How to Clean Vape Pods: Step-by-Step Guide

Being a vape pod owner, you’re likely familiar with how a pod-based device can enhance your vaping journey. A pod system is essential for enjoying high-strength nicotine salt e-liquids preferred by many new vapers. Additionally, pod systems offer sleek and stylish designs at a budget-friendly price.

While a pod vaping kit is affordable, some new vapers may notice their pods degrading faster than expected. Since vape pods aren’t cheap, extending their lifespan and maximizing refills are crucial goals.

This guide is here to help you with a vital skill for pod vape owners: cleaning vape pods. When your pod starts to taste burnt, it doesn’t necessarily mean the coil is faulty. More likely, residue build-up is the issue. By cleaning the residue, you can restore your pod’s original flavor, saving you from prematurely discarding it.

Let’s first address another topic that may be on your mind before discussing how to clean a vape pod. What exactly is the residue that’s leading to your vape pods burning out?

Reason for Residue Formation in Vape Pods

Residue forms in vape pods because many e-liquids contain ingredients that do not fully convert to vapor upon heating. Unvaporized ingredients adhere to the atomizer coil in your pod over time, gradually thickening until it completely covers the coil’s heating surface. This buildup results in a deeply caramelized or burnt flavor when vaping.

Commonly known as “coil gunk” among vapers, this residue inhibits the coil’s wick functionality. If the residue layer becomes too thick, it may start burning during vaping sessions. Eventually, you may experience a burnt taste even with sufficient e-liquid in the pod.

Preventing Coil Gunk in Vape Pods

Residue buildup in vape coils is often caused by e-liquid flavors, with the main culprit being the sugar-free sweetener sucralose. Many vapers have a preference for sweet e-liquids, making sucralose a prevalent ingredient in vape juices. The absence of sucralose in an e-liquid can actually be considered uncommon due to the popularity of sweetened varieties.

If your e-liquid tastes like candy, fruit, or leaves a sugary residue on your lips while vaping, it likely contains sucralose. This sweetener contributes to the shortened lifespan of your pods as it doesn’t vaporize efficiently under heat, leading to caramelization and residue formation on the coil. To extend your pod’s longevity, consider switching to unsweetened e-liquids.

If unsweetened e-liquids are not suitable for you, however, and you prefer the flavor of sweetened varieties, you may be wondering about alternative solutions. What if you

Are you completely satisfied with the flavor of the vape juice you’re currently using, and wish to maintain your vaping experience as-is? This leads us to the focal point of this article: the process of cleaning vape pods.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Clean a Vape Pod

The importance of learning how to clean a vape pod is immense. It’s not the pod’s atomizer coil causing the burnt flavor, but the residue from your e-liquid. By cleaning this residue, your pod will end up with a well-functioning atomizer coil, almost like new.

If your pod vaping system has a non-replaceable atomizer coil, cleaning it can be challenging due to limited access through the filling hole. Cleaning is easier with pods featuring removable coils. Some popular systems with removable coils include:

• Innokin Sensis
• Innokin EQ FLTR
• Innokin Kroma Z

Let’s delve deeper into cleaning your vape pods effectively.

• Fill a bowl with very hot water; avoid boiling to prevent plastic damage since vape pods are made of plastic.
• Open the pod’s filling hole and remove the coil if applicable. Submerge both items in water, ensuring the pod is filled with water by holding it down if it floats.
• Agitate the pod and coil in water to dislodge residue. Let them soak before swishing again. Dark flecks may appear in the water or the pod at this stage.

Within a non-removable coil.

If hot water alone is insufficient to remove residue from your vape pods, consider cleaning them with alcohol instead. Opt for a strong alcohol like vodka, a more potent solvent than water. It’s advisable to clean multiple dirty pods and coils simultaneously to optimize the use of alcohol. After cleaning, rinse the items thoroughly to remove any residual alcohol.

In instances where contaminants such as dust and lint are challenging to remove from inaccessible areas like intake vents or contact plates, gently scrape these areas with a toothpick to dislodge the grime.

Elevate your cleaning process by utilizing an ultrasonic cleaner, akin to those used for jewelry cleaning, instead of a bowl of water. The ultrasonic vibrations offer a faster and more comprehensive method of cleaning coils compared to manual cleaning techniques.

Can Cleaning Always Resolve a Burnt Vape Pod?

Prior to cleaning your vape pods, understand that cleaning solely eliminates burnt flavor resulting from residue on the pod’s coil. If the burnt flavor persists due to a damaged wick, replacement of the pod or coil is the only remedy.

A coil’s wick risks burning if it’s not adequately saturated when vaping. This can occur if you vape with an empty pod or immediately after installing a new pod or coil. After coil replacement, allow a few minutes to ensure the wick is fully soaked with vape juice before use.

Experience will help distinguish between coil residue and a burnt wick. Residue typically imparts a sweet flavor akin to burnt sugar, while a damaged wick generates a harsher, throat-burning taste.