What Is Reclaim and How Do I Collect and Use It?

If you’ve never dabbed reclaim, you’re in for a treat. Reclaim may sound like the unappetizing leftovers from a high-temperature dab, but in reality, reclaim has tons of therapeutic cannabinoids that can be dabbed again. Don’t let your darkened dab go to waste. Instead, use your reclaim to get the most out of your weed.

What is reclaim?

Reclaim is the gummy and gluey substance that builds up after taking dabs of concentrates in a dab rig. Concentrates traditionally have an amber color and varying consistencies. Reclaim, however, has a much darker yellow, orange or brown color resulting from exposure to high temperatures.

The recondensed leftover dab is reclaim. Lab testing on multiple samples of reclaim of different textures, consistencies and colors determined that dab reclaim can have between 30 to 60 percent THC levels. Reclaim contains a higher-than-normal level of cannabinol (CBN), which may cause feelings of drowsiness.

How to collect reclaim and clean a dab rig

Reclaim can start to build up quickly, especially for first-time dabbers because they aren’t as adept at heating the nail properly. Heating a dab nail too low can leave behind a puddle, but heating it too high can burn your dabs. Regular cleaning can ensure your dab rig hits perfectly and your dabs taste exquisite.

Collecting reclaim with a reclaim collector tool

A drop-down attachment or reclaim catcher allows you to move your nail further from your dab rig and collect reclaim as it falls through the downstem, respectively. To collect reclaim from these accessories, you can place your attachments on a silicone pad and carefully heat them with your blow torch to get the oils to drip down onto the pad for collection.

Collecting reclaim without a reclaim collector tool

If you don’t have a reclaim collector attachment, you can remove dab reclaim from your glass rig with high-proof alcohol, a hot plate, a razor blade, paper towels, and a Pyrex dish. Here’s a step-by-step guide to collecting your reclaim:

1. Fill your dab rig with enough alcohol to cover the reclaim-encrusted portions.
2. Cover the mouthpiece and glass joint with a piece of paper towel to ensure no water spills out.
3. Covering the mouthpiece and glass joint, shake the piece to dislodge the reclaim.
4. Run the rig under hot water, if needed, where the reclaim remains stuck.
5. Repeat shaking the solution until the reclaim is removed.
6. Pour the alcohol solution into a Pyrex dish.
7. Heat the dish on a hot plate at the lowest temperature possible. Do not heat your dish over an open flame because the evaporated alcohol is flammable.
8. After the liquid has evaporated, let your reclaim sit for a day to air dry.
9. Scrape the reclaim with a razor blade and use it as desired.

How to use reclaim

Reclaim that was collected using the alcohol solution is not suitable for consumption unless the solution has been purged. Reclaim can be used for dabbing, edibles, tinctures and topicals. Reclaim dabs won’t taste as flavorful as their original form, but still have plenty of cannabinoids. Reclaim is already decarboxylated, meaning you can add them into any cooking recipe to make weed-infused edibles.

Leftover reclaim in your dab rig can make your dabs taste harsher. Collecting your reclaim can give you something to dab on days when you’re running low on concentrates. Cleaning your dab rig from reclaim ensures your dabs are tasting flavorful and potent without any harsh-tasting smoke flavors.

Reclaim FAQ

Can you dab reclaim?

So can you smoke reclaim wax? You sure can! Reclaim can be collected and dabbed again, though you might notice that it makes you feel a little more drowsy. Test results of a variety of damples of reclaim showed that it still contains 30-60% THC, though it also shows lots of CBN. CBN is a result of degraded THC, and it tends to be more sedative than standard THC.

Can you smoke reclaim safely though? Yes. Don’t let the discoloration fool you, you still have plenty of potency to go off of when you smoke reclaim. If you’re out of fresh concentrates, it’s the economical choice and will do you in a pinch. Reclaim can even be used as a bowl topper with flower.

Can you make edibles from reclaim?

Can you eat reclaim? Yes! In fact, the lack of terpenes removed from the dabbing process makes reclaim better for edibles than other cocentrates since the taste is more easily masked by chocolate, fruit, or other edible ingredients. Edibles made with reclaim aren’t usually as potent, but they’re still tasty and can help you feel right in a pinch.

To make them, melt your reclaim over low heat with your favorite cooking oil for about 30 minutes. Then you can run it through a cheesecloth to remove any possible fine particles, and you’re ready to use it in your recipes.

How to get water out of reclaim

If you collected your reclaim from a water pipe, you may be wondering how to get the water out so you can use it. Luckily, there are two methods. The easiest one is to take your reclaim container and stick it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. After that time, just take it out and smack it on the counter. The water will separate from the wax, allowing you to pour it out and dab your reclaim.

You can also use the double boiler method, which involves laying your reclaim out on a silicone mat. You’ll lay the mat on a plate and allow the plate to rest over a pot with boiling water on the stove. The heat from the boiling water below will make the leftover water in your reclaim evaporate away, leaving you with dabbable reclaim.

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What do you do with your reclaim? Do you have a specific way of collecting reclaim? Let us know in the comment section below.