Proper Quartz Nail Cleaning

An Introduction to Cleaning Quartz Nails for Dabbing

Dabbing in the United States

Dabbing has become one of the most common ways to consume THC in the United States and is especially popular among heavy users. A quartz nail or “Banger” is one of the most common methods to “Dab” with but most are not familiar with the process to keep their nail clean.  With proper care and maintenance, you can increase the lifespan of your quartz drastically.

Cleaning Your Banger

First off, let’s talk about the basic method to clean your banger, Heating.  Many people just heat their banger “clean” by burning off the residue from the previous dab.  This method can be effective but WILL cause “Chazzing” of your banger. Chazzing is the term used to describe the white/gray build up that is left behind on a nail after it is heated up when it has not been properly cleaned.  A chazzed nail will start to lose heat retention and flavor and will eventually cause the nail to be virtually useless.  Heat cleaning a nail should only be done as a final step or last resort considering the superior options available.  One of the most common methods to avoid chazzing is to use a Qtip or cotton swab.  It is as simple as it sounds, clean your nail out with a Q-tip after EACH DAB. If you are not accustomed to cleaning your nail, this could sound like a tedious task but it is extremely important.  Even skipping the cleaning for one dab can have long lasting effects on the nail and can cause chazzing.  “Q-tip Tech” has been around for almost as long as the Banger itself and is a great option even for those using import nails who may not be as concerned with the lifespan of their nail and might not be interested in more extreme or costly cleaning options.  There are even companies like Glob Mops and Terp Swabs that make specialized cotton swabs for the sole purpose of cleaning your banger.  Q-tip Tech is a great start and is generally sufficient for Import nails but for Higher End American Bangers or any nail that you want to extend the life of, there are a few extra cleaning steps that should be considered

Nail Cleaning Routine

Adding Isopropyl Alcohol (ISO) to your nail cleaning routine is the next step especially when combined with Qtipping.  By dipping the end of your cotton swab in ISO and then cleaning your banger, you will remove noticeably more residue in the nail.  Even though it might sizzle and seem dangerous, you can ISO clean your nails with cotton swabs while they are still cooling down and is actually recommended to do so.  The heat from the nail warms up the ISO which removes more of the leftover oil.  You should repeat the process of wiping the nail clean with the ISO dipped cotton swab until you are no longer removing residue, at which point you should use a dry cotton swab to remove any remaining ISO or oil.  It is important to note that higher percentage ISO, such as 97-99%, offers far superior results than lower percentage options.

Dunk Tech Cleaning Method

In addition to using ISO with Cotton Swabs, the “Dunk tech” cleaning method is another way to utilize rubbing alcohol.  In addition to cleaning the inside of the bucket of your banger with a cotton swab dipped in ISO, you can literally dip or “Dunk” your entire banger into a container of ISO.  This is arguably the easiest method but does have a few notable drawbacks.  Dunk Tech uses a large amount of ISO due to the requirement for the banger to be completely submerged and the ISO becoming heavily saturated after a few dabs.  If you are using dirty ISO to clean your nail, it will be very difficult to remove all the oil residue completely and when the nail dries, the remaining oil will be covering the entire surface which will cause chazzing.  A popular solution to this is to use the “Double Dunk Tech”.  This involves having two jars of ISO, one for the first dunk that will get dirty quickly and a second to wash off any residue that might be remaining after the first dip.  A microfiber is also useful to clean the nail off after an ISO dunk.

DC Quartz Cleaner  

There are also several products made specifically for cleaning quartz nails such as DC Quartz Cleaner.  It is not recommended to use the Dunk Tech with DC Quartz cleaner because if the nail is still warm when it is dunked, the cleaner can actually cause chazzing on the banger.  DC cleaner is a great product but is not a complete replacement for traditional cleaning methods and is most popular to try and move black hard to remove residue on a nail before it is burned off.  

Finding Your Level of Clean

In summary, there are many different ways to clean your nail and the difficulty depends on the level of clean each specific user is trying to achieve.  Finding the right process to clean your nail depends on the quality of nail you have and the willingness of yourself to commit to cleaning it.