Nix the Nasty Mix: How to Clean a Vape Pen Between Flavors

One of the many benefits of vaping is the opportunity to try endless flavor combinations of e-cig juice. Unfortunately, frequent switching of flavors can make for flavor residue that can ruin the taste of your brand new liquid. No one wants to mix strawberry kiwi with cinnamon leftovers!

If you're wondering how to clean a vape pen so you can take a brand new juice for a test drive, we're here to help. This easy guide will walk you through the steps to make sure you get a fresh, unadulterated taste in your vape every time. We'll even give you some tips on how to maximize your setup to save money and time, so read on!

How To Clean a Vape Pen, Step By Step

Cleaning a vape pen is quick and simple once you know the way. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to rinse and dry your setup completely and keep water away from components that can't get wet. Getting water on your battery or in your charging ports can spell certain doom for your setup, so make sure you are careful.

1. Empty Your Tank

First, remove the tank from your pen and unscrew the lid. Set the lid, coil, and any components aside. Empty the residual e-juice out of your tank down the drain.

Wipe the lid, threads, components, lid seals thoroughly with a q-tip and paper towel. If your tip is removable, you can rinse and wipe it down as well.

2. Rinse Your Tank

Always practice good e-cig safety by avoiding unnecessary contact with water.

Take care not to wet the contact points, your battery, or any other components besides the inside glass portion of your tank. You can rinse the tank with warm water to remove any leftover juice.

If need be, add a drop of dish soap to break up the remaining liquid residue. Depending on the thickness of the PG/VG mix in your juice, this might be an optional step. If you last vaped a particularly strong flavor such as cinnamon or clove, using a drop of soap might be needed to get all the flavor out.

Make sure you rinse completely. You don't want to vape any soap residue!

3. Dry Your Tank

Wipe the inside and outside of the tank clean with a paper towel. You can gently remove any leftover water droplets with a q-tip. Allow your tank to air dry before using again.

Avoid leaving any water in your tank when you add more e-juice!

4. Clean or Replace Your Coil

Coils have a wick inside that absorbs liquid, so they tend to be the biggest culprits of flavor transfer. You can rinse your coil with warm water, but you must let your coil dry completely inside and out before use.

Some flavors will never come clean from the coil, so a rinse may not help.

A water-damp coil should not be used to vape. Even if you don't rinse your coil, you can wipe away any juice residue from the coil itself to reduce flavor transfer.

Alternatively, you can replace your coil. A great tip is to wait to change flavors until it's time to change your coil, so you don't waste a perfectly good one. You should be changing your coil a minimum of every few weeks, so trying new juices can be as frequent as a few times a month. 

Another great idea, if you can't wait to change flavors, is to put your coil in a plastic bag with a flavor label. When you want to go back to a previous flavor, you can simply switch back to the same coil again!

5. Refill With Your Chosen Juice

Add your new flavor to your tank. If using a new or rinsed coil, you'll need to prime the coil by adding a few drops of juice onto the wick and allowing it to absorb for a few minutes. If you don't allow the juice to saturate, you can burn the wick of your coil and ruin it.

That being said, there's no harm in switching from one juice to another without changing your coil. If the muddled flavors don't bother you, you can continue to vape until the original flavor fades.

Sometimes you can discover interesting flavor combinations by mixing juice. Vaping a mint vape followed by a chocolate dessert flavor may result in a tasty blend, for example. A cotton candy juice mixed with a traditional tobacco flavor may be something far less pleasant. 

Use your own palate and discernment to decide if your next flavor of juice is one you need to clean your tank before using.

A final tip: If you vape a handful of flavors on a regular basis, try purchasing a few extra tanks. Keeping tanks set aside for a single juice that you can switch out easily will reduce cleanup time, mess, and flavor dilution. This can be very handy if you have a difficult tank to disassemble.

Become a Flavor Connoisseur

Don't let the idea of cleaning your vape discourage you from experiencing all the great e-juice flavor choices out there. Now that you know how to clean a vape pen, you can use these tips to make sure you're getting a clean and tasty vape every time you test out a new liquid.

Looking for the best unique flavors in e-juice? Why not use your new vape maintenance knowledge to try out one of the 150+ e-cig liquids on offer at Central Vapors? From premium liquid blends to DIY juices you can make yourself, you're sure to find your next daily vape. 

Check out Central Vapors today!