I find near-boiling water is more effective than the alcohol. I started with just blowing out the atty then the alcohol soak but found cleaning was enhanced with boiled water. And depending on how much flavoring sediment your juices have, you may need to clean as often as one atty per week.
I blow out the atty (take it off the battery and blow it out into a tissue). Then I put boiling water in a bowl deeper than the standing height of the atty. I use plastic tongs and scoop water through the atty, then tilt the atty up underwater to let out the air bubbles and let it soak for 20 min. Then I scoop water through it again. Then I shake and blow it out. Then I drop it on my jar of edible pure grain alcohol, tilting it to let all air bubbles out, and soak it overnight. You could use rubbing alcohol - just remember it is poison and make sure it dries totally after cleaning - then it is safe. Next day I scoop alcohol through it, then shake it out well and set it to dry. As a drying spot I use a clean margarine tub bottom with paper towel lining it. Then next time I need a clean atty, I take the atty and drip 3-4 drops of juice in it and let that soak down to the coil. Wait maybe 5 minutes. Then try vaping with it. if it needs more juice, add more and wait. But if you have auto batteries you have to be really careful not to leak juice onto the end of your battery. If you get too much juice in the atty, take it off the battery and blow it out.
BTW I highly recommend 510 manual batteries. They are totally sealed on the threaded end, safe from being damaged by juices leaks, and make it easier to get a good hit. I also highly recommend Boge 510 standard resistance cartomizers for your favorite thinner juices (slim ecigs can be damaged by using the otter LR cartos). Cartos are so much nicer than atomizer+cart and no atty to clean. I can get at least a week of good use out of each Boge carto if I use juices with 20% or less VG, particularly light colored juices that leave little or no carto-clogging (and atty-clogging) flavoring sediment. Cartomizers hold at least 2x as much as a cart, need juice added less often, will not dump their whole contents in your mouth - much better behaved and more consistent vape. there is a bit of a learning curve as you learn to fill them and especially learn to sense when they need juice so you don't singe them.
Since I use cartomizers for my favorite everyday juices and only use atomizers to test juices and occasionally vape one that is too thick for cartos, now I only have to clean an atty about once every 1-2 months.
How I fill Vapor4Life KR8 cartos and Boge 510 cartos
Pop out the soft cap with an unbent paperclip in the mouth hole, very careful not to catch stuffing or the wire loop.
Shake and open the eliquid
Hold a bit of tissue on the threaded end hole, tilt the carto, and add 18 drops per ml of capacity into the stuffing (Boges and most KR8 cartos are about 1ml).
Wait 15 seconds or so then see how many more drops the carto stuffing will soak in easily.
Clean up the threaded end, tilt open end down into tissue, puff into threaded end to clear air channel (Boges and the KR8 cartos I use have a defined center air channel and I want to see light through that)
Sop up any loose juice above the stuffing
Cap and let it settle - I lay it on different sides for 15-20 minutes to make sure every bit of stuffing gets damp so I won't singe the carto. if you use thicker juice than me (I use 20% Vg or less) then you may need to wait much longer.
While vaping, if the vapor gets a bit light or a bit dry or the carto is getting hotter than normal, I take the carto off the battery and add eliquid. I sometimes use a plastic or delrin drip tip as a mouthpiece on Boge and KR8 cartos (not to drip into since the juice would head for the central air channel)
