How to clean your Vape
Keeping your vape clean is a simple yet essential piece of maintenance every vaper should be carrying out regularly. Not only does it ensure your vape is looking it’s best and ensure that it is clean and hygienic every time you puff on it, it may also prolong the life of your device. With the pandemic shedding a spotlight on our general hygiene routine, it only makes sense that we should take cleaning our vapes seriously…it does go in your mouth after all!
What you’ll need;
- Paper towel/kitchen roll/tissue
- Clean water (preferably warm)
Optional
- Washing up liquid
- Antibacterial cleaner
- Cotton buds
- Alcohol
We’ve split up all the various components of different types of vapes so you can easily see how to clean each of them. Just find the sections that relate to your device and you're good to go!
Cleaning a Vape Tank
The vape tank is the part which holds your e-liquid and is also the part that you put in your mouth, so it has the potential to get the dirtiest and attract the most germs. This makes it the most important part of your vape to keep clean. Thankfully it’s really easy to clean and can be done in less than 60 seconds.
The best time to give your tank a thorough clean is when you’re about to change the coil.
- Unscrew all the sections of your tank; mouthpiece/drip tip, coil, glass section, bottom section and top section. Make sure you don’t lose any rubber o-rings from the top or bottom sections.
- You can rinse everything under a warm tap or soak all the components in a bowl of warm water with a little washing up liquid.
- Make sure you’ve removed any bubbles and thoroughly dry all the components with some paper towel or kitchen roll.
- Screw everything back together, prime your coil and refill with e-liquid.
- Hey presto – you’re done!
If you’ve been using a particularly strong flavoured e-liquid, such as a menthol, and want to remove the flavouring entirely so as not to taint the flavour of a different e-liquid, you can soak the components in rubbing alcohol (use gloves!) or a spirit such as cheap vodka.
Cleaning a Vape Pod
Vape pods are incredibly easy to clean and the process should only take a few seconds. The methods for cleaning will depend on which type of pod you have, so let’s take a look at both.
Vape pods with a built-in coil
If your vape pod has a built in coil (i.e. the coil cannot be replaced) you won’t be able to clean the whole pod, especially the inside where the e-liquid is held. Maintaining this type of pod will just require keeping the mouthpiece clean and keeping the section of the pod with magnets free from e-liquid. Simply wipe the pod with some kitchen roll, you can even use a touch of washing up liquid or antibacterial cleaner to keep those germs at bay.
Vape pods with replaceable coils
The best time to clean this type of pod is when you are changing the coil and we’d recommend a thorough clean every time you do replace the coil.
It’s a quick and easy process and we’ve broken it into a few simple steps for you.
- Remove the coil – best to do this over a sink as any liquid in the pod at this point will start to come out
- Rinse the pod in warm water to remove any dirt and the remains of any e-liquid in the pod. You can use a touch of washing up liquid but make sure all the bubbles are gone before moving on to the next step
- Take some kitchen roll and dry the pod
- Flick the pod to remove any water from inside the pod. This is best done over a sink or outside. You want to get rid of all the water inside the pod as if any remains it will affect your e-liquid
- And just like that, you’re done. All that’s left to do is prime your coil and refill your pod.
Cleaning a Vape Kit
As with any piece of equipment you use every day, you’ll want to keep your vape kit clean and hygienic. Once you’ve cleaned the section that holds the e-liquid it’s time to move on to the main body of the device. You can clean this in much the same way you’d clean your mobile phone or TV remote control.
We’d recommend a small spray of antibacterial cleaner on a cloth or piece of kitchen roll and then simply wipe the whole device down and then dry it. This will keep your vape kit both looking great and fresh as well as ensuring it’s clean and hygienic.
Cleaning a Pod Kit
The outside of your pod kit can be cleaned in much the same way as a regular vape kit, with the exception of the recessed section that holds the pod. Occasionally this section can have some excess e-liquid inside and it’s important to get this cleared up as soon as possible to ensure it doesn’t ultimately damage your device. Take some paper towel or kitchen roll and mop up any e-liquid inside this pod section. For very fine cleaning you can use a cotton bud to soak up the final drops around any of the small components inside this section.
Cleaning a 510 Connection
510 is the name of the thread that the vast majority, if not all, vapes use to screw the tank to the battery device. It is important to keep the female 510 thread on your battery section clean and free from e-liquid. Not only is it not good to have e-liquid dripping into the battery, having a build up of gunk, dust and other particles inside the 510 can create issues with the connection between the tank and battery or even lead to short circuit of the device. Thankfully it’s super easy to keep clean!
Simply take a piece of kitchen roll or a cotton bud and clean out any e-liquid or debris inside the 510 recess. Repeat the process until the connection is as clean as a whistle!
Cleaning a Drip Tip
If your vape device has removeable drip tips it’s good practise to regularly clean them as this is the part that goes in your mouth and is the most likely part to pick up dirt, debris and germs. A quick rinse under a warm tap should have it looking like new in no time. If it’s particularly dirty or you want a more thorough deep clean, drip tips can be soaked in warm water with a little washing up liquid. Make sure to wash off any bubbles and thoroughly dry the drip tip before re-inserting it in your vape tank.
Cleaning a Disposable Vape
Disposable vapes won’t need much cleaning as you’ll most likely only have them for a few days at best, but it is still a good idea to keep them clean and hygienic. The most likely part that will need a clean is inside the mouthpiece which can often attract dust or debris from your pocket or bag. A quick wipe with a tissue will do the job and clear away that pocket fluff. You may also consider giving the whole device a wipe down with a touch of antibacterial spray if it’s looking grubby or you have dropped it on the floor.
Cleaning a Rebuildable Coil
This section is for rebuildable coils only and not for regular pre-made coils which the majority of vapers use.
Cleaning a rebuildable is easy, quick and helps to get much longer out of your coil. Once the flavour starts to diminish empty the liquid from your tank and disassemble the rebuildable to reveal your coil and wicking material. Take the cotton out and throw away and attach the rebuildable to your device and activate the fire button until the coil is glowing. Continue to pulse the coil, allowing it to cool a little and firing again. Take your ceramic tweezers and gently strum the coil to get rid of any build up until you can see the orange glow clearly without any of the build-up still showing. Now make sure your coil is lined up again and add some new cotton, a drop of liquid and you’re ready to vape again. The flavour may taste a little funky for a few vapes but this will soon go and the flavour will be back to new again in no time. We find this works best with larger coils such as Claptons or Aliens but it will also work fine on standard round wire coils too.