Shake to Shine vs Simple Soak: Which Cleaning Method Is Best for You? (2026 Guide)

If you’ve been using 70% ISO and salt as your bong cleaner, or even heavy-duty degreasers, you’ve probably wondered if there’s a smarter or safer way to do it. You want your pieces clean, but you don’t always have time for a full teardown—and you definitely don’t want to risk your lungs or your heady glass with products made for engines and shop floors.

That’s where the choice between Shake to Shine vs Simple Soak comes in. Shake to Shine is the “everyday workhorse” bong cleaner—like ISO and salt but with Nitrous. Simple Soak is the deep-clean, overnight reset—similar to the “Zep style” cleans people chase, but actually formulated and tested for glass you put your mouth on.

In this guide, you’ll learn how each method works, how to use them, how they pair together, and how to choose the bong or pipe cleaning style that fits your lifestyle.

To build a dependable cleaning routine around either method (or both), here’s your basic setup:

• Aneu Shake to Shine – Fast daily cleaner for bongs & ash catchers

• Aneu Simple Soak – Overnight deep-clean solution for slides, downstems, and heady glass

• Hytek Caps – Seal joints and mouthpieces for both shaking and soaking

• Stemclenz Kit – Safely cleans slides & downstems (no flimsy Ziploc bags)

• Terp Titans Swabs – For joints, bowls, and tough reclaim spots

• Warm water for rinsing

• Optional: A dedicated container or tub to reuse Simple Soak

Resin is a sticky mix of tar, combusted plant material, and oils that are mostly non-polar, meaning they don’t dissolve well in plain water. Over time, they:

• Coat the inside of bongs, ash catchers, slides, and downstems

• Hold onto odor and stale taste

• Leave “ghost stains” that ISO + salt can’t fully remove

That’s why some people escalate to products like Zep industrial degreasers—they cut through grease and engine oil with ease. But there’s a problem:

Simple Soak gives you the same “brand new again” deep clean but is actually formulated for glass cleaning—not industrial equipment.

If you used 70% ISO + salt, Shake to Shine is your upgrade path. It keeps the routine you already understand (“shake → rinse”) but uses smarter chemistry:

• Solvent system dissolves non-polar resin

• Surfactants keep loosened resin suspended so it rinses away

• Optimized viscosity flows through percs and chambers far better than watery ISO

In practice:

• It works like a supercharged ISO + salt, but faster, cleaner, and easier to reuse

• It’s strong enough that you can shake an ash catcher, dump that dirty solution into a bong, and still get great results

Simple Soak takes the opposite approach:

• Surfactants and chelators break down resin slowly and evenly

• The formula emulsifies non-polar gunk over time

• With zero agitation, it’s ideal for heady pieces, intricate percs, downstems, and fragile slides

The routine:

• Drop a slide or downstem into a container

• Leave it overnight

• Rinse in the morning—resulting in a “factory-fresh” shine

From personal testing:

Ask yourself:

• Quick clean before a friend comes over?
  → You’re in Shake to Shine territory.

• Want your slide/downstem/heady piece looking brand new by tomorrow?
  → Go with Simple Soak.

• Deep resin stains that ISO + salt couldn’t touch?
  → Use both: Shake to Shine first, Simple Soak second.

1. Cap your bong or ash catcher using Hytek Caps

2. Add Shake to Shine to the appropriate level

3. Shake 30–60 seconds (longer for heavy buildup)

4. Dump the still-active dirty solution into:

   • Your main bong, or

   • A Stemclenz kit for slides/downstems

5. Rinse thoroughly with warm water

Think of this as your “friend’s on the way” cleaning mode.

1. Place your slides, downstems, or heady piece in a container

2. Pour in Simple Soak until fully submerged

3. Let it soak overnight (30–60 minutes minimum if you’re in a rush)

4. In the morning, pour the solution back into your reuse container

5. Rinse with warm water until squeaky-clean

This is your “minimum effort, maximum reset” approach.

If your bong has deep stains ISO + salt never removed:

1. Run a full Shake to Shine cycle

2. Light rinse to avoid diluting your soak

3. Fill with Simple Soak and let sit overnight

4. Rinse in the morning

Using Shake to Shine first keeps your Simple Soak cleaner longer if you’re reusing it. Customers report removing stains that no other product was able to touch.

Zep is made for engines, machinery, and concrete—not something you inhale from.

(Sources: Zep Inc.; Zep SDS documentation)

If it would break your heart to break it, don’t risk shaking it. Use Simple Soak instead.

Ziplocs leak, offer no protection, and break slides. Use Stemclenz.

Both cleaners are reusable:

• Shake to Shine = ash catcher → bong

• Simple Soak = reusable resin bath stored in a container

Even perfect chemistry still requires a thorough warm-water rinse.

“I only have 10 minutes before someone comes over.”

→ Shake to Shine + Hytek Caps, then reuse that solution in a Stemclenz kit.

“My heady piece makes me nervous to shake.”

→ Fill with Simple Soak, cap, and leave it overnight.

“My bong still has faint stains after Shake to Shine.”

→ Run a Simple Soak bath; it reaches micro-channels shaking can’t.

“I’ve reused Simple Soak dozens of times—when do I replace it?”

→ Replace when slides/downstems stop coming out clean after one overnight soak.

“I’m tempted to try Zep.”

→ It’s strong—but industrially strong. Engine/garage strong.

Not mouthpiece strong.

• Use the same way you used ISO + salt—but with better results

• Every few sessions or when tinting appears

• Perfect for bongs & ash catchers

• Use when you want that “brand new out of the box” look

• Best for slides, downstems, and high-end glass

• Ideal “lazy clean day” solution

• Shake to Shine during the week

• Simple Soak overnight on weekends

Best For Recommended Hygenix Product(s)

Both cleaners were designed to work together:

• Shake to Shine = fast resin breakdown

• Simple Soak = micro-level finishing & stain removal

1. If I already use ISO & salt, why switch to Shake to Shine?

Because it cleans faster, rinses cleaner, and doesn’t rely on abrasives.

2. Is Simple Soak safer than Zep?

Absolutely. Zep is a heavy-duty industrial degreaser with corrosive SDS warnings—Simple Soak is formulated for glass you inhale from.

3. Can I reuse both cleaners?

Yes. Shake to Shine can be reused immediately. Simple Soak can be reused dozens of times.

4. Which should I choose if I only buy one?

• Choose Shake to Shine for speed & flexibility

• Choose Simple Soak for deep, effortless overnight cleans

5. Can I soak my bong overnight with Simple Soak?

Yes—cap it with Hytek Caps, soak, then pour back into a container.

There’s no “right” or “wrong” choice when it comes to bong cleaners—only the cleaner that fits your lifestyle.

If you’re always on the move, Shake to Shine is your daily driver bong cleaner. The reason why people keep coming back for it? It is a genuinely better experience cleaning with shake to shine. If you want effortless overnight resets and spotless clarity, Simple Soak is the way to go.

Most people end up exactly where I am:

• Shake to Shine for bongs and ash catchers when I need a fast, reliable clean

• Simple Soak for slides, downstems, and heady pieces when I want a deep, effortless reset

When you want it clean fast, reach for Shake to Shine.

When you want it clean like new, let Simple Soak do the work.