How To Clean A Grinder

Grinders are those little round tools that allow us to enjoy our ground weed quickly and easily, but, the cleaning part – which is essential by the way – can be a bit tricky. 

Let’s take a look at the functionality behind a grinder, its sharp teeth do the job of shredding the buds of weed, which are usually covered with sticky trichomes. This sticky residue that usually sticks to the grinder is known as kief. 

This kief, full of cannabinoids, sticks to parts of the grinder such as the walls and teeth, making it very difficult to remove. It is not enough to rinse it with water, warm or cold.

The first thing is to remove the kief that you can easily remove manually. Next, look for a coin that doesn’t roll around inside the grinder and fits snugly into the collection chamber where the ground herb is placed. 

Alternatively, instead of opting for a penny, you can also choose a nickel because it is small in size, making it perfect for this use. 

Although this might depend on the size of the grinder, then a heavy coin might be a better choice if you own a large grinder. Check that the coin has enough room to work in the grinder by giving it a light shake. You should hear it hit loose inside.

A weed grinder in freezer or the fridge can help boost the separation of the cannabis trichomes in your metal grinder.

Low temperatures make the trichomes brittle and easy to separate from the grinder’s surface. Leave the grinder in the freezer overnight to let it cool enough to work its magic.

Once it is well chilled, you can sift the kief. The trichomes will separate easily, leaving you with a valuable collection of kief ready to enjoy in your cannabis sessions.

If you’re wondering how to get kief out of a two piece grinder, it’s very simple: unscrew the bottom half of your grinder and use a flat tool to remove the kief. Most grinders come with a tiny spatula (seriously, so cute) to help remove their kief.

Shake the grinder fast and hard, as if you were going to break it. 

If done correctly, the coin will bounce off the kief inside the grinder and those sticky bits will come out.

Take the coin out of the grinder, and enjoy all the kief waiting for you in the collection chamber.

For the mission of cleaning the teeth and walls of the grinder, you will need: 

• Cotton swabs 
• Isopropyl alcohol 
• An old toothbrush 
• A toothpick or similar tool to disassemble the sticky parts. 

Follow these steps to bring the shine back to your grinder: 

Disassembly: disassemble the parts of your grinder carefully to access all areas. Use a toothpick to remove any sticky residue. 

Soaking: Soak the disassembled parts in isopropyl alcohol for at least 60 minutes. This step will help loosen the accumulated residue. 

Brushing: After soaking, use an old toothbrush to gently scrub the parts to remove any remaining residue. Pay special attention to hard-to-reach areas and be sure to clean all nooks and crannies thoroughly. You can also use a cotton swab or a toothpick. 

Rinsing: Once all the pieces have been cleaned, rinse them with rather hot water to remove any residue. Dry them carefully with a clean cloth and leave them in the open air until they are completely dry. 

Grinders are like any other tool: they require occasional maintenance to function effectively.

Over time, the viscous residue produced by resin-laden grinds builds up in the grinder, reducing its performance and preventing it from properly dividing the herb into smaller and finer pieces. 

The accumulation in the grinder causes it to lose its power. Therefore, the suggestion is to perform maintenance from time to time and remove the kief manually.