3 Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Grinder

The herb grinder is often treated as an accessory, despite its essential function in facilitating your joint, vape, or bong session. Imagine your world without the humble but phenomenally useful grinder and you will look for similar or identical alternatives to prepare for a smoke. 

While you may be proactive at cleaning your bong, the grinder can suffer from neglect, and it will impair your sessions as the tool gets dirtier, clogged, and eventually ineffective. You do not have to clean your grinder as frequently as the bong, perhaps. However, you need a cleaning routine. 

Why You Should Clean the Grinder

A clean grinder looks pleasant, just like your bong and everything else. However, the aesthetics may not be a priority all the time, so you may put off the cleaning for a later date, and probably forget about it until memory strikes back. In reality, a few significant reasons necessitate timely cleaning of a grinder, and these unavoidable consequences apply to one and sundry. 

1. A Dirty Grinder Is Bad for Your Health

A dirty grinder not only looks unpleasant but actually is, and a real threat to your health. Every grinder retains some herb residue. Also, the resins in the herbs you grind will cling onto the teeth and chambers of your grinder. The herb and resin residue buildup is essential food for microbes. In time, your grinder will become intensely infested with various bacteria.

Furthermore, you may have mold growing inside your grinder, even if you keep it closed and in a relatively dry area. Herb residue and leftover resin have moisture. Thus, mold will thrive on this moisture. The combo of bacteria and mold pose a serious health hazard, especially when you consider the fact that you will smoke the ground herbs and inhale the microbes. 

For all practical purposes, you are unlikely to check a grinder for bacteria and mold growth. In some cases, users are unaware if their grinders are that dirty and have been so for a while. Hence, it is always safer to err on the side of caution. Clean your grinder before it is too dirty. 

2. An Unclean Grinder Is Inefficient

Grinders are a mechanical tool. Thus, their efficiency depends entirely on the hardware, most notably the teeth. As dirt, herb, and resin build up inside your grinder, the teeth will not be as sharp or effective, the chambers may get clogged, and you may not be able to use the tool with as much ease as earlier. These are signs that your grinder is way past its cleaning schedule.

While you will need to put in more effort to grind your herbs, the efficacy shall take a hit as well. You will notice that the herbs are not as finely ground as before. There is little you can do when you are in the middle of grinding some herb. Therefore, a pragmatic approach is proactive cleaning. Don’t let your grinder get clogged up with the gunky resin, dirt, and herb residue.  

3. Poorly Maintained Grinders Don’t Last Long

A dirty grinder with little or no cleaning and maintenance will die sooner than you think. Even if you have a reliably sturdy grinder, it is still vulnerable to blunted or broken teeth. You may have several teeth break apart or not have any effect on the herb. Also, the chambers may not hold as much herb. The kief chamber may get clogged, too. Clean the grinder to avoid these issues. 

Some grinders are more durable than others. Titanium usually lasts longer than plastic, but a sturdy material will also fail to maintain the efficiency and efficacy of your grinder as it gets too dirty. Besides, you have the health hazard to worry about. A cleaned and well maintained grinder can last years, if not decades, albeit depending on the material and craftsmanship. 

How Frequently Should You Clean a Grinder?

You may clean your grinder whenever it gets visibly dirty. If you want a planned routine, you must decide based on your usage. A frequent user must clean the grinder at least once every fortnight. Those using their grinders almost every day should clean the tool once a week. Others using their grinders sporadically or rarely can opt for a monthly cleaning routine. 

You can keep a clean grinder unattended for months and years. However, an unclean grinder should be cleaned as soon as possible. Even if you have used it a few times and there isn’t much dirt or residue buildup, whatever is there will still facilitate bacteria and mold growth. Thus, do not keep a dirty grinder in storage, irrespective of how much you have used it till then.