Whether you vape to quit smoking or have been vaping for a long time, your vape coils are probably the single most important part of your vape pen. If you're not cleaning your vape coils when you clean your vape pen, you aren’t cleaning your whole vape.
Without clean vape coils, your vape can taste burnt and even start ghosting - mixing flavors of old vape juices, giving you a muddy tasting mess. If you have never cleaned your vape coils or aren’t sure what a vape coil is, you have made it to the right place.
Here is a quick overview of vape coils and a step-by-step guide on cleaning your vape coils properly for a clean-tasting vape.
What Are Vape Coils?
Your vape coils are the piece of your vape pen that heats and vaporizes your e-liquid. The vape coils, or atomizers, are connected to the battery, and the electrical charge creates heat. This heat vaporizes the e-liquid on the wick in the coil apparatus, which creates the vapor you inhale.
These coils can be made of several metals to create different impacts on your vape pen, like hotter or colder clouds or more or less dense clouds. The differences between different coils also impact the power needed to heat your coils and the speed at which liquid is vaporized.
How Do I Clean My Vape Coils?
Cleaning your vape coils is a great idea for anybody who vapes to get in the habit of doing. You can clean your vape coils in a couple of different ways. We’ll give you an option for a daily quick clean and a weekly or biweekly deep clean option for a thorough cleaning.
Daily Cleaning: Step-by-Step Guide
Your daily cleaning is a quick and easy step that you should take every night before you go to bed to keep your coils in top condition and get another extra week or two out of your coils. For the daily cleaning, you will need cotton swabs or cotton balls, and optionally some rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol.
Instructions:
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Open your vape by unscrewing the tank from the bottom. If your vape doesn’t open this way, consult your manual for directions on disassembling your vape.
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Unscrew the tank and then unscrew the vape coil to separate each piece.
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Using a dry cotton swab or cotton ball (or optionally dabbing a cotton swab or cotton ball in alcohol), gently scrub and wipe the coils and your tank, cleaning up any gunk and debris left from your e-juice. Wipe down the interior of the tank and any other surface of your pen that has residue on it.
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If you used alcohol, now rub the whole mechanism down again with a dry cotton swab or ball to dry up the alcohol and remove the residue.
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When your mechanism is dry, assemble your vape pen — you are ready to vape again.
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This cleaning procedure should only take about five minutes or less to complete, making it a practical way to keep your vape clean and operational. You won’t regret picking up the cleaning habit.
Deep Cleaning: Step-by-Step Guide
If you choose to do your daily cleaning, you might never need to do a deep cleaning. You’ll want to change out your vape coil before it gets so bad if you do daily cleaning.
But if you are not cleaning daily or want to keep your coils squeaky clean, follow this guide for deep cleaning when you feel the need. You’ll need Tupperware, cotton swabs, alcohol, and water.
Instructions:
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In a small bowl or Tupperware, pour enough alcohol to cover the coil.
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Disassemble your vape pen, unscrew the tank, and remove the vape coils.
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Carefully remove the wick from the vape coil. Do not skip this step.
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Place your vape coils, and if you wish, your empty tank in the alcohol and allow them to soak for two hours overnight.
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After completing your soak, use cotton swabs to clean and scrub any residue.
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Rinse your tank and coils with cold water to remove the alcohol. Use cotton swabs or paper towels to dry your coils and tank.
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When dry, reassemble your vape, and you are ready to vape again.
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As you can see, keeping your vape coils clean isn’t rocket science. With just a little extra effort, you can ensure that your vape coils are nice and clean and your vape tastes great every time.
Cleaning Tips and Tricks
While keeping your vape coils clean is not crazy complicated, some expert tips and tricks may make your life a little easier. Follow these tips to clean your coils like a pro.
Use a Paper Towel
The first expert tip is to use a paper towel to keep your hands and table clean while disassembling and cleaning your vape. Using a paper towel as a buffer between your hands and the inside components of your vape can help keep your hands free from the sticky vape oils that are likely in there.
Paper towels also give you somewhere to place gunk and debris you remove from your coils. Vape oils stain, so whether you use paper towels, be careful about staining clothes and furniture.
Never Soak Your Wick in Alcohol
While soaking your vape coils in alcohol is the most effective way to get a deep clean on your coils, you should never soak your wick in alcohol or any other liquid that is not your vaping e-liquid of choice.
This is because when you soak the cotton wick in alcohol, you decrease its ability to absorb e-liquid in the future. This is true even after you let the wick dry again — making it crucial that you remove your wick before soaking.
You Can Use Alternatives to Rubbing Alcohol
If you don’t have rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol available, you aren’t out of luck; you can still use other solutions to clean your vape coils. You can always use warm water to break up residue and debris.
Additionally, you can use vinegar or cheap vodka as a solution for soaking and scrubbing if you have those available. Just be sure to rinse your coils with water to remove any leftover cleaning solution from the coils. You don’t want a vinegar-flavored vape.
When Should I Clean My Coils?
After all this, you may wonder how often you need to clean your coils. To help you spot when you need to clean your coils, here is a list of some signs that your coils are dirty.
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Yucky clouds - If your vape starts tasting funny, and not in a good way, that is a sign that your coils need cleaning or replacing. Your vape should taste the way it is supposed to.
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Weak clouds - If your vape coil is dirty, you will get less than full-strength clouds. This is because the oils coating your coils alter your coil's resistance. This can greatly impact the efficiency and quality of your vape.
- Strange noises - Last but not least, if you start hearing strange sounds from your vape pen, it is almost certainly an issue with your vape coils. Take a look and give them a cleaning to see if they need replacing.
The truth is that you can get away with cleaning your coils when these signs come up only, but you will get the best results from daily cleaning. If you are in the habit of vaping daily, spend the extra few minutes to give your coils a quick wipe-down nightly. It will be worth it.
Cleaning Vape Coils: Takeaways
Keeping your vape coils clean is not just a good idea but an important responsibility for anyone with a reusable vape or dab pen. Your vape coils are the heart of your vape, the piece that creates your vapor. Take care of your coils, and they will take care of you.
Cleaning your vape coils is quick and easy; all you need is some cotton swabs or balls for daily cleaning. For a deeper clean, you can soak your coils in rubbing alcohol or one of the alternatives listed above. If you clean your vape coils often, you can get some extra longevity from them and get a better vape experience with every hit.
Check us out at California Honey Vapes for more vape content like this and to see our entire collection of disposable and rechargeable vapes. We have nicotine and nicotine-free disposables and more. Whatever you like to vape, we’ve got what you need.
Sources:
Measurement of heating coil temperature for e-cigarettes with a “top-coil” clearomizer - PMC
Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting | NCI