Note for Belle

[Defiantgroundhog]

I sent this to her in a PM then I realized I should put it out here too. For all to see

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I've read your cleaning method a few times now but haven't tried it being as I don't have a syringe. Anyhow my last cleaning spree didn't work out too well for me. I usually run them under water blowing them out repeatedly then using a paper towel pushed down the mouth side to dry the top... then this last time I tried using my spray thing on the sink thinking that would clean them better.

Anyway today I put them in a bowl of "just off" boiling water.. swished them around and used a rubber glove to hold one while I pulled water through them with a large medicine dropper. Still had one around from when my son was younger. So sucked water through several times then blew them out.

Here's the deal.. my original method worked fairly well but I tend to be a little obsessive myself so I would be rinsing and blowing them out over and over and over again. I even popped my ears a couple times from it..lol..

This way worked out way easier and way better. I think the sucking out of the water works better because I was smashing the batting down before and this way keeps it nice and fluffy. They dry a lot faster and more complete because the water is so hot and the batting isn't smashed down holding it in.

In the end they held more liquid.. not much but more none the less .. the big thing though is they hold their flavor a lot longer. My other refills would get pretty bland halfway through. Not these! So nice!!

Smashing batting bad... boiling water good

Thanks for the tips.. I think I was wasting juice because I would start over when the flavor was gone. So you've not only saved me time and energy but money as well

 

[Taryn]

Nice tip DGH! I'll be trying that next time for sure.

 

[Belletrist]

yeah, it 'sounds like' more work, but if you do them in batches like i do, it's really not--and probably wastes less water than the under-tap method, for those that are interested in that. i'm just glad it's helped you out darlin!

 

[Tasselhoff]

The old turkey baster works great for this and you can use it to blow most of the water back out of the carts. No burnt lips this way.!!!

 

[Belletrist]

tasselhoff--that's a great idea! i think i will give that a shot next time round.

 

[callofthevapor]

Smashing batting bad... boiling water good

Me like when people write in ways Me understand

 

[antithesis]

rinsing them out smashes the batting?
(i swear, i must be getting V4L stupid these days, because my batting always looks ok?)

 

[antithesis]

about how long do you keep them in the water for? are you using the medicine dropper from the mouth piece end? i'm severely misfiring in the brain these days, there's reasons why. sorry to ask such stupid questions.

 

[Ken Mcp]

Thanks for the info !

 

[timothy]

the taryn method works for drying too just do it backwards from filling method gets out 95 % of water with out smashing the batting at all, all the ones i have cleaned look good. and if you want them really dry let them sit over night. or is this where im making my mistake

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

rinsing them out smashes the batting?
(i swear, i must be getting V4L stupid these days, because my batting always looks ok?)

That's the thing I wouldn't think it was a significant amount and it didn't look like it was smashed to me. Though with all the water running down towards the battery like that and all the pressure from the air I was forcing through it. I guess it was. Well and the paper towel down the end didn't help either. I just know when I sucked the water through the other way it looked a lot fluffier to me
When I blew the water out two good blows and it was dry ... where as running them under the faucet it was taking multiple blows. Way more water came out too. I think this is cause the batting is looser. Meh it's a theory I guess.

The hotter the water the faster it drys... Something my mother taught me when I was just a little girl

 

[antithesis]

okay, so are you sucking the water out through the mouthpiece end, then? i'm trying to picture this because i might give it a try tonight with the medicine dropper i found.. i can't afford to keep buying new carts, and after just one refill, my carts just don't taste as good anymore, and bleh. lol.

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

Yeah the mouth end.... hold it at a slight angle so it's still in the water... and suck water up through it a few times. As far as how long to leave them in... not very long. You want the water to still be really hot when you're pulling the water through. Belle squirts the water in a separate container and if you use menthol (which from what I can remember you do) I would recommend you do the same.... So you might need to pour more water in as you go.

Boy this is starting to sound really complicated!!! It's not I swear!

Good Luck!!! You'll be Great!!! lol

 

[antithesis]

okay, i will give this a whirl. i do use menthol mostly, and am debating just totally rinsing out my pre-bought VG menthol carts cause i can't stand the VG. i think i mostly get it now, hahaha! i don't mean to be so dumb. thank you guys!

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

Yeah I did that with my RY4 carts... BLECH!!!! Rinsed and put to good use. I would like to do it with my green tea carts but that flavor is the devil I swear!!! Can't get rid of it. I should put them up in the swap thread I guess.

 

[Belletrist]

yeah, i just spray the 'dirty' water right in the sink as i go, and top off with a pot of hot water from the stove or my electric kettle. i swear, it gets even the menth carts clean as a whistle!

 

[antithesis]

then again, mixing cherry over a menthol leftover flavor actually is good!