Keeping your grind sparkling doesn’t take very long and it does not require a great deal of effort. The important thing is to have everything at hand when you start to disassemble the device. This will cut down on the required time needed to complete the process. You don’t want to have to jump up to grab supplies.   

What You Need to Clean Your Grinder

Here is a list of what you will need to successfully clean your grinder:

• Plate: You want to catch all the loose debris so having a plate handy is great. It’s even better if you use a paper plate because then you can effortlessly throw away the gunk without having to wash the plate! 
• Cotton Swabs: You can soak these in alcohol to wipe away dirt in hard-to-reach spots.
• Toothpicks: Use the toothpick to insert in small nooks and crannies to pull out the rubbish. 
• Toothbrush: A toothbrush makes a great grinder cleaning tool. If you don’t have a toothbrush handy then you can use a small paintbrush. 
• Paper Towels: Use the paper towel to shine up the grinder or sit the device on. It also helps you wipe off your hands. You can even use a wet wipe in place of a paper towel.
• Isopropyl Alcohol: When using this, use the formula only on metal grinders.
• Rubbing alcohol: A great substance to break away the sticky gunk. 
• Hair Dryer: If you use your grinder a lot then you might not have any patience if you need to wait for it to dry. Use the hair dryer to dry your grinder quickly. 

Steps to Cleaning Your Grinder

It doesn’t matter if your grinder is made from acrylic, plastic, metal, or wood exterior. You’ll still follow the same basic steps for cleaning your grinder. Depending on the grinder type, it might have an additional step or two that will also be covered in this how-to-clean your grinder guide. 

You’ll want to sit down and completely take apart the grinder. Place all the pieced on the plate and put the plate of pieces into the freezer. Leave them in the freezers for about thirty minutes. If the grinder is extremely dirty, then wait at least one hour before removing the parts from the freezer. The cold temperature freezes the sticky debris on the grinder, so they are easier to remove. In fact, you can sometimes remove the cold grinder parts and give them a good shake to make the gunk fall off. 

After the grinder parts have been frozen, it’s time to wipe them and the grinder out using a toothbrush or paintbrush. Work the bristles into the intricacies of the device and vigorously scrub. You can dip the bristles of the brush into rubbing alcohol to break up the stuck-on stuff. 

• Cleaning Your Metal Grinder

When cleaning a metal grinder, you should opt to use isopropyl alcohol. Cover the grinder in isopropyl alcohol and let it soak. You’ll see the alcohol liquid start to change color. It will turn a muddy brown hue and chunks of particles will float to the surface of the liquid. Remove the metal grinder from the liquid and rinse it in warm water to remove the alcohol. Now allow it to air dry. You might want to use a cotton swab or brush to remove any stuck-on dirt and grime. 

Please note that you should never use isopropyl alcohol on plastic or acrylic grinders. Also, make sure your metal grinder does not feature an acrylic window. If it does, then do not use isopropyl alcohol to clean it. Isopropyl alcohol has the potential to dissolve or seriously harm such grinders.

• Cleaning an Acrylic or Plastic Grinder

Use boiling water to remove the dirt from plastic or acrylic grinders. You can even try warm water with dish soap. 

If you decide to boil the pieces of the grinder, then place them into the water in a large pot and bring the water to boil. Promptly remove the boiling water from the burner with the grinder pieces and allow them to sit undisturbed for about ten minutes. Remove the grinder pieces from the water while being careful not to burn yourself. Use a brush or toothbrush to flake off the stuck-on particles. Let air dry. Never use this method with a metal grinder or it could start to rust. 

You can also wash the acrylic or plastic grinder in soap and water. Use a brush or cotton swab to clean all the surfaces of the grinder. Rinse the grinder a final time with warm water and then allow it to air dry. 

 Cleaning your grinder takes a little time but it will ensure that the device works properly and continues to grind your herb in a fine fashion. Always remember, if the grinder is metal and not properly cleaned then it can shed small metal shavings into your herb which is dangerous and unhealthy. With a clean grinder, you can enjoy a great cannabis experience plus you are protecting your grinder investment.