Best Way to Clean Cartomizers

[deback]

I rinsed a couple of my cartos out in some hot water the other night and they work just fine. I haven't noticed any drop in performance at all. I'm not sure if it makes any difference that these are LR cartos being used on a mod or not, though.

I don't know about LR cartos or mods, since I don't use them, because the higher voltage gradually burns the inside of my mouth and chest. I do know for a fact that cartos can become degraded after cleaning, BUT I'm referring to cartos that have already been refilled several times. I've cleaned cartos that had only been filled once or twice, and they were okay after that, but cleaning cartos that have been refilled several times (and already on their way to being degraded normally due to having been refilled several times -- that is, they're getting old) generally doesn't work. The filler is just too old by that time for cleaning to do any good -- and I suspect the built-in atomizer slowly degrades with use. When a carto quits producing flavor, like it did when it was new and during the first couple-three weeks (refilling it about once each day), I'll discard it and grab a new one. (That's what I did when I used to use cartos all the time...)

My point is:

1. cleaning cartos (at or near the end of their normal life) won't make them like new again. It's best to throw them away and use new ones. It's sort of like washing old, worn-out t-shirts or underwear -- washing them won't make them like new again.

2. there's no reason to clean cartos during the first two to three weeks, if you're using the same juice and you refill each carto once each day.

 

[oldjoe]

I picked up one the syringe/cone kits at a Hy-Vee food store for $1.50 with a 15% discount. I tried it using 91% alcohol, giving it 5 flushes, and the carto was sparkling clean.

 

[ricks]

I am trying to clean a bunch of cartimizers. I tried refilling them with out cleaning and they tasted like crap. I hope after cleaning them, it will taste better. And I just cant see why people like to drip. It just seems like too much work. Vaping cartimizers is the easiest way I find.

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Everybody is going to have their own method. I like the convenience of cartomizers (I'm in the "dripping is too much hassle" camp) but I don't like how often I have to fill them. One of my regular cartomizers may hold .7 ml, but you can only use .5 ml of that, and that means I'm refilling several times a day. I got the XL cartos, but they have wicking problems. I finally settled on a MAP tank, and I'm going over to mod some XL cartos with a syringe mod - it's supposed to give the wick extra space, like the MAP tank - to see if that does any better. We'll see.

FWIW, I've cleaned most of my cartos at one time or another. They do get crudded up and the draw is difficult. I use the CE2 ceramic ones, take all the silicone rings out so it's open, soak it in grain alcohol (Everclear - it's pure alcohol) for a bit, drop them in my ultrasonic cleaner for a cycle, then let them dry overnight. They're clean as a whistle the next morning, and ready to use for 15-20 more fills. I haven't had an element burn out on me yet, so I don't know how long they'll last, but more than 5 weeks.

 

[player30]

I put my used cartos in 90% iso alcohol, and let them sit in it for about 20 minutes. Then I run them under hot water, blow them out and leave them to dry. It is not time consuming. I do this about 3 times before I throw them away.

 

[ErikaG]

I use the bulb syringe method and have had no trouble at all. If they are not performing as well then they didn't dry long enough. I leave mine for 48 hours to dry instead of 24. No drop in performance yet. If they are really gunked up, i boil them for a few minutes in a little bit of salt water. Good as new.

 

[deback]

I am trying to clean a bunch of cartimizers. I tried refilling them with out cleaning and they tasted like crap. I hope after cleaning them, it will taste better. And I just cant see why people like to drip. It just seems like too much work. Vaping cartimizers is the easiest way I find.

I felt the same way about dripping during my first 3½ months, when I used cartomizers most of the time. In the last two months, I haven't used any cartomizers and have only been dripping. The taste is so much better and cleaner, the draw is much easier without using any filler, and I'm no longer having to taste the yucky filler taste. And, to my surprise, I don't mind dripping at all. It's not a hassle, as I originally thought it would be. I usually have two or four PVs filled all the time and just rotate them. The last benefits are that I no longer have to buy cartomizers, don't have to keep track of rotating about 15 at a time, and it's much easier to rinse out atomizers.

 

[pjnextstep]

Gosh..... What to do these days...