Um I want to make it clear I clean them! Sometimes I don't even use thm though. I was using some mega xxll clear cartos and noticed they had a nasty taste sometimes- it is the rubber tips so I just take them off.same with the stainless with the plastictipped ones it taintsthe flavor like plastic My metal ones make me nervous cuz thy clink on my teeth sometimes. I had a delrin tip melt so I don't use them anymore that's why I switched to metal