MunchMakersGuides
MunchMakersGuides
āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāύāĻžāĻŽ DIY āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āφāύ⧁āώāĻ™ā§āĻ—āĻŋāĻ• āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ: āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž
cleaning-maintenanceBeginner

āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāύāĻžāĻŽ DIY āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āφāύ⧁āώāĻ™ā§āĻ—āĻŋāĻ• āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ: āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž

7 min readUpdated: ā§§ā§Ļ āĻĄāĻŋāϏ⧇, ⧍ā§Ļ⧍ā§Ģ
Emma Chen

Emma Chen

Glass Specialist

āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāύāĻžāĻŽ DIY āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āφāύ⧁āώāĻ™ā§āĻ—āĻŋāĻ• āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ: āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž

Should you buy specialized cleaning products or stick with household items? Whether you're cleaning your Munchmakers āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇ āĻŽā§‡āϟāĻžāϞ āϰ⧋āϞāĻŋāĻ‚ āĻŸā§āϰ⧇ or a complex percolator bong, this guide compares commercial cleaners to DIY solutions, covering cost, effectiveness, convenience, and which situations favor each approach.

āĻĻā§āϰ⧁āϤ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰ

DIY (āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ + āϞāĻŦāĻŖ) āϏāĻ¸ā§āϤāĻž ($0.10-0.25 āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻŦāύāĻžāĻŽ $1-3) āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻŦ⧇āĻļāĻŋāϰāĻ­āĻžāĻ— āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰāĻ•āĻžāϰ⧀āϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āϏāĻŽāĻžāύāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āϰāĨ¤ āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻŽā§āϞāĻž 420 āĻŦāĻž āĻ—ā§āϰāĻžā§āĻœā§‡āϰ āĻŽāϤ⧋ āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰāϗ⧁āϞāĻŋ āĻĻā§āϰ⧁āϤ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āϧ āĻ•āϰ⧇ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āφāϰāĻ“ āϏ⧁āĻŦāĻŋāϧāĻžāϜāύāĻ• āϤāĻŦ⧇ āωāĻ˛ā§āϞ⧇āĻ–āϝ⧋āĻ—ā§āϝāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻŦ⧇āĻļāĻŋ āĻ–āϰāϚ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤ āĻĻā§āϰ⧁āϤ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻŦāĻž āϜāϟāĻŋāϞ āϟ⧁āĻ•āϰāĻžāϗ⧁āϞāĻŋāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āϚāϝāĻŧāύ āĻ•āϰ⧁āύ, āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽāĻŋāϤ āϰāĻ•ā§āώāĻŖāĻžāĻŦ⧇āĻ•ā§āώāĻŖ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻŦāĻžāĻœā§‡āϟ-āϏāĻšā§‡āϤāύ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰāĻ•āĻžāϰ⧀āĻĻ⧇āϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ DIYāĨ¤


DIY āĻĒāĻĻā§āϧāϤāĻŋ: āφāχāϏ⧋āĻĒā§āϰ⧋āĻĒāĻžāχāϞ āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ + āϞāĻŦāĻŖ

āĻāϟāĻž āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇

  • Alcohol dissolves cannabis oils and resin (solvent action)
  • Salt provides physical abrasion (scrubbing without scrubbing)
  • āĻāĻ•āĻ¤ā§āϰāĻŋāϤ, āϤāĻžāϰāĻž āϰāϏāĻžāϝāĻŧāύ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āϘāĻ°ā§āώāĻŖ āĻŽāĻžāĻ§ā§āϝāĻŽā§‡ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ

āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϰ āϝāĻž āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ

  • 91%+ āφāχāϏ⧋āĻĒā§āϰ⧋āĻĒāĻžāχāϞ āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ (16 oz āĻāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ $4)
  • āĻŽā§‹āϟāĻž āϞāĻŦāĻŖâ€”āϕ⧋āĻļāĻžāϰ, āϏāĻŽā§āĻĻā§āϰ, āĻŦāĻž āχāĻĒāϏāĻŽ (26 oz āĻāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ $3)
  • āωāĻ­āϝāĻŧāχ āϝ⧇āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻĢāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻŽā§‡āϏāĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŽā§āĻĻāĻŋ āĻĻā§‹āĻ•āĻžāύ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ

āĻ–āϰāϚ āĻ­āĻžāĻ™ā§āĻ—āύ

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻšā§āĻ›āĻ¨ā§āύāϤāĻžāϰ (āĻ—āĻĄāĻŧ āĻŦāĻ‚):

  • āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšā§ƒāϤ āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ: ~4 oz = $1.00
  • āϞāĻŦāĻŖ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧ⧇āϛ⧇: ~2 āĻŸā§‡āĻŦāĻŋāϞ āϚāĻžāĻŽāϚ = $0.05
  • āĻŽā§‹āϟ: ~$1.05 (even less with reuse)

āϏāϰāĻŦāϰāĻžāĻš āĻļ⧇āώ:

  • āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ āĻŦā§‹āϤāϞ: 4-6 āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ
  • āϞāĻŦāϪ⧇āϰ āĻĒāĻžāĻ¤ā§āϰ: 20+ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž
  • āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: $0.10-0.25

Pros

  • āĻ…āĻ¤ā§āϝāĻ¨ā§āϤ āϏāĻžāĻļā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§€ āĻŽā§‚āĻ˛ā§āϝ⧇āϰ
  • āϏāĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻĻāĻž āωāĻĒāϞāĻŦā§āϧ
  • āϏāĻŽāĻ¸ā§āϤ āωāĻĒāĻ•āϰāϪ⧇āϰ āωāĻĒāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇ (āĻ—ā§āϞāĻžāϏ, āϧāĻžāϤ⧁)
  • āĻ•āϝāĻŧ⧇āĻ• āĻĻāĻļāĻ• āϧāϰ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āϰ āĻĒā§āϰāĻŽāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāϤ
  • āϕ⧋āύ āϰāĻšāĻ¸ā§āϝ āωāĻĒāĻžāĻĻāĻžāύ
  • āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻŦāĻžāĻˇā§āĻĒā§€āĻ­ā§‚āϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ

The āĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻžāĻļāĻŋāĻ‚āϟāύ āĻ¸ā§āĻŸā§‡āϟ āϞāĻŋāĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻĄ āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āĻŦā§‹āĻ°ā§āĻĄ provides guidance on safe handling and storage of cannabis accessories.

Cons

  • āĻ­āĻŋāϜāĻžāύ⧋āϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ (15 āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāϟ - āϰāĻžāϤāĻžāϰāĻžāϤāĻŋ)
  • āĻĻāĻžāĻšā§āϝ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻĻ⧁āĻ°ā§āĻ—āĻ¨ā§āϧāϝ⧁āĻ•ā§āϤ
  • āĻ­āĻžāϞ āĻŦāĻžāϝāĻŧ⧁āϚāϞāĻžāϚāϞ āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ
  • āϤāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻ•ā§āώāĻŖāĻŋāĻ• āϤ⧃āĻĒā§āϤāĻŋ āύāϝāĻŧ
  • āĻāĻ•āĻžāϧāĻŋāĻ• āĻĒāĻĻāĻ•ā§āώ⧇āĻĒ āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ


āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ āĻ“āĻ­āĻžāϰāĻ­āĻŋāω

āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§āϰ 420 (āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§āϰ 710)

āϏāĻŦāĻšā§‡āϝāĻŧ⧇ āϜāύāĻĒā§āϰāĻŋāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•āĻ˛ā§āĻĒāĨ¤

Price: $10-15 for 12 oz bottle

āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇: Proprietary solvent blend with abrasives. No soaking needed—instant action.

Best for: Quick cleans, people who don't want to wait

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž: Excellent for light to moderate buildup

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: ~$1.50-2.00

Grunge Off

āĻĒ⧁āύāσāĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰāϝ⧋āĻ—ā§āϝ āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ āϝāĻž āĻāĻ•āĻžāϧāĻŋāĻ•āĻŦāĻžāϰ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž āϝ⧇āϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āĨ¤

Price: $15-20 for 16 oz bottle

āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇: Soak-based cleaner that can be poured back into bottle and reused (up to 15 times depending on buildup)

Best for: Heavy users who clean frequently, eco-conscious users

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž: Excellent, especially with 30+ minute soaking

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: $1-3 initially, drops to $0.50-1 with reuse

āϰ⧇āϜ⧁āϞ⧇āĻļāύ āĻœā§‡āϞ

āĻœā§‡āϞ āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§āϰ āϝāĻž āĻĒ⧃āĻˇā§āĻ āϕ⧇ āφāρāĻ•āĻĄāĻŧ⧇ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇āĨ¤

Price: $12-18 for 12 oz

āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇: Gel texture stays on surfaces longer than liquid

Best for: Intricate pieces, downstems, percolators

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž: Good for hard-to-reach areas

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: ~$2-3

āϰ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĄāĻŋāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϞ⧋ āϞ⧇āĻŦ⧇āϞ

āĻŦāĻžāĻœā§‡āϟ āĻŦāĻžāĻŖāĻŋāĻœā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•āĻ˛ā§āĻĒāĨ¤

Price: $8-12 for 12 oz

āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇: Alcohol-based with added solvents and abrasives

Best for: Budget-conscious users wanting commercial convenience

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž: Good, similar to DIY with faster action

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: ~$1-1.50

āĻ•āĻŽāϞāĻž āĻ•ā§āϰāύāĻŋāĻ•

āϏāĻžāχāĻŸā§āϰāĻžāϏ-āĻ—āĻ¨ā§āϧāϝ⧁āĻ•ā§āϤ āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋāύāĻžāϰāĨ¤

Price: $10-14 for 16 oz

āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰ⧇: Citrus-based solvents with abrasives

Best for: People who dislike alcohol smell

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž: Good, pleasant scent

āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ–āϰāϚ: ~$1.50


āĻŽā§āĻ–ā§‹āĻŽā§āĻ–āĻŋ

āĻ•āĻžāĻ°ā§āϝāĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻž

MethodāĻšāĻžāϞāĻ•āĻž āĻŦāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻĄāφāĻĒModerateHeavyVery Heavy
DIY (āĻ…ā§āϝāĻžāϞāϕ⧋āĻšāϞ + āϞāĻŦāĻŖ)★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§āϰ 420★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆★★★☆☆
Grunge Off★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
āϰ⧇āϜ⧁āϞ⧇āĻļāύ āĻœā§‡āĻ˛â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜†â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜†â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜†â˜†â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜†â˜†

Verdict: All methods work well for regular cleaning. Grunge Off excels for heavy buildup with extended soaking.

Speed

MethodāĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ
āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§āϰ 4201-5 āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāϟ (āĻļ⧇āĻ• āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āϧ⧁āϝāĻŧ⧇)
āĻ•āĻžāρāĻĒāĻžāύ⧋ āϏāĻ™ā§āϗ⧇ DIY5-15 āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāϟ
āĻ­āĻŋāϜāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ DIY30 āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāϟ - āϰāĻžāϤāĻžāϰāĻžāϤāĻŋ
Grunge Off30 āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāϟ - āĻ•āϝāĻŧ⧇āĻ• āϘāĻ¨ā§āϟāĻž
Resolution Gel15-30 minutes

Verdict: Formula 420 wins for speed. DIY is slowest but hands-off during soak.

Cost Over 1 Year

Assuming weekly cleaning:

MethodCost Per CleanAnnual Cost
DIY alcohol + salt$0.15$7.80
Formula 420$1.75$91.00
Grunge Off (reused)$0.75$39.00
Randy's$1.25$65.00

Verdict: DIY saves $83/year compared to Formula 420.

Convenience

FactorDIYCommercial
Prep timeMediumLow
Active timeLow (soaking)Low
CleanupRinse + disposeRinse
SmellStrong alcoholVaries
StorageTwo containersOne bottle

Verdict: Commercial slightly more convenient, but not dramatically.


When to Choose DIY

Best situations for alcohol + salt:

  • Budget-conscious users
  • Weekly or bi-weekly cleaning routine
  • Standard glass pieces
  • Don't mind waiting/soaking
  • Have good ventilation
  • Already have supplies at home

Recommendation: Start with DIY. It's effective, cheap, and most people are satisfied with results.


When to Choose Commercial

Best situations for commercial cleaners:

  • Clean frequently (daily/every other day)
  • Value time over money
  • Have intricate percolators
  • Clean pieces at social events
  • Don't have alcohol on hand
  • Hate the smell of isopropyl

Recommendation: Formula 420 for quick convenience, Grunge Off for reusability and heavy buildup.


Hybrid Approach

Best of both worlds:

1. Use DIY for regular weekly cleans (cheap, effective)

2. Keep one bottle of commercial for:

- Quick touch-ups before sessions

- When you don't have time to soak

- Cleaning on the go

- Intricate pieces

This approach costs ~$20-30/year total vs $90+ for commercial-only.


What About Natural Alternatives?

Vinegar + Baking Soda

  • Less effective than alcohol
  • Good for light maintenance
  • Eco-friendly option
  • Won't damage anything
  • Cheap alternative

Verdict: Works for light cleaning, not for heavy resin.

Hot Water Only

  • Removes surface residue
  • Free and instant
  • Won't dissolve resin
  • Good for daily maintenance

Verdict: Supplement to proper cleaning, not replacement.

Denture Tablets

  • Some users swear by them
  • Works with soaking
  • Inexpensive
  • Leaves no residue

Verdict: Budget alternative, effectiveness varies.


Safety Considerations

DIY (Alcohol)

  • Highly flammable
  • Needs ventilation
  • Don't use near flames
  • Evaporates completely (safe if rinsed)

Commercial Products

  • Check ingredient lists
  • Some contain harsh chemicals
  • Follow instructions exactly
  • Rinse thoroughly

Both are safe when used as directed.


Environmental Impact

DIY:

  • Alcohol evaporates (no liquid waste)
  • Salt dissolves in rinse water
  • Minimal packaging

Commercial:

  • Plastic bottles
  • More complex chemicals
  • Grunge Off can be reused (less waste)

Winner: DIY is more environmentally friendly overall.


The Verdict

For most users: Start with DIY alcohol + salt.

  • It works
  • It's cheap
  • Supplies are always available

Upgrade to commercial if:

  • You find yourself not cleaning because of the hassle
  • You have complex pieces
  • Time matters more than money
  • You clean very frequently

Best commercial choice:

  • Quick cleans: Formula 420
  • Value/reuse: Grunge Off
  • Budget: Randy's Black Label


This guide is for educational purposes. Cannabis laws vary by jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

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