How and Why to Clean Your Vaporizer

Does your vape taste burnt? Are you losing out on otherwise scrumptious terpene profiles? Well, suffer no longer! Below, you'll find out why your vape tastes so bad and exactly what to do to fix the situation.

Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt: Unravelling the Mystery

Vaporizers are widely recognized by cannabis users as the best way to enjoy the unique flavor of each strain. However, not every hit lights up the taste buds with hints of sugar, skunk, or pine. Sometimes, users are instead met with harsh, bitter, or burnt tastes. There are several potential reasons for this. While pushing the temperature settings of your device too high can cause your weed to combust, releasing harsh byproducts and therefore harsh flavors, a burnt taste is more often attributed to poor maintenance.

The buildup of residue inside the chamber of a vaporizer can cause an unpleasant burnt aftertaste. To prevent this, simply stay on top of cleaning!

To give you some guidance, we’ll outline exactly how and why to keep your device in tip-top condition.

When to Clean Your Vaporizer

Keeping your vaporizer squeaky clean won’t just extend the lifespan of your product, but it’ll ensure that you experience the delightful flavor profiles of your favorite strains every time you inhale them. Check out how to clean your vape below for consistently flavorful experiences.

Daily Cleaning

You should aim to briefly clean your vape after every single use. We’re not talking about a deep clean here. Making the effort to empty the oven and scrape out any obvious residue with a vaping tool will help to slow residue buildup over time, reducing the need for frequent deep cleaning and allowing you to vape the following day without any undesirable flavors entering the mix.

Thorough Cleaning

Every now and then, you’ll need to give your vaporizer a proper deep and thorough clean. The frequency of this degree of cleaning will depend on how often you use your vape and how well you take care of it on a daily basis. If you’re a daily user, you’ll need to conduct a deep clean at least once every two weeks, in addition to brief daily cleans.

Past simply scraping the inside of the oven, a deep clean involves disassembling a vape and thoroughly cleaning each separate component to remove hidden residue, increase the functionality of the vape, and protect the flavor of the cannabis product.

Dry Herb vs Concentrates vs Vape Pens: Cleaning Differences

Dry herb vaporizers differ in their cleaning requirements than concentrate-compatible vapes. Moreover, vape pens are yet another option for cannabis users, and have distinct requirements when it comes to keeping that pesky burnt taste at bay.

In terms of dry herb vs concentrate vapes, the latter become filled with residue much faster. Most of the grime left behind by both flowers and concentrates is from the resin found within cannabis trichomes—and concentrates are essentially pure resin. For this reason, you’ll need to deep clean your concentrate vaporizer often to avoid a rapid buildup and subsequent burnt taste.

Vape pens can handle dry herb or concentrates, depending on the model in question. Because of their size and simplicity, they’re easier and quicker to clean than larger desktop and handheld vapes. However, because of their smaller oven size, they usually start to taste burnt soon after cleaning without frequent upkeep.

While many vape pens are refillable, others are single-use. As most of these simple products don’t have temperature settings, many wonder how to make a disposable vape not taste burnt. Our recommendation is to try taking small puffs, and to recognize that the burnt taste increases as the pen becomes emptier. If your pen tastes burnt regardless of the size of the hits you’re taking, try switching to a better-quality product.

How to Clean a Vaporizer

If you’re wondering how to fix a burnt vape, a simple clean can very often solve this irritating issue. However, before you start disassembling your device and scrubbing every surface in sight, know that each component needs specific treatment in order to avoid damaging it.

Step-by-Step Directions

Before you set about cleaning your vape, you need to gather the following pieces of kit:

• Isopropyl alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Toothpick/vape tool
• Pipe cleaner
• Paper towel

Now that you have everything you need, follow the simple steps below to get your vape looking and tasting clean in no time:

1. Consult your manual: Before pulling apart your vape, take a close look at your product manual first to make sure you’re removing only removable parts and not causing any damage.
2. Disassemble your vape: Once you’re aware of which parts are supposed to come off, dissemble your vaporizer completely.
3. Get scrubbing: Use a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol to wipe, swipe, and scrub grime out of those hard-to-reach places. You can also use a pipe cleaner to wipe long and narrow channels, tubes, lips, and edges. Do not apply isopropyl alcohol to acrylic or electronic components.
4. Rinse everything: Next, place all water-safe parts into a warm soap solution and let them soak for around 30 minutes. Then, rinse all of the components under running lukewarm water.
5. Dry: Set all of the pieces on a paper towel to dry completely.
6. Reassemble: Put all of the pieces together again and enjoy using a nice clean vape.

Which Parts of a Vape Should Be Cleaned With Alcohol?

Isopropyl alcohol plays an important role in cleaning particularly grimey vaporizers. However, only certain components can handle this harsh substance. Find out where and when to use isopropyl alcohol when cleaning a vape.

Parts You Should Clean With Alcohol

You don’t always need to use isopropyl alcohol when deep cleaning a vaporizer. However, if you use your vape often and find residue quickly builds up, or decide to skip cleaning for a while, isopropyl can help to shift serious amounts of grime. But make sure to only use it on glass, steel, and silicone components to avoid damaging parts of your vaporizer.

Parts You Shouldn’t Clean With Alcohol

When dealing with a burnt-tasting vape, cannabis users are quick to start dousing their gear with alcohol. While a useful cleaning agent, it can damage components made of certain materials. Avoid using it altogether on acrylic and electronic pieces.

How to Clean Specific Cannabis Vaporizers

The cleaning advice above applies to many different models. Below, we’re going to dive into the details of cleaning four specific vapes to help you keep your device tasting fresh and operating well.

DynaVap M Plus

The DynaVap M Plus perfectly pairs portability with functionality. To clean this minimal device, start by grab the following pieces of equipment:

• Cotton swabs
• Ziplock bag
• Pipe cleaner
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Paper towel

Follow these easy steps to deep clean your DynaVap M Plus:

1. Disassemble your vape and set aside the cap (do not soak this component in the cleaning solution). Place all of the other parts into a ziplock bag and add enough isopropyl alcohol to submerge them.
2. Seal the bag and shake vigorously for around 60 seconds. Leave the components to soak for five minutes.
3. Remove the components from the bag and place them on a paper towel. Use a pipe cleaner to thoroughly clean the inside of the condenser, tip, stem, and square port.
4. Rinse all of the parts under running lukewarm water and place them back on a paper towel to dry before reassembling.

Volcano Hybrid

The Volcano Hybrid makes for the perfect social vaping experience. For the best experience, you’ll need to start out with a clean vape! To keep yours party-ready at all times, grab the following gear:

• Isopropyl alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Warm water
• Two glass jars
• Brush (included with vape)

Once you have everything ready, follow these steps to clean your Volcano Hybrid:

1. Refrain from using isopropyl on the device’s base station. Instead, use a soft cloth to wipe away any dust and smudges.
2. Next, turn your attention to the filling chamber. Remove the screen, silicone o-rings, and pieces of the filling chamber. Soak the plastic and silicone parts in warm water, and the rest of the pieces in isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes. Use the brush to remove any stubborn residue.
3. Rinse the pieces thoroughly and reassemble once completely dry.

PAX Plus

The PAX Plus provides a simple and easy vaping experience that will leave you feeling blissed out (“pax” means “peace” in Latin, after all). To keep your device clean and free from any burnt tastes, grab the following gear:

• Wire brush
• Pipe cleaners
• Cotton swab
• Isopropyl alcohol

Follow these steps to clean your PAX Plus:

1. Remove the mouthpiece and oven lid. Insert the wire brush into the vapor path to remove the oven screen.
2. Place the mouthpiece and oven screen into a small bowl of isopropyl alcohol. Do not allow the oven lid to come into contact with isopropyl or water.
3. Dip a pipe cleaner in isopropyl alcohol and squeeze off any excess. Then, floss the vapor path to remove any residue.
4. Dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and brush the inside of the oven to remove any grime.
5. Place all of the pieces on a paper towel to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Reassemble the vape, power it on, and allow the LEDs to turn green. Then, turn the power off and allow it to cool again before using it for another session.

Vape Pen

Some vape pens are disposable and it’s not possible to clean them. However, those with removable cartridges are reusable and cleanable. To get rid of any burnt taste, grab the following equipment:

• Isopropyl alcohol
• Cotton swabs

Follow these steps to clean your vape pen:

1. Remove the cartridge.
2. Dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and wipe the connector that unites the body and the cartridge. Make sure to scrape out all visible residue.
3. Repeat the same procedure on the bottom part of the cartridge itself.
4. Allow the alcohol to evaporate for several minutes.
5. Reassemble your vape pen.

Make Vaping Tasty, Every Time

Why does your vape taste burnt? Probably because you’re slacking on cleaning! Treat your device with the respect it deserves, and it’ll repay you with fine-tasting vapor every time you fire it up! Get rid of that nasty burnt taste when vaping and relish in the flavor of delicious terpenes instead!