A vape pod system is more complex than a vape pen. This has its positives. It allows a vape user to tap into the full power of high-strength vape juices and e-liquids. Vape pods are also small, sleek, trendy, and affordable. For most users, they’re the preferable vape device.
While vape pods greatly enhance the overall vaping experience, a vape pod requires routine cleaning. Cleaning a vape pod is a specific way to ensure you maximize the device’s lifespan and protect the internal components.
A vape pod may eventually start to produce a burnt flavour. This burnt flavour does not come from damaged components but is most likely from the coil inside being covered in residue. Removing this residue restores the pod’s original function and flavour. This is why vape users clean their vape pods. When they don’t, it can dramatically impact the taste and eventually cause one’s device to malfunction.
Here is how to clean a vape pod at home:
Residue in Vape Pods
The residue in vape pods comes from ingredients in vape juices and e-liquids that do not fully convert into vapour when heated. These ingredients are left behind, sticking to the atomizer coil.
As this continues, the residue grows thicker until it eventually covers the coil’s heating area. This is when you start tasting a burnt taste on every vape. By cleaning everything regularly, you avoid the burnt taste altogether. Your precious vape pods will remain in excellent condition!
Can I Avoid Vape Pod Residue Or Coil Gunk?
The most common source of coil gunk is sugar-free sweetener sucralose. It’s one of the most common ingredients in sweetened e-liquids and vape juices. If you’re using vape juice that tastes like candy, fruit, or baked goods, it probably has sucralose.
While it is possible to switch to unsweetened vape juice, all that’s going to do is cause coil gunk to build up a lot slower. It won’t mean you don’t have to clean your vape pod.
Clean a Vape Pod with Hot Water
You do not need more than hot water to clean a vape pod. This is the safest way to do so. Fill a large bowl with very hot water. You don’t want the water to be boiling, so not THAT hot. You don’t want it melting or degrading the plastic on the vape pod, but you will want it relatively hot and direct from the tap.
Soak Your Vape Pod Components in Hot Water
Open your vape pod’s filling hole. Remove the coil if it’s removable. Not all are. Place your vape pod and coil into the water. A hollow vape pod will float. Don’t be thrown by that. Submerge the vape pod so that it fills with water.
Switch the pod and the coil around in hot water. This will agitate anything stuck to these components and work to break up residue. Afterward, let the items soak in the water for five minutes. Come back and move them around the water again.
Empty and Refill Your Large Bowl
You should begin to see little dark flecks floating around in the water or inside the pod. These dirty pieces have broken off your pod and are now loose in the water. Empty the hot water once you see these. Then, refill the bowl with hot water and repeat the process. Swish around the vape pod.
The coil is clean when you stop seeing dark specks in the water. A pod with a built-in coil may need to be rinsed under a faucet to properly force debris out.
Other Vape Pod Cleaning Methods
If hot water didn’t do the trick, the only other thing to try is alcohol. Strong alcohol that’s safe to drink, such as vodka, is an effective solvent and will be safe to use. When you’re done, thoroughly rinse everything out with hot water. You want all traces of alcohol fully gone before using the vape pod again.
If contaminants are in hard-to-reach places that are not coming out, you can generally reach those areas with a toothpick. Gently scrape them, and any grime or debris that’s stuck should be able to be removed with a combination of the toothpick plus alcohol or hot water.
Another way to clean a vape pod is with an ultrasonic cleaner. This works just like it does for jewelry. Investing in an ultrasonic cleaner will remove any residue from your coils quickly and more completely without water.
Allow Your Vape Pod to Air-Dry
When you’re done, remove everything from the water and tap them against a paper towel. Allow them enough time to air dry. This will probably take a few hours, at least. Do not use the vape pod again until it has been dried.