If you’re someone who vapes regularly, creating a consistent and thorough cleaning routine for your reusable vape is essential if you want to get the best use out of it.
Giving it a quick rinse with warm water simply won’t cut it unless you want grime and bacteria to build up and cause issues early on in the future. After all, how well you clean it will determine how well it performs.
So, we are here to show you the best way to clean your vape tank so you can truly get your money’s worth.
WHY SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR VAPE TANK REGULARLY?
It goes without saying that anything you use often will slowly experience a build-up of grime, dust, and bacteria over time, affecting the quality and longevity of your vape.
Old e-liquid clings to the glass, the chimney, and the small nooks around your coil, causing the flavour to taste off and your coil to deteriorate more quickly. And that’s not what we want.
Giving it a quick rinse after each e-liquid has run out will help avoid that crossover of flavours. It’ll also keep your coil working at its best for longer, since there won’t be any old residue drying out the cotton.
A deeper clean every few weeks will prevent any leaking and gurgling, as old juice and grime around your O-rings and threads can cause everything to seal improperly. When you take your tank apart to clean it, you can wipe everything down, check the seals and threads, and inspect the worn parts for any issues.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Before we dive in, it’s best to get everything you need first so you’re not scrambling for any missing cleaning supplies at the last minute.
So, make sure you have:
Warm water from the tap
A small bowl or mug (for soaking)
Some unscented washing-up liquid
Paper towels and/or a microfibre cloth
Cotton buds to get into any crevices
A spare coil
HOW TO CLEAN A VAPE TANK IN 5 BASIC STEPS
Now, cleaning your vape tank should only take you a few minutes, making it easy to fit into a weekly routine. Here’s how to do it in just a few simple steps:
1. TURN YOUR DEVICE OFF AND REMOVE THE TANK
Before you do anything, make sure that your device is powered off! You don’t want to cause a fire hazard or get the battery wet and render your vape useless before you’ve even had the chance to clean it.
Once it’s off, unscrew the tank from the top of your device. Make sure any batteries and mods are well away from the sink so they don’t get wet.
2. TAKE THE TANK APART
Now you can disassemble the tank to separate all the tiny parts. Doing so will allow you to focus on cleaning each bit for a thorough scrub. This includes:
Unscrewing the base from the glass section
Removing the glass tube
Taking off the drip tip (mouthpiece)
Sliding off any visible O-rings and seals
Unscrewing and removing the coil
We’re not going to be washing the coil, as these need to be replaced once you’ve gotten all of their use out of them. Before rinsing, you’ll want to use a small cotton bud or a paper towel to soak up any leftover residue from the vape juice in your tank.
3. RINSE AND CLEAN WITH WARM WATER
Take all of the parts you’ve just disassembled from your tank (glass, drip tip, metal sections and O-rings) and give them a rinse with warm water under the tap.
Many people choose to submerge the parts in a bowl of warm water to soak for a bit before cleaning. To get rid of any gunk or grime, add a drop of washing-up liquid to the bowl and use your fingers, a cotton swab, or a small toothbrush to rub away any obvious residue.
Go over everything as many times as you need to before it looks clean.
4. DRY EVERYTHING PROPERLY
Once you’ve given them a good scrub, gently pat all of the parts with a soft microfibre towel and leave them to air dry on a piece of kitchen roll or on top of a cloth.
You don’t want any droplets hiding inside the chimney or under the glass when you put the tank back together, so give it at least 15–20 minutes for a light clean or let it dry up to an hour after a deep clean.
Before you reassemble the tank, have a quick check for any cracks or flattened seals on your O-rings and the glass. If you notice anything amiss, it’s best to replace it and install a new one.
5. REASSEMBLE, FIT A COIL AND REFILL
Once everything is completely dry, you can refit the o-rings and seals, slide the glass back into place, screw the base back onto the tank, and push or screw the drip tip back in.
If you’re adding a new coil to your vape, prime it first by adding a couple of drops of e-liquid to the cotton wick. You can then fit the coil into the base of the tank and fill it up with your e-juice.
After you’ve filled up, leave the tank to sit upright for a few minutes so the coil has time to soak up the liquid properly.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR VAPE TANK?
It’s best to clean your vape tank every few days or once a week. Of course, this depends on how heavily you’re using it, since you might not use it enough to be cleaning it that often.
However, getting into a regular cleaning schedule will make it so that it becomes muscle memory. Writing it down on your calendar to do it on a certain date every week, or setting an alarm, will stop you from missing a clean and having to work twice as hard to catch up.