Dry herb vaporizers have some huge advantages over smoking cannabis. You get more effects from the same amount of herb, because it's more efficient and doesn't burn your marijuana. Vaping is also easier on your lungs, and it tastes and smells better.
But to get the most from your device, you need to make sure you clean your vape on a regular basis. Without proper maintenance, those benefits will quickly go away. Over time, a dirty vape will taste worse, deliver weaker vapor production, and irritate your throat and lungs more. To make sure you get a great vaping experience, every time, you can't avoid cleaning it. Your vaporizer will also work better in the long run and have a longer life.
Rolling up your sleeves and giving your vape device a clean is a small price to pay for the benefits of vaping. Read our complete guide to cleaning a dry herb vaporizer to learn all the ins and outs of cleaning your vape.
But it's not always clear when you should clean your dry herb vaporizer. How often should you clean a vape? What are the signs your device is getting dirty and in need of a thorough cleaning? What should you watch out for?
How to Tell When Your Vape Needs Cleaning
There are a few ways you can tell your vape is getting dirty, and starting to give you lower quality vapor. The first indication is airflow. If you notice it's getting difficult to pull on your mouthpiece, and the amount of vapor you inhale is lower, that's a good sign that there's some gunk in your unit that needs taking care of.
Airflow can also be bad if you've packed your oven too loosely or tightly. So if you've cleaned your vape recently and are still getting bad vapor, make sure you're packing the heating chamber correctly. Grind your herb finely, and don't overload the chamber. This will ensure better airflow throughout the chamber and heat your cannabis evenly.
Another major sign your vape needs maintenance is the taste. If you notice a stale weed flavor mixed in with the taste of your fresh herb, chances are that's coming from residue stuck to the chamber or other parts of the vapor path. That build up will both restrict airflow and create a gross taste. It may also burn in places, adding a burnt taste that won't be pleasant.
Why you should clean vaporizers
Some people might not care about keeping a vape in top condition all the time. But if you keep vaping using a dirty vape, you're going to waste herb. You won't get as many cannabinoids like THC and CBD from your marijuana, and you'll spend more money to get the same effects.
If airflow is getting blocked, your vaporizer isn't working as efficiently. Parts of your cannabis might not get heated properly, due to residue buildup on the sides of the oven chamber. Also, blockage in the mouthpiece section might trap vapor in the upper part of your unit. So even though the vapor is getting produced, it doesn't reach your lips.
Over time, these problems will just get worse, and eventually your vaping sessions will have little or no effect. It'll be frustrating, and a waste of your cannabis. Cleaning vaporizers is a no-brainer, even if it's a bit annoying.
How Often to Clean a Dry Herb Vaporizer
Every time you use your device, you're going to end up with a bit of residue left over. The more sessions you enjoy, the more the gunk will begin to add up. When to clean your vape is going to depend on how often you use it.
One thing you should always do is give your vaporizer a quick clean after every session. Just use a small cleaning brush to sweep out any leftover material in the bowl. Usually a cleaning brush will be included with your device. Wait for the oven to cool down to a safe temperature, but also don't wait too long. It'll be easier to get it clean if you do it while the chamber is still relatively warm.
Doing this will keep vapes performing well session to session but you'll still have to do a more thorough cleaning job on a regular basis to get all the residue. How often to do a deep clean is going to depend on your overall usage level though.
If vaping often, clean vape more frequently
If you're only using your vaporizer once in a while, you don't have to clean it that often. Once every few weeks, or even once a month, is probably fine. If you use your vape all the time, the gunk will accumulate quickly, and you'll probably want to clean it every few days.
That might sound like a lot, but if you don't, you'll be missing out on higher quality sessions. Follow the instructions for your particular vape when doing a deep clean. Usually, you have to disassemble your vaporizer, and clean the removable parts with isopropyl alcohol.
Some parts are meant to soak in alcohol, while others you should just wipe with a cotton swab or q tip. Rinse any parts you've soaked in warm water, and then set them to air dry. Be sure to clean and wipe the mouthpiece as well.
Cleaning the oven is a key part of the cleaning process, but you shouldn't soak it, or rinse it. Usually, just a wipe with the brush and some isopropyl alcohol will do the trick, but follow the instructions for your device. Let it completely dry with the opening facing down.
Don't reassemble your vape until it's safely dry. Be sure to run it with an empty bowl for a few minutes before your next vaping session. This will burn off remaining alcohol which will hurt your lungs and affect the flavor of your weed.
Best Vapes for Cleaning and Maintenance
Not every vaporizer is easy to clean, and if maintenance for your device is annoying, you might find yourself not doing it. For example, your average dry herb vape pen is quite difficult to clean because of how narrow they are.
A multi-oven vaporizer like Furna is helpful here, because you don't have to clean it as often, since you have multiple ovens and the buildup of residue won’t happen as quickly. You can even clean one oven by itself, while still using your device to vape another oven at the same time.
There are other advantages to swappable ovens too. You can pre-pack your bowls, giving you more portability, because you don't have to worry about reloading your vape in an inconvenient location.
Also, there's no need to wait in between bowls to wait for your device to cool down, give it a quick clean, and then reload. With Furna you can instantly swap from a finished oven to a fresh one, with no waiting, because they're insulated and safe to handle right away.
Finally, if you also enjoy cannabis concentrate, Furna also has specialized ovens for extracts. So you can easily switch between dry herb, concentrate, and even 510 oil cartridges, giving you all the options in a single device. Check out Furna vapes and see the difference swappable ovens can make.
