Backflow Incense Burner Instructions

Burning Incense:

1. Light the tip of the backflow incense cone (opposite side of the hole) until it starts producing smoke. If there's a flame, gently blow it out.
2. Place the incense cone (with the burning tip pointing up) at the top of the incense burner. Some burners require you to place the incense cone in a different spot, but in general, because of the backflow effect, most burners will require you to place the cone near the top.
3. Wait a couple minutes until the incense cone starts producing the backflow 'waterfall' effect. As the incense starts burning toward the thicker parts of the cone, it'll start producing a thicker amount of smoke.

Tips:

• Make sure there's no draft in the room. Meaning, don't burn the backflow incense cones near fans or vents, under windy conditions, or anywhere else where it may cause a disruption in the flow of the smoke.
• Light the incense cone in a well-ventilated room. Otherwise, you may experience slight dizziness or lightheadedness.
• Don't 'ash' the incense cone. In other words, make sure that the ash on top of the cone stays in place. Without the ash in tact, the smoke will start flowing out of the top of the incense cone and will stop producing the backflow effect.
• Keep the burner away from flammable objects while in use.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding how to use your backflow incense burner, please contact us using the form on our contact page!

Cleaning Your Burner:

Basic Cleaning / Maintenance:

You should clean your incense burner at least once a day, once a week, or depending on how often you use it (the more you use it, the more often you should clean it — we personally like to clean ours after every use). Otherwise, the burner may build up residue or stains that will require even more thorough cleaning to get rid of.

For basic cleaning / maintenance:

1. Run warm or hot water through the incense burner (in a sink), or fill a bowl (large enough to fit the incense burner) with warm / hot water and submerge the incense burner in the water.
2. After a few minutes, take the burner out, and wipe down any areas that have excess residue using a sponge.
3. Do a final rinse of warm or hot water.
4. Let the incense burner air dry.

If, however, this basic cleaning doesn't get rid of all the excess residue or stains that may have accumulated on the incense burner, then please follow the "Thorough Cleaning" instructions below.

Thorough Cleaning:

Sometimes your incense burner may have a buildup of residue or stains that can't be eliminated with a simple cleaning routine. In these cases, a more thorough cleaning is required.

Method #1:

1. Fill a bowl (large enough to submerge the incense burner in) with warm or hot water.
2. Add a liberal amount of liquid dishwashing soap into the bowl and mix / lather it.
3. Submerge the incense burner in the bowl for around 30 min - 1 hour, or until you start seeing the ash seeping.
4. Take the incense burner out of the bowl and let it air dry (some stains are harder to see when the burner is wet).
5. If there is any leftover residue or stains (especially in the hard-to-reach areas), dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and go to town. Or, grab a pair of tweezers and a cotton ball, dip the cotton ball in isopropyl alcohol, and then use the tweezers + cotton ball to clean these specific areas.

Method #2:

1. Fill a big Ziploc bag (one that the incense burner will fit in) with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Place the incense burner in the bag, close the Ziploc bag, and shake the bag for around 5 - 10 minutes (you'll also get a good arm workout!).
3. Take the incense burner out of the bag and let the incense burner air dry (some stains are harder to see when the burner is wet).
4. If there is any leftover residue or stains (especially in the hard-to-reach areas), dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and go to town. Or, grab a pair of tweezers and a cotton ball, dip the cotton ball in isopropyl alcohol, and then use the tweezers + cotton ball to clean these specific areas.

If after using these methods, you STILL have residue or stains left over on your incense burner, please contact us (using the form on our contact page) and we'll come up with a personalized cleaning method for you. Alternatively, we may also instead just ship you a replacement incense burner if we deem the residue or stains too hard to clean.