Chillums need to be properly cleaned. You can clean a chillum by rubbing its inside with a cloth; however this method is not very effective in removing the bacteria deposited near the mouthpiece of the chillum. In order to avoid infection spreading from one smoker to another, chillums could be soaked in hot bleached water and then rinsed out in clean water. This helps in preventing infection from spreading from one user to another in cases where a chillum is shared.

Smokers who use wooden chillums are more prone to infections than those who use glass ones because the latter can be cleaned easily and are thus becoming quite popular among smokers the world over.