After smoking, take a break

After smoking, allow your pipe to cool and rest for 1-2 days. Let your pipe rest in a well ventilated place so that it can dry out (a closed pouch is not suitable, but a pipe stand would be fine).

Do not remove the mouthpiece while the bowl and mouthpiece are still warm; otherwise, both pieces can warp as they cool. Although this is relatively simple to fix, proper fit may be impaired in the long term.
Leave the ash and the tobacco remnants in the pipe for a while as these will absorb moisture like a sponge. Cleaning should only be carried out after (complete) cooling.

Do not leave your pipe unattended outside, and never leave a pipe out in the rain.
At first, you may own just one pipe. Although you can smoke a pipe several times a day without causing any damage, this does not do the pipe any good in the long run. In fact, we would advise newcomers against this: since most beginners unintentionally smoke tobacco that is too moist, the pipe needs time to recover. If you enjoy the meditative aspect of pipe smoking, we would recommend acquiring a second pipe: a small pipe collection makes the everyday life of a pipe smoker much easier.