Cotton question

[jayyco]

whats with all the boiling??? what could be in the cotton that requires it to be boiled for 15 minutes and who came up with that time limit? Why wouldnt 12 minutes work, maybe 15 is too short and it should be boiled for 45 minutes. It seems to me that by boiling cotton you reduce the water in the pot and increase the chemicals that are in the water percentage wise per volume of water, plus what ever you are trying to get out of the cotton is still on the cotton since its sitting in that water. And if you rinse it, arent you just running the same type of water thru it as what you boiled in in minus "whatever was in the cotton"? As far as hydrogen peroxide, it is safe, you use it on cuts etc. Besides it turns into oxygen and water when it breaks down... yes it breaks down into O2 and H2O. Thats why hydrogen peroxide is stored in brown bottles, so it wont break down while being stored.

Not only that, but who knows what could be growing in the Cotton when you leave it to dry.

 

[fogging_katrider]

Lay it out on a clean glass baking dish and put it in the oven on 250 for about a half hour. dries it out nicely and if your oven is dirty it may add a nice touch of pepperoni to your vapes...

Seriously though, boiling can help remove that "t shirt" flavor some cotton balls have from the bleaching process and some I've read said it swells up the fibers and makes it wick better. I'm not so convinced about the swelling part, but I know it made cheap cotton balls taste better.

Now I use the sterile rolled cotton from cvs in the bandage section near the band aids and gause and I also use lily brand sugars and cream 4 ply cotton yarn that my wife has had for ages passed down from her grandmothers tatting and crocheting gear. Its the same as the wally world peaches and cream and yes I do boil the crap out of it to remove the sizing and whatever else might be in it. Pull off one strand and thread 3 strands through my 1.4mm id micro coiled kanger heads. The cvs sterile cotton for drippers works just fine without any boiling. I think the sterile bandaging cotton is free of any nasty bunk whereas the plain jane cotton balls for womens nail polish removing etc isnt processed with sterility or wound application in mind, though some may be...mongo not know.

It always takes a few vapes though, for the "hints of cotton" taste to disappear and the flavor to break into full-on greatness.

 

[eMats]

I'd rather boil eggs if I'm gonna be timing my water. Get the sterile cotton and be good with it. Boiling your sterile cotton to inhale nicotine is like polishing your rims on a rusted out old 4 door Dodge Dart.

 

[eMats]

I just don't get the whole boiling thing. They boil it, dry it out overnight with all that dust and foreign debris in the air, roll it with the hands that they just picked their noses and scratched their buttocks with and call it clean. IDK, just seems like a waste of time. I mean it's not like these people wear surgical gloves to implement it into their system - then they inhale the poison made by who knows what these guys do with it or to it beforehand but we're gonna give them credit cuz WE JUST DON'T KNOW.

 

[Mark Anthony]

I use organic cotton from Walgreen's on all my builds and never boil it.... First few hits will give you a cotton taste but after that it gets so much better.

 

[downInTn]

I had some medical bandage type cotton, the kind that comes in a big role, that was left over from an accident about ten years ago. It had a strong taste, like a laundry mat smells. After boiling the taste is gone. YMMV

 

[Hypatia]

AFAIK, the only cotton that needs to be boiled is the cotton yarn to remove sizing.

Yes, that is correct. Cotton yarn and woven fabrics typically have additional chemicals (that "stiff" feeling) sprayed on them (even some "organic" ones). While (YMMV) sizing won't kill ya, it does reduce the absorbancy of cotton. Boiling yarn preps it to do the best job it can at wicking. Same reason a "brand spanking" new, unwashed kitchen towel won't dry dishes very well.

ETA: In fairness, I detest any extra time spent in the kitchen that emulates cooking. So I do not boil cotton balls. Certainly those that do choose to boil are cool with me. I believe there can be flavor improvement for those that taste 'wet socks' otherwise. Not knocking anyone, truly. Just that there's many ways to do things right. Cheers!

 

[yorkiegirl]

If bleached cotton posed any health risk for people, the medical industry would not use it on OPEN WOUNDS.

Just because something is ok to use in open wounds does not mean it's ok for inhalation into the lungs. I'm a nurse and I'm just getting started in rebuilds and I plan on using Organic cotton and personally I will boil mine. I want to be as safe as can be. No need to trade one harmful habit for another. It has nothing to do with the taste it's about removing anything potentially harmful for the lungs that the cotton could have come in contact with while being manufactured.

 

[Bunnykiller]

I wonder what processes the filter on a ciggie went thru before being wrapped into the ciggie... its synthetic to start with, no telling what kind of chemicals were used to make it... and how long did ya smoke ciggies???

 

[ScottP]

Just because something is ok to use in open wounds does not mean it's ok for inhalation into the lungs. I'm a nurse and I'm just getting started in rebuilds and I plan on using Organic cotton and personally I will boil mine. I want to be as safe as can be. No need to trade one harmful habit for another. It has nothing to do with the taste it's about removing anything potentially harmful for the lungs that the cotton could have come in contact with while being manufactured.

You are right they are not the same. Using it in an open wound would get any contaminates into your blood system MUCH faster than inhalation.

 

[yorkiegirl]

You are right they are not the same. Using it in an open wound would get any contaminates into your blood system MUCH faster than inhalation.

Using a chemicals on cuts in small amounts and not everyday is not the same as everyday inhalation exposure. The exposure of inhaling a chemical everyday is much more toxic than rubbing a chemical in small amounts on a cut for a few days. Everything that the FDA regulates is not good for us. That's why there are so many commercials for class action law suits on television. The reason I stopped smoking was to become a healthier person to be around to see both my children and grandchildren grow up. This isn't an argument. It's your body. You do what you see fit with it. I was just pointing out that everything that we put on wounds is not good for daily inhalation.

 

[yorkiegirl]

I wonder what processes the filter on a ciggie went thru before being wrapped into the ciggie... its synthetic to start with, no telling what kind of chemicals were used to make it... and how long did ya smoke ciggies???

Exactly and we all know cigarettes have very unhealthy benefits. How long I smoked is not in question. It's what I'm doing to create a healthier lifestyle for myself that's in question. I'm not saying either way is wrong. Everyone needs to do what they see fit for themselves. The question was asked why boil and I gave an opinion.

 

[badanden]

If you're concerned about your cotton balls containing contaminates, buy your cotton in the pharmacy/first-aid section of the store, not the ones used for cosmetics. This cotton is already sterilized, so there's no need for boiling.