Ditto, for sure. IMHO this is a precious discovery for us DIY mixers.We've added it to our shopping list for next week
Sterilising tools
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I won't only be using it for DIY kit, but just generally for washing carts with.
seriously?
what exactly are you trying to do that you need this so clean?
i think it's a bit of overkill, personally, unless you're using your syringes to extract nic juice, and then inject insulin in your own body or something.
most people don't go much past rinsing their tools off in hot water.
what exactly are you trying to do that you need this so clean?
i think it's a bit of overkill, personally, unless you're using your syringes to extract nic juice, and then inject insulin in your own body or something.
most people don't go much past rinsing their tools off in hot water.
Hot water is all I have been using, but it has crossed my mind several times about the possible build up of bacteria - especially in the carts - over time.
It's not enough of a worry that I could be bothered to go to lengthy or expensive extremes, but for £2-£3 for a litre bottle of milton liquid that will probably last ages (months), and the only effort involved is popping a capful of the liquid in the water, it's something I will bother with.
It's not enough of a worry that I could be bothered to go to lengthy or expensive extremes, but for £2-£3 for a litre bottle of milton liquid that will probably last ages (months), and the only effort involved is popping a capful of the liquid in the water, it's something I will bother with.
We inhale this stuff, it bypasses a lot of our body's protections against bacteria and goes straight into the blood stream. I wash my hands with antibacterial soap before I create a mix. I have a 500ml bottle of VG that's going to last about 6 months, that's a long time for bacteria to grow if I contaminate it. I prefer that what I'm inhaling is as clean as possible.
Others may not understand my opinion on this, even my husband doesn't seem to, but as I said earlier, better safe than sorry.
Another reason I'm more concerned with this batch is that I'm not sure VG has the antibacterial properties that PG has.
Others may not understand my opinion on this, even my husband doesn't seem to, but as I said earlier, better safe than sorry.
Another reason I'm more concerned with this batch is that I'm not sure VG has the antibacterial properties that PG has.
I think that reading and replying to a thread simply to say something critical is overkill. But you do that often, so I deal with it. I can say that it will be easier from now on.
.
Scottes,
Here's the perspective on this you asked for...
The first step to the sterilizing process is soap and water. Get the surfaces clean and free of any residue. It does no good to use a sanitizing solution if you've left crud on your surfaces. This step is where I would stop. Soap & water clean is good enough, IMO.
The next step is the sanitizing.
When looking at bleach, remember the "10 drop per gallon" etc rules are intended for the sanitization of water, not hard surfaced utensils immersed in the sanitized water. To sterilize utensils, a few seconds in 5% bleach is sufficient. Then rinse well with tap water. If you're concerned about the tap water re-contaminating the equipment, you should stop everything and do a Google search for "OCD Treatment & Counseling".
The baby bottle sanitizer looks good too.
Here's the perspective on this you asked for...
The first step to the sterilizing process is soap and water. Get the surfaces clean and free of any residue. It does no good to use a sanitizing solution if you've left crud on your surfaces. This step is where I would stop. Soap & water clean is good enough, IMO.
The next step is the sanitizing.
When looking at bleach, remember the "10 drop per gallon" etc rules are intended for the sanitization of water, not hard surfaced utensils immersed in the sanitized water. To sterilize utensils, a few seconds in 5% bleach is sufficient. Then rinse well with tap water. If you're concerned about the tap water re-contaminating the equipment, you should stop everything and do a Google search for "OCD Treatment & Counseling".
The baby bottle sanitizer looks good too.
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Thanks DVap.
My thoughts on distilled water rinsing are problem leftovers from reading procedures of cleaning and sterilizing lab equipment.
And a little OCD.
My thoughts on distilled water rinsing are problem leftovers from reading procedures of cleaning and sterilizing lab equipment.
And a little OCD.
It's not so much the bacteria themselves one needs to worry about, but what they can do - i.e. decompose your e-liquid (only a few types can do this - metabolise the glycol) with unpleasant results. So wise to take some steps to ensure cleanliness when making a batch for the long term. Also, cold storage will help keep any bacterial activity to a minimum (the colder the better).
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Thanks for the laugh
then i guess what i'm trying to ask is, what do you have in your home that you're worried is such a contaminant??
i get that you're trying to keep it clean, so you do your thing, but if your concern is ruining a 500ml batch, split it into smaller bottles perhaps, so you have a smaller quantity that you may "infect" instead of the whole thing?
I'm a chemist, so I am familiar with some of these things in other applications.
I personally would not use bleach in any dilution. The ingredients that make bleach what it is are not volatile. I little rubbing alcohol left in a syringe will at worst make the juice funky and pack a serious cough hit. A little bleach (hypochlorite and hydroxde) accidently left in a syringe, and then into a juice, will destroy tissue. 8-o
Nothing grows in PG that you are going to have hanging around your home, and few things grow in VG. Vodka will kill most things, rubbing alcohol will kill most things (good enough for a doc to put a needle in you!).
I keep a jar of about 100 mL of vodka with my mixing stuff. After I use my syringe for making a juice, I dip the needle into the vodka, draw the entire volume of the barrel of vodka into it, squirt it back into the jar. Do it again, and the syringe is clean and sterile enough. Use the plunger to repeatedly and rapidly push out residual vodka until nothing sprays out the needle. Done.
When carts are used for a few days, they are done. I remove the filler and straw, toss the cart housing into vodka, combine the fillers into a syringe and press out the juice (generally delicious) with the plunger, then put the filler material into vodka along with the straws. Next morning it all comes out and I lay all cart contents (save the juice) on a paper towel to dry for a day or so. All clean, all flavor removed, all sterile as is needed. The fillers comes out like new.
Same thing with empty juice dropper bottles. Get the last liquid out and toss them into vodka. remove them after a bit and let dry. done.
Since vodka kills most things, all I have to worry about with it is residual flavors from all the above. And that takes about a week before I decide to put in fresh vodka.
The only thing I have that is long term stored is high-nic unflavored juice. Flavors can decompose on their own with time, depending on amount of water...which can increase dramatically if the liquid is very cold and exposed to air. Flavors for me are short-term only, and small amounts. Sun has an interesting story of how his still-sealed flavored juices went bad in his fridge after only 6 months. If you know the chemistry it makes perfect sense. See the threads on juices going bad. Sorry, but I have discussed and answered so many repeating questions on the subject that I think just searching and reading will take care of your questions.
I also had the marking come off of my syringe. Not sure why they sell DIY vaping mixing syringes with marking that are soluble in PG or VG, but there it is. Before that happens now with a new syringe, I use a knife and carve graduations into the plastic for mL and 0.5 mL. You can ballpark the in betweens. I thought about the pipet thing, and it may be a great improvement, but I've not used them for DIY, and I tend to spill more with pipet/bulb combos. Syringes are perfect for me.
All vodka procedures can also use rubbing alcohol instead. Just make sure the items are completely dry of it, like dry them for at least 24 hours. I avoid the stuff for now because I don't want to taste any accidentally. residual vodka just makes the juice more hitty and gassy, as in gas expansion. Depending on the denaturant used, there may be a horrid tasting residue of pyridine, or a a denaturant that evaporates along with the alcohol. Not sure they have to say what it is. So I avoid it, also for the reasons above.
Since I only make up 4 - 6 mL of a flavored juice at a time, use it, then clean everything and start again, I am dealing with cleaning a relatively limited number of items, which are continually being recycled back into the mix. When mixing, clean needle goes into unflavored high-nic juice first, then VG, then flavoring, then juice bottle, then vodka, in that order.
Other tricks too I can think of. This is plenty for now.
Have fun!
I personally would not use bleach in any dilution. The ingredients that make bleach what it is are not volatile. I little rubbing alcohol left in a syringe will at worst make the juice funky and pack a serious cough hit. A little bleach (hypochlorite and hydroxde) accidently left in a syringe, and then into a juice, will destroy tissue. 8-o
Nothing grows in PG that you are going to have hanging around your home, and few things grow in VG. Vodka will kill most things, rubbing alcohol will kill most things (good enough for a doc to put a needle in you!).
I keep a jar of about 100 mL of vodka with my mixing stuff. After I use my syringe for making a juice, I dip the needle into the vodka, draw the entire volume of the barrel of vodka into it, squirt it back into the jar. Do it again, and the syringe is clean and sterile enough. Use the plunger to repeatedly and rapidly push out residual vodka until nothing sprays out the needle. Done.
When carts are used for a few days, they are done. I remove the filler and straw, toss the cart housing into vodka, combine the fillers into a syringe and press out the juice (generally delicious) with the plunger, then put the filler material into vodka along with the straws. Next morning it all comes out and I lay all cart contents (save the juice) on a paper towel to dry for a day or so. All clean, all flavor removed, all sterile as is needed. The fillers comes out like new.
Same thing with empty juice dropper bottles. Get the last liquid out and toss them into vodka. remove them after a bit and let dry. done.
Since vodka kills most things, all I have to worry about with it is residual flavors from all the above. And that takes about a week before I decide to put in fresh vodka.
The only thing I have that is long term stored is high-nic unflavored juice. Flavors can decompose on their own with time, depending on amount of water...which can increase dramatically if the liquid is very cold and exposed to air. Flavors for me are short-term only, and small amounts. Sun has an interesting story of how his still-sealed flavored juices went bad in his fridge after only 6 months. If you know the chemistry it makes perfect sense. See the threads on juices going bad. Sorry, but I have discussed and answered so many repeating questions on the subject that I think just searching and reading will take care of your questions.
I also had the marking come off of my syringe. Not sure why they sell DIY vaping mixing syringes with marking that are soluble in PG or VG, but there it is. Before that happens now with a new syringe, I use a knife and carve graduations into the plastic for mL and 0.5 mL. You can ballpark the in betweens. I thought about the pipet thing, and it may be a great improvement, but I've not used them for DIY, and I tend to spill more with pipet/bulb combos. Syringes are perfect for me.
All vodka procedures can also use rubbing alcohol instead. Just make sure the items are completely dry of it, like dry them for at least 24 hours. I avoid the stuff for now because I don't want to taste any accidentally. residual vodka just makes the juice more hitty and gassy, as in gas expansion. Depending on the denaturant used, there may be a horrid tasting residue of pyridine, or a a denaturant that evaporates along with the alcohol. Not sure they have to say what it is. So I avoid it, also for the reasons above.
Since I only make up 4 - 6 mL of a flavored juice at a time, use it, then clean everything and start again, I am dealing with cleaning a relatively limited number of items, which are continually being recycled back into the mix. When mixing, clean needle goes into unflavored high-nic juice first, then VG, then flavoring, then juice bottle, then vodka, in that order.
Other tricks too I can think of. This is plenty for now.
Have fun!
Flitzanu, exactly!! $30 buys 40 amber 50-mL bottles from specialtybottles.com, with plastic septum-like mouth spacers for syringe use. Fill to brim with high-nic unflavored juice, cap it, store in dark/dry place. Use one bottle at a time. Also a good way to see exactly over time how much you are consuming, rather than just tapping from a big batch all the time.
Folks, these things have been discussed in explicit detail. Search, read and learn. If I find the threads I'll post links.
wow , sterile diy mixing..the next step..seriously is this the OCD support thread.
you guys ever seen how ruyan produce and package their carts. hand packaged all over them mouthpieces and not a latex glove or hair-net in sight..
Still , whatever floats your boat ...
you guys ever seen how ruyan produce and package their carts. hand packaged all over them mouthpieces and not a latex glove or hair-net in sight..
Still , whatever floats your boat ...
Yeah, I figured. Which is why I don't use that stuff, and thought about taking a little extra care with my own stuff.
So what, I spent a little time that I had, and did some research. All to give myself, and possibly some readers, some knowledge.
In the end, many readers of this thread have a bit more knowledge. That soap and water is fine almost all the time, but that a cheap simple safe solution exists that can ensure that an extreme thing never happens.
What the heck is so bad about that?
I was going to post this somewhere...just wasn't sure where but this might be as good a place as any. I read this in a magazine lately:
"Watching your poor kid cough non-stop with congestion has you hurting even more than he is! To clear the air and make you both feel better fast, add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the water in your vaporizer. When vinegar is released along with the steam your child breathes, the agent's acetic acid enters his lungs. Because this substance fights both bacterial and viral infectious invaders (but is harmless to him), he'll start to heal in a hurry."
Now couple this with its sanitizing capabilities such as these, white vinegar sounds like a safe possibility:
How to Sanitize with Vinegar | eHow.com
Vinegar: Natural Cleaning With Vinegar - Quick & Simple
I sometimes use it as a quick cleaning for my attys....and have never had a problem with vaping it after....with no further rinsing. Sounds like it might be okay to inhale on that level...plus it sanitizes. Kill 2 birds with one stone!
Lu
"Watching your poor kid cough non-stop with congestion has you hurting even more than he is! To clear the air and make you both feel better fast, add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the water in your vaporizer. When vinegar is released along with the steam your child breathes, the agent's acetic acid enters his lungs. Because this substance fights both bacterial and viral infectious invaders (but is harmless to him), he'll start to heal in a hurry."
Now couple this with its sanitizing capabilities such as these, white vinegar sounds like a safe possibility:
How to Sanitize with Vinegar | eHow.com
Vinegar: Natural Cleaning With Vinegar - Quick & Simple
I sometimes use it as a quick cleaning for my attys....and have never had a problem with vaping it after....with no further rinsing. Sounds like it might be okay to inhale on that level...plus it sanitizes. Kill 2 birds with one stone!
Lu
nothing is 'wrong' with it Scottes but it's like how the use of un-protected batts is portrayed on this forum, Unnecessary scaremongering.
new users may see this , as they have the battery threads and immediately jump to the conclusion that these things harbour all sorts of nasty things, simply not true.
It's fine having an opinion or an individuals reasoning but without opposition some will read it as fact..when it's not
new users may see this , as they have the battery threads and immediately jump to the conclusion that these things harbour all sorts of nasty things, simply not true.
It's fine having an opinion or an individuals reasoning but without opposition some will read it as fact..when it's not
Nobody in this thread has said that non-sterile gear is dangerous, just discussed how to get it done. A few have said that sterilizing is not necessary. NOBODY has said the opposite.
To mock someone for being safe is a bit dangerous, since now newbies will read this and think that it's stupid to sterilize.
To mock someone for being safe is a bit dangerous, since now newbies will read this and think that it's stupid to sterilize.
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