Can I Clean and Reuse Vape Coils or Pods?
You should not attempt to clean and re-use vape coils or pods. While it is technically possible to do so, you will expose yourself to too many risks in the process, whether it is minute issues such as poor flavour after washing, or major issues such as microbial risks. Replacing vape coils and pods is usually cheap enough to make reusing existing ones a valid solution, so do prioritise buying and switching over trying to clean.
Can I clean my vape coil?
You can’t clean your vape coil, as doing so would ruin most, if not all functionality of the coil. As the flavour is already soaked into the cotton of the coil. Simply rinsing won’t remove much of the taste, but it will instead water it down, making it taste worse. It will also be harder for any new e-liquid to soak. Additionally, this can open risks of microbial issues, such as mould, or render the coil useless as it may stop working entirely.
Can I clean my vape pod?
If you're using a pod which allows the coil to be removed, you technically can clean it adequately, though we would recommend against trying. Similarly to cleaning coils, you risk leaving imperfections. Leftover moisture leads to microbial growth, you may leave residue of cleaning materials (such as cloth or tissue), or there's a good chance of leftover bad tastes.
All is preventable by simply switching out for a new pod, which most often arrive in packs of 2 or 3 for this very reason - pods and coils are meant to be replaced regularly. The effort and precision required to clean a pod with certainty that you’ll leave no residue and flavour behind is too high to justify not simply replacing it, and we would advise against doing so still.
Cleaning Pods With Removable vs Built-In Coils
Simply put, you shouldn’t clean a pod with a built-in coil at all. Coils are not designed to be cleaned. Trying to do so will, at best, mute flavour, and at worst, cause issues. Pods with removable coils can be cleaned adequately, but this doesn’t mean you necessarily should, as explained above. The value of the risk against reward isn’t justifiable, and pods can be quite cheap to purchase.
Why You Should Avoid Cleaning & Re-Using Vape Coils
The most common issue you will run into is muted flavour – awful flavour in worst cases. The cotton used in the wicking port isn’t intended to be rinsed with water, so there are no measures to prevent water damage or poor taste as a result of soaking. Tastes resulting from cleaning coils will be unpredictable, and there’s a near-zero chance your cotton will have no residue left over.
There is also a high risk of contamination, which, above all other reasons, is ultimately the biggest problem with cleaning vape coils. With how accessible new coils and pods are, it’s much more reasonable to swap out your coil or pod entirely as originally intended.
We hold a wide range of coils from the best and most popular brands on the market. Be sure to check our online vape shop, or our showcase below, to stock up:
Browse Vape Coils
Aspire BVC Replacement Coils 1.6ohm - Pack of 5
Aspire Nautilus Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
Aspire PockeX Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
Innokin Endura Prism T18E Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
Innokin Z Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
VooPoo PNP Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
EDGE Pro Replacement Coils - Pack of 2
Vaporesso GTX Replacement Coils - Pack of 5
Conclusion: Using New Coils is Safer Than Cleaning and Re-Using Old Ones
Washing pods and coils is unfortunately an old-school myth that remains in circulation, despite the amount of risks and lack of benefits offered by doing so. Coils will need to be replaced eventually, simply because of how they are designed to work.
Although there is incentive in washing pods, this is swiftly negated when considering the risks and detriments. If your coil does burn out, or you feel that there are flavour complications, simply switch it out for another, rather than taking unnecessary risk. Washing pods is also more effort than necessary, as opposed to simply replacing with a new pod.