Alright folks, let me tell you about cleaning my ash catcher today. It was long overdue and honestly, kind of gross. Trust me, you don’t want to let it build up like I did.

The "Before" Situation

First thing this morning, I grabbed my usual piece – the one with the honeycomb percs – and looked inside. Oh boy, it was gross. Thick, sticky, brown stuff coating the walls and completely clogging up those little holes. You could barely see through the glass anymore. This thing was definitely not hitting smooth.

Gathering My Battle Gear

Okay, time to get serious. I knew I needed my secret weapons for this job. Here’s what I grabbed:

• Some coarse salt (Just the cheap kitchen kind)
• Isopropyl Alcohol (I always keep the 91% stuff on hand)
• Ziploc bags (Gallon size works best for most catchers)
• Plastic wrap or baggies (For plugging holes)
• Hot water (Straight from the tap, nice and hot)

Let’s Get This Gunk Off!

Step one: I filled the sink with really hot water. I dumped out all the old water from the ash catcher. Then, I ran the hottest tap water I could stand through it for a solid minute to loosen things up. Be careful, the glass gets super hot!

Next, I plugged up the main opening at the top using a small piece of plastic wrap and my finger. It doesn't need to be perfect, just sealed enough so liquid doesn't pour right out. Same for any smaller holes I could easily cover.

Time for the good stuff. I poured in a generous amount of the coarse salt – maybe about 1/4 cup for my medium-sized catcher. Then, I filled it about halfway up with the isopropyl alcohol. Carefully, I lifted the whole thing and dropped it into a gallon Ziploc bag. I poured any leftover alcohol from the catcher into the bag too and sealed it tight!

Now, the fun part! I started shaking that bag like crazy. Up and down, side to side, really working it. The salt acts like little scrubbers inside, scraping off all that nasty buildup. After a good minute or two, I could already see the alcohol turning murky brown. Satisfying!

I let it sit for about 15 minutes while I cleaned my bowl, just letting the alcohol do its thing. Then, back to shaking! Another solid minute of shaking, paying extra attention to the percs. After that, I pulled the catcher out of the bag.

The Rinse & Reveal

Still being careful with the hot glass, I took off the plastic wrap plugs and dumped out the dirty alcohol/salt mix. Then, I held it under the hot running water again. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed, making sure all traces of salt and alcohol were gone, peeking through to see if the holes looked clear.

A few stubborn spots near the percs needed some extra love. I filled just those sections with a bit more salt and alcohol, covered the holes near them with my fingers again, and gave it a focused shake right at those spots. That did the trick!

One last super thorough rinse with hot water. I held it up to the light – beautiful! Crystal clear glass, every perc hole open.

The Grand Finale

I gently dried the outside with a paper towel and left it upside down on a clean dish rack to air dry completely. While it dried, I felt pretty proud. Didn't need any fancy cleaners or expensive gadgets, just stuff most of us have lying around.

Tried it out tonight? Hits smooth as new, my friends. Really makes a huge difference. Super simple, took maybe 30 minutes total mostly waiting, and saved me from buying a new one. Give it a shot next time yours gets gnarly!