Paper Towel: Valuable Part of Any Weedist’s Utility Belt

Gear

June 19, 2013

Alexander Martin

The simple, yet mighty, paper towel is a staple in my weedist tool kit.

Paper Towel Weedist Toolkit - Partial Toolkit (1), Source: Weedist

Paper towel and some other goodies from the toolkit

Aside from all the regular handy uses to have a paper towel around, it comes in handy while enjoying cannabis. For example, when you need a clean surface like to put down a slide or pipe tool. Mainly, using a scrap of paper towel (or all those damn napkins take-out places give you that eventually get tossed out) on my glass bowls and slides is really effective and nearly effortless. Who doesn’t love a little ‘Work harder, not smarter”?

As a California medical marijuana patient, I am fortunate enough to have access to a wider selection of cannabis than those typically suffering in the dark ages, er, black market areas such as NYC. Having a round in a glass bowl is always part of the sampling process for me in experiencing a new strain. A real dirty bowl caked with ash and resin really takes away from the particular taste experience I’m looking for from a glass bowl. Using a paper towel after every, or every few, bowl sessions really helps keep that crisper and cleaner taste.

Just as important, it cuts down how often I need to give my glass bowl a cleaning. I’ll cover it in a later post, but about weekly I alternate between a light cleaning (warm running sink water) and heavy cleaning (light + rubbing alcohol/salt). Both cleanings take only 5 minutes, but as a parent there are small strategic windows at best to stinking up the kitchen with the temporary smell of resin and rubbing alcohol. So the paper towel gets a big gold star for this. Keeping a few Q-tips around to help are optional.

Back to the work harder, not smarter part. If you swipe a a piece of paper towel around the bowl/chamber just after you’ve heated it (e.g. just cashed the bowl), that nasty cake comes off effortlessly. If a little resin is still around the the draught hole (smoke hole), just scrunch the paper towel in there and twist and/or use a Q-tip.

Floor permitting, turning over and blowing out your glass pipe (or into your hand) will help keep the shank area cleaner and less clogged a bit longer as well in between cleanings. None of this will replace the need for cleanings, but it’ll have your glass providing a better experience in between those (pain in the ass) cleanings.

Below is a little photo shoot of the field research in putting together this article. I ran with Super Lemon Haze some for wake and bake writing. No SLH was harmed in the shooting of these pictures… well until I needed some ash and resin to clean.