What Is Dab Reclaim & How Do You Use It?

Dabbed your way through your favorite concentrate and wondering what to do with the leftovers sitting in your rig?

Yup. Collecting your dab reclaim is a thing and you’re going to be glad you’ve stopped wasting it after reading our tips below.

What is Reclaim?

Dab reclaim is the cold, solid substance that remains from the hot, oily liquid produced by the dabbing process.

It is basically the sticky residue from the re-condensed cannabis concentrates left behind after a dab session. It characteristically collects in the water that was used and also coats the base and walls of your dab rig.

While it may sound like an unappealing cannabis byproduct created by the dabbing process, reclaim still contains a bevy of therapeutic cannabinoids that can be dabbed again, thus allowing you to glean the most out of your concentrate.

Is Reclaim Decarbed?

Reclaim has already been decarboxylated during the initial dabbing session, meaning that it can be readily incorporated into virtually any recipe that will be used to make cannabis-infused edibles. Yup. You can even eat dabs that are reclaimed!

Reclaim can also be used for re-dabbing, as well as making tinctures and topicals. You can smoke dab reclaim. While it will not be as flavorful as the original concentrate, it will still have plenty of usable cannabinoids.

How to collect reclaim

The first method for collecting dab reclaims is to simply pour the water out of your rig and then carefully pick out the small, goldish-hued clumps therein.

In most cases, this will generally yield less than the amount that remains stuck inside the inner walls of your dabbing device.

As a result, it is often necessary to resort to the second method to collect all of the dab rig reclaim that is available from its original form.

This is accomplished by using a torch to melt it off of your rig and allowing it to collect and dry on a piece of wax paper. 

Remove the nail from your rig and hold the connector/dropdown over the paper, then use your torch to liquefy the reclaim to allow it to drip down and collect on the wax paper. The paper will allow the reclaim to re-solidify after it has cooled sufficiently.

 It is important to remember not to overheat the reclaim because doing so will drastically reduce the quality and potency of the cannabinoids that you have just re-collected.

How to get reclaim out of a glass nectar collector

In order to salvage the dab reclaims that have accumulated on your glass nectar collector, you must first cover the mouthpiece and glass joint with a piece of paper towel to ensure that no water spills out during the process.

Cover the mouthpiece and glass joint and then shake the piece gently in order to dislodge the reclaim. If necessary, run your glass rig or water pipe under hot water in the specific areas where the reclaim remains stuck.

As an alternate method, you can also effectively clean your glass nectar collector by soaking your entire kit in either isopropyl or grain alcohol, cleaning it with a cotton swab, soaking the unit in moderately hot water, and then letting it dry thoroughly before your next dab session.

How to get reclaim out of a silicone nectar collector

When re-harvesting reclaim from a silicone nectar collector, simply fill your dab rig with enough isopropyl alcohol to cover the portions that have become encrusted. Then cover the mouthpiece and glass joint with a piece of paper towel to make sure that no water escapes.

Finally, cover the mouthpiece and glass joint and gently shake the piece of any remaining reclaim.

As an alternate technique, you also can salvage your reclaim out of your silicone collector by reheating the unit gently using a torch and then allowing the liquified reclaim to drip onto a piece of wax paper or paper towel, waiting for it to cool, and then re-apply it to your dab container to use as you normally would with fresh concentrates.

Collecting reclaim with a reclaim collector tool

Many of the more sophisticated dab rigs these days are also equipped with a reclaim catcher. This beneficial tool not only helps to keep your oil dab rig cleaner, but also allows you to collect the leftover reclaim more easily.

Any remaining cannabis concentrates that have not been consumed are collected from your drop-down in a neat little receptacle, and those precious little drops of reclaimed dabs that haven’t been consumed can be used later.

You will also notice that having a kit with a reclaim collecting tool will allow you to spend less time regularly cleaning your entire piece as frequently as you would without one.

Simply place your dab tool on a silicone mat and then carefully heat it with a butane blow torch in order to get the reclaim to liquefy. The oil will drip down onto the silicone pad to cool and re-solidify for easy collection.

Reclaim FAQ

How much THC is in reclaim?

The THC content of any given sample of reclaim is dependent upon the original potency of the concentrate that was dabbed, as well as the technique that was used to collect it.

Nonetheless, verified data from a cannabis testing lab indicates that the maximum THC contained in any of the samples of reclaim that were submitted for examination was approximately 58.5%, which equates to 585 milligrams of THC for every gram of reclaim. 

As a result, gathering dab reclaim from your dab rig is a potent way to get you high.

Is reclaim wax stronger?

The fact that reclaim is a byproduct that is produced from dabbing virgin wax concentrates or hash oil lets you know that smoking reclaim will logically be less potent than the concentrated form of the original product that produced it.

Most concentrates have a THC content hovering between 70% and 90%. As a result, the reclaim that is yielded after the initial consumption of a virgin product will still contain a viable amount of THC, which is generally up to 58%.

Can you dab reclaim?

One of the big bonuses of collecting reclaim for later use from your dab rig is that you don’t need to do anything different to re-dab it than when it was the original dab. Dab reclaim is still potent enough to get you high.

To smoke reclaim, simply scoop the desired amount of reclaim from the receptacle in which it is contained, fill your dab rig with enough water to cover the diffuser, and then torch the nail until it is red hot.

After allowing the nail to cool for approximately 30 seconds, apply a dab of reclaim, take a hit, and then sit back and enjoy the euphoric benefits to come.

 Can you make edibles from reclaim?

Unlike raw cannabis, dab reclaim has already been decarboxylated. This means that you can use your dab reclaim to consume in edibles while benefiting from a longer lasting high than if the reclaimed product was smoked or vaped.

It should be mentioned that, unlike the initial product, the flavor profile that reclaim introduces to edibles is far from tasty. For this reason, some individuals prefer to spike a cup of coffee or hot chocolate with dab reclaim rather than bake it into a recipe.

However, despite the flavor issue, consuming edibles that were made with reclaim is a great way to get stoned from every last drop of the concentrates you purchase.

How to use reclaim for edibles

In order to make edibles using your dabbing reclaim, simply melt it over low heat on your stove with a small amount of butter or your favorite cooking oil for about 30 minutes. 

You can then run it through a piece of cheesecloth in order to remove any fine particles that might still be present. The oil-infused reclaim is then ready to be incorporated into the recipe of your choice.