One helpful aspect of having an advanced mod setup is that they’re reusable, unlike combustible cigarettes. However, that also means that cleaning the atomizer has to be part of the process when you’re vaping anything non-disposable. Cleaning your atomizer helps prevent stale flavors and extends the life of the chamber and vaporizer. The slow buildup of gunk can block airflow, prevent the coil from doing its thing, and screw with the electric connections between the battery and atomizer.

In this article we will focus on are a few ways that we can recommend to clean your atomizer in order to give you an awesome and fresh vaping experience.

Q Tip Wipe

This method is probably the simplest way to clean your atomizer, and it's particularly helpful if you've been dealing with a leaky tank or you've been getting error messages regarding your coil. It requires just two things you usually find in your home: q tips and rubbing alcohol. Dip your q tip into the solution and gently wipe the atomizer's threads as many times as it takes until no gunk remains.

This method only works when you do it regularly, though it should only be necessary once a week or so. But if you let old liquid build up and crystalize, you’ll need to use a deeper cleaning method, which is why it’s better to take a minute and clean your atomizer every few days. Note: you probably (definitely) don't want to get any rubbing alcohol on your coil, or anywhere else inside your tank for that matter (though the non-coil pieces can always be cleaned off).

Throwaway Coils

If you're using a tank that employs factory-made atomizers that include a coil and wicking in a simple screw-in unit, there's not a whole lot of maintenance required - simply drain your tank and replace the coil when you notice a muted or fouled flavor, or when vapor production fails.

Coil life varies quite a bit, and is largely dependent on the e-liquid you're using. Heavily sweetened flavors like desserts and RY4-variant tobaccos tend to gunk coils more quickly than fruits and unsweetened flavors. Depending on your juice and your use, expect to get anywhere from a few days to a few weeks out of a coil - be sure to avoid hitting a new coil without giving the liquid time to absorb, and also start out below your coil's maximum recommended power and slowly increase the power over the course of a tank or two. This will avoid a 'dry hit' scenario in which your cotton wicking burns - once you've burned the wicking there's not much that can be done to revive it.

Rebuildables

If you're using a Rebuildable Tank Atomizer (RTA) variant or a Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer (RDA), you're in luck if your coil gets gunky or your wick wears out - you can fix it!

Rebuildable atomizers tend to produce bigger clouds and burn through juice more quickly - this means your wicking will wear out sooner. But when you experience a drop in performance, just drain the tank and pull the wicking out of the coil. If the coil still looks good, cut a fresh piece of cotton or rayon, thread it through the coil, and you're back in business.

If the coil looks like it's covered in black gunk (it probably will), that still doesn't mean it's beyond salvation. Try doing a 'dry burn' with no wicking inside the coil - pulse your mod's power button until the coil just begins to glow, then release the button and blow on the coil or dab a bit of water on it - this should knock the gunk off after a couple heating cycles, after which you can thread some new wicking through and get back to business.

Again, your choice of liquid flavor and the frequency with which you vape will determine how often you need to service your atomizer, but plan on doing a dry burn and re-wick somewhere between every 3-4 days and once a week - your coils will probably need to be replaced every fourth or fifth re-wicking. The process may take 5-10 minutes as compared to just seconds for replacing a throwaway coil, but rest easy knowing you spent less than ten cents on your refresh instead of three or four dollars for a disposable atomizer.

Tank Cleaning

Okay, so we've got your vape working fine, but you're still going to want to keep it clean. Most modern sub-ohm clearomizers break down into several parts simply by unscrewing them, and they can be washed easily with warm water and a touch of dish soap - rinse everything thoroughly and let it dry while you prepare your new coil and you're good to go.

Keep in mind that your drip tip (mouthpiece) will probably want some extra attention - it's not a bad idea to pop this guy off and give it a rinse and wipedown every day, especially if you're keeping it in your pocket or purse. Remember, you're putting this thing in your mouth - keeping it hygenic is worth the effort!

That's about it - spend a few minutes a week keeping your equipment clean and you'll reap the benefits of healthy, happy vaping for years to come.