This is why i GENTLY wash my buds:
As you can see, lots of dirt, sand, and bug carcasses.
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When I grew outdoor I washed my plants and the trash on the top of the water sure convinces you.
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Even growing indoors, I’ve washed plants I sprayed during bloom, and the amount of fungus gnats (and somtiemes mites) plus dust I see clouding the water made me start washing buds I didn’t spray. Though I do a simple wash with just a hydrogen peroxide mix in one bucket, then plain water in the second bucket.
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Indoors, outdoors = every time!
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The bin only contained 1 1/2 branches and it’s easy to see how much crap was in there.
Here’s the technique that i use:
I use small clear plastic bins from COSTCO. The dimensions are 10”x16”x6” or 25cm x 40cm x 15cm. It holds approximately 2 gallons/8 liters of water.
I fill it with cold water and add a generous amount of dawn dish soap. Since dawn is gentle enough for baby ducks, it’s got to be gentle enough for my baby buds. 
I stir it with a spoon to mix it up, otherwise the dish soap will sit on the bottom. I dip the freshly cut branch into the soapy water to immobilize/kill the aphids, spider mites, etc and proceed to do a wet trim. Then i put the branch back into the water and do another branch, and repeat until the container has enough branches in it. I weigh the branches with heavy silverware and whatever else i have to keep them on the bottom. I do all of this outside, so that I won’t be bringing any critters inside my house. Then I bring the container of water/buds into my kitchen and let them soak for a long time so that every living bug becomes a dead bug. I usually let it soak for 45-60 minutes.
Then i gently swish/sway the buds one by one in the water and place them on a clean plate. Then i empty the bin, rinse it and fill it back up with cold water and place the buds back in one by one and gently swish and sway them. This first rinse will usually remove most of the remaining dirt/bugs. Then i empty the bin, rinse it out and fill it back up with cold water. I put the buds back in and weigh them down for another long soak…usually 20-30 minutes. I add 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide during the final ten minutes of this soak. H2O2 is an extremely powerful oxidizer and will attack any mold, mildew, bacteria, etc. You can watch for streams of bubbles that will alert you to potential bud rot and other problem areas, much like placing a tire under water to look for a leak. It will also loosen any debris that is still attached to the flowers. I’ll remove the branches one by one, gently swishing and swaying as i go and put them on a clean plate. I’ll rinse the bin, fill it with cold water and place the buds back in for a final soak for 10-15 minutes. By this point, hopefully there won’t be much debris on the bottom of the container. If there is, do another gentle swish and sway, and another rinse. The majority of the time, three rinses will be sufficient. Then i remove the buds and place them on a raised surface to allow water to drain off the buds. After they’ve had a chance to sit for a while, you can hang them up to dry or lay them flat on some paper towels to dry.
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Final notes:
I believe that freshly cut branches are still living and will behave like a living plant. As such, 99% of the pistils/trichomes will stay attached. You will probably lose some pistils/hairs and lose a few trichomes. But in my opinion, they probably would have fallen off while drying anyways. The wind and rain storms where i live has to be more damaging to the pistils/trichomes then a gentle wash in my kitchen.
This is my second year using this technique, and if there’s a loss of flavor or potency, I can’t tell the difference.
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I started doing this when my outdoor garden was affected by mildew. I was actually shocked to see what came down.
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I am all about the bud wash.
Question though
After soaking for a bit
And all the gunk has risen to the top
How do you get the branches and buds out without pulling out through the sludge on top?
I know a rinse is done after - but a special rag to collect the gunk floating at top?
What type of rag or cloth?
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Just swirl the water to dispel the top layer, like dip painting.
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Swirl thee water ? With a rag? Lol
Sorry
I did just get an idea to use a turkey baster to suck it up!
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Most of the debris sinks, but I suppose it’s inevitable that a small percentage will adhere to the plant on the way out. But most will get rinsed off with the next soak. That’s why i gently swish and sway the branch in the water to help remove debris that’s still on the plant. If there’s still debris on the plant, you’ll see some of it come off with the next rinse.
I use a healthy amount of soap on the initial wash, and I usually do at least three rinses to not only wash away the debris, but also to rinse away the dish soap. If every time i do a rinse cycle, 90% or more of the remaining soap and debris gets removed, then by the third rinse, less than one tenth of one percent of easily removable debris/soap will be left. I can live with that.
Also, keep in mind that some debris will still be attached to the buds when you’re done, especially if you’re lucky and the buds are extra sticky with resin. But the buds will be at least 99% cleaner than when you started.
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Sounds good !
Thanks for the elaborate explanation .
Ahhhh my mind at rest lol
My first time washing I did 3 bucket and a Rinse under spray tap.
I was mostly concerned with the first peroxide wash and pulling the branches through the dissolved PM and gunk that’s settles on the top.
But a good swish of the branches before pulling out for next bucket works.
If I really want I’ll try the turkey Baster.
But I think I’ll get em clean.
I find it also knocks off some smaller leafs too which helps reduce the amount of trimming !
I have to admit, the dawn soap is new to me!!!
Can’t knock it till I try it.
I go peroxide /water , then water, rinse
Or peroxide water, lemon juice Water , water rinse .and another one with baking soda And lemon juice ? I csnt remember that combination.(these are 3 seperate Wash combinations, I don’t do all three on one batch, I have Donne side by side though on same batch. Little difference aside Fromm extra citrus smell from lemon ;))
Thanks again,
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I used peroxide and water in a small bucket, and water in a large tub. In either case the dirt came off in both stages.
I’d argue it was a success. I don’t want to smoke any iridescent junk.
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@Calix I’ve read of people using lemon juice and baking soda and tried it myself last summer as well. I’m not really sure what function they served, so i stopped using those two. Soap acts as a surfactant, which helps loosen the dirt and other debris and also kills the aphids, spider mites and other bugs. The peroxide helps disinfect by killing mold, mildew, fungus, etc as well as helps carry debris to the surface.
The one bug that sometimes survives is caterpillars, specifically loopers. Occasionally, they survive. I don’t know how they can survive under water for soooo long, but occasionally they do. Maybe they have built in scuba tanks. 
I
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Agreed!
I’m suprised about the amount of people who don’t need know about or understand this.
I guess they think it will effect the product.
I am chopping tomorrow I think. . . The big branches at least.
Going to give them a good wash.
My only problem is I want to wet trim , but not wet wet trim! As it’s important to get the remnant water off of the buds immediately, 3-4 hours of direct fan …
So my option is to trim jus trim one plant wet, then wash and set up to dry…
Going to be difficult to time it all…
@PineTarBastard - I am also indoor so not too much bugs for me that I know of
any suggestions on my dilmemna please share.
I dont Have a spare dry tent.
So chop all three, wash and left with a dry trim,
Or chop all three, wash and wet trim as much as I can one day , and next day. ANd next?
Chop one at a time and wash , and use a temporary drying cabinet ?
I think I will just do one plant and wash , and trim as much as I can, should be able to do all the main branches ,
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Can you still smell and taste the bud once it’s dried and cured?
It doesn’t effect the taste as long as you do your part in drying it right. It’s not soaking long enough to dissolve really anything in from the still living plant. It’s a surface cleaning.
Lemon juice and baking soda combined in equal amounts makes a gentle surfactant, it’s an old school produce washing technique. When you mix the two, they neutralize each others pH creating sodium citrate and sodium malate. Sodium citrate is a common builder and sequestrant (catches ions, reducing bond strength) in laundry detergents.
Washed mine last fall for the first time because of some PM using 4 tubs/peroxide/baking soda and lemon/water/water. No issues whatsoever with taste, smell or looks of bud. Ran a fan indirectly for a few hours to dry them off a bit.
Washing for now on…lots of dirt and crap.
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I washed one time but only because I sprayed my plant with bleach 
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