that's why I was mainly asking if it was ever tried with a bubble bag so everyone can see if solids are removed (fibers, trichomes etc). That would give a begining of proof that everyone can see and close the debate, if there is any debate. Please also note that I used to do some kind of washing too, eventhough only with selected water and in a "rain simulation" rather than a bath with cleaning products, but why not
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PS: washing with baking soda could be the best way to get rid of the calcar/tartar produced by humidifiers inside the room, and that would end up on buds even if the external air is perfectly filtered. You probably need to use both methods if you want a really clean (pure) weed.
My buddy and I used bubble bags for a personal experiment, convincing him to wash, so we didn't take any photos. We did Portion one, washed with bubble bags filtering falloff, Portion 2 harvested and hung to dry. Both portions had microscreens underneath them as they hung to dry.
Results: Washing resulted in dog/cat hair (he doesn't even own a dog or cat), Human hair (fine arm hair and courser beard/mustache/nose hair?) very few dead trichs, dirt, a few bugs he didn't know he had, some fuzz. Now as far as the drying, this was key, washing played a bigger role here. In his dry room their is a fan but not directly on the hanging plants so the plants slightly sway. From the time they were hung to taken down, the unwashed buds had more trichs fall off than the unwashed and they were pulled down 2 days sooner because they dried faster. The washed buds looked fuller when pulled down and had dried more evenly. It lost no additional trichs and nothing else fell off. The unwashed also had some dirt and particles on the screen which means the hair and bugs found in the washed, were probably still in the unwashed buds.
Smoke test: Smell was the same, I don't think the burning hair, dirt, and bugs was enough to be significant.
Taste: We both agreed the washed tasted better, possibly because the smoke was smoother and less harsh. I would compare it to smoking a bong with ice in it (washed) and without ice (unwashed).
Burn:No significant difference.
High: Same.
Curing: Washed buds were stickier and looked like they were paid for. The unwashed were still sticky but looked like they were grown under lesser conditions. The color was better on the washed buds and more sparkly.
Overall the washing makes a smoother smoked version of your grow. It's a little more effort but I think the payoff is worth it. If you put all that money into nutrients, light, environment, why go half ass at the finish. Even if the only significant reward is the smooth draw, I find it rewarding. It's like sitting on the beach smoking a Cuban rolled off a beautiful woman's thigh compared to a cuban put together by an old lady hacking her lungs out and wiping her mouth as she rolls it as you sit in a back alley. As far as drying, maybe that extra moisture from the wash gives the healthy trichs more longevity. I cannot confirm, I'm a pothead not a scientist Jim.
Again, no photos, I didn't think about it since all of my friends now wash. The proof is in the results. You've got nothing to lose but an extra 20 minutes and few extra days of drying. Colorado is so dry that I appreciate those extra days. I've found a slower even dry to have better results and easier to maintain the humidity through the cure. Even the guys at the Hydro stores I use thought I was nuts and now they wash too after I gave them samples. A few of my friends grow for dispensaries and started getting more money for washing. The dispensaries were not aware of the washing but they thought the product was superior over the unwashed.