How to clean your shisha (and how often)

The short answer: after every session, empty the water, rinse the base, clear out the bowl and run water through the stem. Every week or two, or whenever the flavour starts to taste stale, give everything a deep clean with brushes and a shisha cleaner. A clean shisha tastes better, draws better and lasts longer.

After every session (5 minutes)

1. Let everything cool down completely.
2. Empty the water from the base and rinse it with warm water.
3. Empty the bowl and rinse it.
4. Run warm water through the stem, if your shisha's maker says that's fine (stainless steel stems usually are).
5. Leave all the parts to dry before you put the shisha away.

The deep clean (every week or two)

• Stem: scrub the inside with a long shisha brush, then rinse.
• Base: swirl warm water with a shisha cleaning powder, or with a spoonful of uncooked rice as a gentle scrub, then rinse well. A long flexible brush reaches the bottom.
• Bowl: soak it in warm water, then scrub off any leftover flavour with a bowl brush or a scourer.
• Grommets and seals: wipe them clean and replace any that are cracked or loose, because worn seals cause a weak draw.

Short on time? Electric cleaners such as the Aeon Sonic Cleaner, or the Moze Rocket, do the hard work for you.

The hose

• Silicone hoses: rinse through with warm water and hang them to dry.
• Leather and traditional hoses: most should not get wet inside, so check the maker's advice. Wipe the outside, and swap the mouth tips regularly.

More on hoses: choosing a shisha hose.

What not to do

• Don't use bleach or harsh kitchen chemicals; they can leave a taste and damage finishes.
• Don't put painted, anodised or wooden parts in the dishwasher.
• Don't pour boiling water into a cold glass base, because it can crack.

Find brushes, scourers, cleaning powder and electric cleaners in cleaning products, and spare seals in grommets.