[header] How to clean a wood pipe [title] Run a pipe cleaner through the pipe before you use it. [step] Even if you have cleaned your pipe after the last time you used it, you should always clean it before you smoke it. Take a pipe cleaner and run it through the pipe. 
This helps get rid of any remaining ash or dottle. [substeps] Gently knock the pipe in your palm to get the debris from the bowl.