vodka or rubbing alcohol?

[bilbobaggins30]

Rubbing alcohol is fine... But use a 90% or higher version, and make sure it is just Rubbing Alcohol and water, not with the added crap. Here is my justification for Running alcohol... It is used in hosipitals and such to clean the skin before an injection. Thus, it hits your blood stream directly, and we have all lived and moved on unharmed from those shots just fine. By the time you vape it, it will be gone, evaporated. And if it is not, then you are still fine. I use it to clean my stuff, and I am doing just fine.

 

[KraKsX]

Use everclear

 

[Ruckus37]

rubbing alcohol ...

i use this sparingly and seems to work

 

[Ruckus37]

ive also tried hot water and vinegar..

 

[Wizzlefits]

Everclear works fine for me.
Cleans stuff pretty good too.

 

[fabricator4]

If you use anything containing isopropyl alcohol (IPA) make sure it is fully evaporated before you reassemble and use your equipment. IPA is more toxic to the liver because it can not be metabolised easily the way ethyl alcohol can be.

In some countries "rubbing alcohol" is usually IPA, while in others it could be either IPA or ethyl alcohol (as in vodka). Cleaning wipes and electronic cleaning solvents are almost always IPA, sometimes with other chemicals as well (eg wetting agents)

The risks from IPA are low in very small doses, and there is no residue so zero risk as long as it is fully evaporated. Those with liver problems of any type should probably be especially careful.

 

[mostlyclassics]

Folks, let's make sure of what we're talking about here:

• BOOZE ALCOHOL: This is ethanol for drinking: vodka, Everclear or moonshine. Flavored or colored boozes will lend "interesting" flavors to whatever device we're cleaning. All, except the moonshine, involve paying heavy federal and state taxes.
• ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL: Chemically, this is a different kind of alcohol that is poisonous to drink straight out of the bottle. But, if it's labelled "USP," it's safe for cleaning anything we'd insert in our mouths (drip-tips, attys, cartos, the relevant parts of Vivi Novas, Stardusts, RBAs, etc.) provided you let whatever you cleaned with it dry thoroughly!! The 91% concentration will kill anything that lives on God's green earth. It's also dirt cheap compared with booze alcohols (again, excepting moonshine).
• RUBBING or DENATURED ALCOHOL: Chemically, rubbing alcohol is ethanol (i.e., booze alcohol) that's been denatured (which is a fancy word for "poisoned") so you can't drink it and thereby cheat the taxmen. Sometimes, it's only denatured with methanol, but many states require the addition of non-volatile poisons. Methanol will evaporate, but any other poisons added won't. Word to the wise: don't use rubbing alcohol!

I've used isopropyl alcohol for almost every cleaning chore, when refurbishing pipes earlier on, and now for cleaning PV hardware, for over forty years without ill effect. Word to the wise: read the label.

 

[Reaper0329]

I use IPA. I'd feel safer using vodka, but I'm a year (lol exactly a year, actually...happy birthday to me ) away from being able to legally purchase it, so...make do with what you've got. I've never gotten so much as a hint of anything other than my juice cleaning with IPA, and it works well enough.

 

[mostlyclassics]

Happy Birthday yesterday, Reaper0329!

 

[Reaper0329]

Well thank you! I appreciate the well wishes.

 

[Kidnapped]

After paying $2 for a tiny little, 5mL, bottle of "cleaner," I did some research; and, found out that it actually contained everclear... From what I read, combined with what I've learned researching alternative medicine stuff, I wasn't about to use rubbing alcohol (really nasty stuff!) The fact that they use it in hospitals isn't a "recommendation" to me - they use a LOT OF STUFF that's definitely NOT in our best interests... (And, refuse to even acknowledge a lot of things that actually work one heck of a lot better than anything they are willing to use!) Anyway: For $4.71, I bought a 200mL bottle of everclear; and, in doing so, saved myself right at $75 on tank cleaner. (Felt weird going in there, though; since, I don't drink...)

 

[mostlyclassics]

Some states, like Illinois, slap truly punitive taxes on the high-proof stuff. Everclear around here costs $24 per 750 ml., when you add the sales tax and the Crook County booze tax. Needless to say, I don't use it, except for applications which absolutely require it (like sterilizing little 60 ml. bottles for long-term 100 mg./ml. nicquid storage in the freezer).

 

[gaffer]

For external cleaning I use rubbing alcohol. If i can burn the coil (like on my genny style SS/nextel wicks) i will using rubbing alcohol, rinse it, and burn it with a torch. When i get some drippers (like the hh357) I am planing to use vodka (since I cannot get everclear easily in VA, we have state liquor stores and it is too high a proof for them to sell and I have to either get a friend that can get on base to get it for me or get my parents to get it for me from base since the class 6 stores carry it).

My rule of thumb is if I it touches something that touches juice I better be able to eat it or make sure I can clean it off without a doubt.

 

[boshans]

I just rinse out my tanks with hot ... water, take the entire thing apart and rinse out every piece. I do this every night, nothing has caked up on my coils yet. I usually use one tank throughout the day, and when I am done with the liquid in it and I am going to go to bed, I take it apart and rinse it thoroughly, and then fill a different, new tank with more liquid, and let the one I just cleaned dry overnight. Seems to work good. If I use multiple tanks for different flavors throughout the day I just clean all of them and use the one new one for the nighttime. I mean I guess you can't do that if you don't have a lot of tanks, I have like 20 T2's/T3's/eVods, but yeah...works good with just water. The heads I rewicked with cotton still smell a little bit like the old liquid after I rinse it off...but after it dries and you put new liquid in you can't taste the old stuff that was in there. Make sure you take the entire thing apart though, I let water run through the hole that goes to the coils to clean out all the liquid that is on the wicks through the coil. That's for the T3/eVod. Then I just let all the parts sit on a tissue overnight, and assemble it again the next day. I don't drink so it would pretty much just be a waste of money to buy booze to clean this stuff. Plus in NY I don't think I can really get moonshine and stuff, and high proof vodka would be to much.

 

[stillnotsmoking]

I use rubbing alcohol on threads and terminals and hot water on everything else.

 

[wv2win]

I use rubbing alcohol on threads and terminals and hot water on everything else.

I prefer vodka or pure grain alcohol (PGA/Everclear) because it leaves no after-taste and evaporates quickly unlike water.

 

[boshans]

So I figured I would give IPA a try since I have a bottle sitting around here, and I used a fruity flavor in one of my eVods recently and can't get rid of the smell on the tank or wick....SO, do I let the tank and wick and everything sit in a cup of the IPA, or just rinse it with it thoroughly? Can I let the gromet's sit in the IPA or will that destroy them?

IPA = Isopropyl rubbing alcohol btw, not india pale ale....that would be weird...but maybe good.

 

[Red_Bird]

I use hot tap water followed by a dip in distilled water or a dip in 2/3 distilled water and 1/3 white vinegar.

I only use a bit of vinegar to help loosen gunk from net tobaccos or way dirty/smelly coiled wicks....

rubbing alcohol on 510 connections + threads (nothing u vape from)

alcohol dries out wicks.

 

[lamarrk]

But I can get the Moonshine anytime and don't cost nothing .

Ed, you need to share with your buddies. I'm in Hsv. too, so can we be buddies?
I use 100 proof vodka but when this bottle is gone, I'm moving up to Everclear for a cleaner.

 

[altron3k]

first a hot water spray rinse. then i have some cheap gin i use for soaking. then hot water baths multiple time. rubbing alky for connects. and usually dish soap for the drip tips misc metal /plastic parts that dont involve wicks .