Hey All,
I've noticed a lot of new vapers around here and I wanted to touch upon a subject that isn't often discussed...
This is a very important topic IMO and one of the best kept "secrets" to keeping any kit on the market performing at its best. I can't cover every single base for every single kit out there, there's just too many to keep track of these days but I will do my best to cover all the bases for eGo/Riva cleaning and Bloog/Volt kits (since I am most familiar with those kits and they are by far the most common).
Let's face it... vaping is messy! Not only do some models leak but any device out there builds up black gunk after months and months of dedicated use, let it be in the battery, atty or charger. e-liquid base itself is normally a sugar-alcohol (Propylene Gly/Col) or a glycerin sweetener (Like VG) and caramelizes when heated in a cartomizer or an atomizer. Luckily, there is no added glucose/fructose (sugar) to exacerbate the caramelization.
Most vapers out there will notice black flakes from cartos after they have been used for several days and the black gunk in the threads of your eGo batteries. This gunk has made me aware of the effect vaping has on the liquids we are using and explains why a LOT of people say they can smell Caramel in the air no matter what juice I am puffing on at the time.
That aside, the gunk has to be regularly cleaned out of your cartos, atties, chargers and batts because it can both hinder your device's performance (by preventing a clean electrical connection) and cause bacterial growth (resulting in a green residue that is unfit to vape).
NOTE: Before you all get a little freaked out and think vaping is secretly as bad as smoking, studies have shown only 8 parts per million (PPM) of carcinogens are found in the vapor from an E-Cig vs. the 1000's of PPM in traditional cigarettes. So no worries there
Tools You Will Need
- Kleenex (LOTS of it)
- Alcohol (Isopropyl or even Vodka will do, Vodka being my favourite)
- Q-Tips
- Fine Needles (the kind used for sewing and not syringe needles)
The eGo kit is a bit of a challenge to clean as the charger has many places for juice to sit in and go bad, as does the battery connector. I generally try to keep my batts and charger as dry as possible while charging by wiping the threading on both with a keenex. Get as deep as you can into the threading(s) by twisting the corner of a kleenex and using that to sop up as much juice as possible. I simply push it in firmly (yet gently enough not to move around the connector posts) and twisting the kleenex around a few times.
To get an even better clean, I will dip a Q-Tip in Vodka (or Isopropyl if you trust using it) and rub it around the connector(s) before using the kleenex to dry everything off. If your battery and charger are not properly maintained your batteries may not charge completely or at all due to the dreaded "gunk". Remember folks, these kits aren't cheap for us up here in Canadaland, so they should be treated with the care they deserve!
When the gunk has inevitably formed in my batts, I will use a fine needle to clean out the "hard to reach" places. Mostly around the center contact post in my batts and the recessed region of the charger. Take care not to jab needles in the threading or possibly damage the silicone seal in your batteries! This could cause severe damage to your kit and allow juice into places it should never be, so remember, gentle and precise is the key here.
Since this is a carto kit, it is much easier to keep clean. However, juice likes to get everywhere no matter what... so cleaning is still very much advised.
I suggest you use the exact same method as the eGo to clean the battery and charger but you should take a lot more care when Q-Tipping the battery connector, since any liquids getting into the air-hole of an automatic battery can and will short out the sound activated switch.
If you don't clean and re-use cartomizers, then you are pretty much good to go and can disregard the following, since you just throw out a carto once you feel it is done... But if you are a miser like myself and like to stretch things as far as they can possibly go then good boiling etiquette is advisable.
To save on this already long post becoming a novel, watch this great video on boiling your cartos;
Some people suggest baking your boiled & blown out cartos in the oven on the lowest setting possible, however I don't find it to be necessary so long as you have blown out your cartos well enough. To get even more water out of a carto I use the "Thermometer Whip" method but you can easily use a lanyard (Or a Crown Royal bag if you own one like me) to give the carto a Taryn Spin and blow out the carto again when finished.
The dryer the carto before the drying process, the less likely it will be for bacteria to grow inside (which causes a funny tasting vape and certainly is not healthy by any means to be inhaling).
Simply put, there is no proven effective method to properly clean an atty. Some (like myself) like to flush their atties once every week to a month (You should never clean an atty too much as it will hinder the longevity) with vodka and a needle-less syringe a few times, blow them out well and leave to dry for 24 hours, while others prefer to use sonic jewelry cleaners with vodka used as the cleaning solution.
The truth is both will work to a point and the aim is to prevent bacterial growth and clean them as much as possible. You can never truly get an atty clean-as-new (at least not so far in this age of vaping) but you will notice a minor improvement in the vapour production of a freshly cleaned atty and the flavour will pop again like it did when you first broke it in.
Well, that is pretty much all she wrote about properly cleaning and maintaining your e-cig kits. Most of this information can also be applied to mods like the Omega, Icon, Silver Bullet and etc but you may want to invest in polish or cape cod polishing cloths if you have a shiny finish on your PV.
Until next time
I've noticed a lot of new vapers around here and I wanted to touch upon a subject that isn't often discussed...
Keeping Your E-Cigs Clean
This is a very important topic IMO and one of the best kept "secrets" to keeping any kit on the market performing at its best. I can't cover every single base for every single kit out there, there's just too many to keep track of these days but I will do my best to cover all the bases for eGo/Riva cleaning and Bloog/Volt kits (since I am most familiar with those kits and they are by far the most common).
Let's face it... vaping is messy! Not only do some models leak but any device out there builds up black gunk after months and months of dedicated use, let it be in the battery, atty or charger. e-liquid base itself is normally a sugar-alcohol (Propylene Gly/Col) or a glycerin sweetener (Like VG) and caramelizes when heated in a cartomizer or an atomizer. Luckily, there is no added glucose/fructose (sugar) to exacerbate the caramelization.
Most vapers out there will notice black flakes from cartos after they have been used for several days and the black gunk in the threads of your eGo batteries. This gunk has made me aware of the effect vaping has on the liquids we are using and explains why a LOT of people say they can smell Caramel in the air no matter what juice I am puffing on at the time.
That aside, the gunk has to be regularly cleaned out of your cartos, atties, chargers and batts because it can both hinder your device's performance (by preventing a clean electrical connection) and cause bacterial growth (resulting in a green residue that is unfit to vape).
NOTE: Before you all get a little freaked out and think vaping is secretly as bad as smoking, studies have shown only 8 parts per million (PPM) of carcinogens are found in the vapor from an E-Cig vs. the 1000's of PPM in traditional cigarettes. So no worries there
Tools You Will Need
- Kleenex (LOTS of it)
- Alcohol (Isopropyl or even Vodka will do, Vodka being my favourite)
- Q-Tips
- Fine Needles (the kind used for sewing and not syringe needles)
eGo/Riva
The eGo kit is a bit of a challenge to clean as the charger has many places for juice to sit in and go bad, as does the battery connector. I generally try to keep my batts and charger as dry as possible while charging by wiping the threading on both with a keenex. Get as deep as you can into the threading(s) by twisting the corner of a kleenex and using that to sop up as much juice as possible. I simply push it in firmly (yet gently enough not to move around the connector posts) and twisting the kleenex around a few times.
To get an even better clean, I will dip a Q-Tip in Vodka (or Isopropyl if you trust using it) and rub it around the connector(s) before using the kleenex to dry everything off. If your battery and charger are not properly maintained your batteries may not charge completely or at all due to the dreaded "gunk". Remember folks, these kits aren't cheap for us up here in Canadaland, so they should be treated with the care they deserve!
When the gunk has inevitably formed in my batts, I will use a fine needle to clean out the "hard to reach" places. Mostly around the center contact post in my batts and the recessed region of the charger. Take care not to jab needles in the threading or possibly damage the silicone seal in your batteries! This could cause severe damage to your kit and allow juice into places it should never be, so remember, gentle and precise is the key here.
Bloog/Volt
Since this is a carto kit, it is much easier to keep clean. However, juice likes to get everywhere no matter what... so cleaning is still very much advised.
I suggest you use the exact same method as the eGo to clean the battery and charger but you should take a lot more care when Q-Tipping the battery connector, since any liquids getting into the air-hole of an automatic battery can and will short out the sound activated switch.
If you don't clean and re-use cartomizers, then you are pretty much good to go and can disregard the following, since you just throw out a carto once you feel it is done... But if you are a miser like myself and like to stretch things as far as they can possibly go then good boiling etiquette is advisable.
To save on this already long post becoming a novel, watch this great video on boiling your cartos;
Some people suggest baking your boiled & blown out cartos in the oven on the lowest setting possible, however I don't find it to be necessary so long as you have blown out your cartos well enough. To get even more water out of a carto I use the "Thermometer Whip" method but you can easily use a lanyard (Or a Crown Royal bag if you own one like me) to give the carto a Taryn Spin and blow out the carto again when finished.
The dryer the carto before the drying process, the less likely it will be for bacteria to grow inside (which causes a funny tasting vape and certainly is not healthy by any means to be inhaling).
Atomizers
Simply put, there is no proven effective method to properly clean an atty. Some (like myself) like to flush their atties once every week to a month (You should never clean an atty too much as it will hinder the longevity) with vodka and a needle-less syringe a few times, blow them out well and leave to dry for 24 hours, while others prefer to use sonic jewelry cleaners with vodka used as the cleaning solution.
The truth is both will work to a point and the aim is to prevent bacterial growth and clean them as much as possible. You can never truly get an atty clean-as-new (at least not so far in this age of vaping) but you will notice a minor improvement in the vapour production of a freshly cleaned atty and the flavour will pop again like it did when you first broke it in.
Well, that is pretty much all she wrote about properly cleaning and maintaining your e-cig kits. Most of this information can also be applied to mods like the Omega, Icon, Silver Bullet and etc but you may want to invest in polish or cape cod polishing cloths if you have a shiny finish on your PV.
Until next time
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