How to Clean the Whips of a Vaporizer

One of the most significant disadvantages of utilizing a medical grade silicone whip for vaporization is that they are difficult to clean. Yes, you may sterilize the whips with little quantities of ISO, boiling in water, putting them in the dishwasher, using PBW, and so forth... HOWEVER you're not going to be able to entirely remove that awful yellowish stain.

I had prepared a complete "how to clean your vaporizer whip" essay for thorough cleaning your whips and restoring them to new condition, but the fact is that it is impossible.

Just replacing your unclean vaporizer whips is the best option. You may get a direct replacement from the manufacturer or distributor you purchased it from, or you can buy medical grade silicone tubing in BULK and cut it yourself.

Boiling the vaporizer whips proved to be the best option among the ways I tested for cleaning and removing the yellowish stain that builds on the inside of the whip, and although this works for the most part, it's only good for a couple of cleans until it's necessary to replace the whip.

Well, now that you know the truth, let me go ahead and go through the many cleaning procedures I attempted for vaporizers that employ medical grade silicone whips (I.E. Volcano Hybrid). I'll also suggest a few sites to get original manufacturer replacement whips and sources for purchasing medical grade silicone in bulk.

Ways for Cleaning a Vaporizer Whip

I'll share the findings of the three strategies I employed below. My favored cleaning technique is the boiling water procedure, although none of these ways are perfect. Please leave a comment below if you use any cleaning procedures or what has worked for you.

Soak for PBW

The first approach I tried was a PBW soak, which Troy from 420vapezone advised.

The recipe calls for 2-4 ounces of PBW per gallon of water, so I used around half a cup of PBW for a quart of warm room temperature water.

I then soaked all of the soiled whips in the PWB overnight.

Working with PBW Tip:

Use gloves; although it is safe to use on hands, it will dry them out. If you don't have gloves, that's alright; just be sure you properly wash your hands afterwards.
I removed the whips and thoroughly washed them after they had sat overnight.

The whips were exceedingly clean, but it did not remove ANY of the yellowish stains on the inside. This approach also required the greatest work due to the perfect mixing, the time spent in the bowl, and the cleanup. Although I believe the PBW did a decent job cleaning the whips, it's a lot of work for just middling results.

ISOPROPYL ALCOHOLIC ACID

The second way I tried, and one I've been doing for years, is to rinse everything with ISO.

Insert one end of the whip and pour some iso inside the whip. A tiny quantity of big salt grains may also be used to assist break down some of the components on the inside. Swish the opposite end around the ISO/Salt mixture on the inside.

For the best results, choose ISO 91% or above. SOAK YOUR WHIP IN ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, NOT IN WATER.

Although I've been using this approach the longest, it is by far the worst. It makes the whip's outside and inside incredibly sticky. I've also seen contradictory accounts that ISO may degrade the whip, causing it to dry out, fracture, and even absorb some of the components. Employ this procedure if you're in a hurry, but only use a tiny quantity of ISO and properly rinse the whip after usage.

Vaporizer Whips on the Heat

The last option I attempted was boiling the whips in water, which was by far the best. It took less than 10 minutes, there was no need to order anything, and it eliminated a significant percentage of the yellowish discoloration.

Bring the water to a boil in a big saucepan, then remove from the heat. Put the whips in the saucepan and let aside for a few minutes. Take some tongs, swirl the whips around, and then pull them out.

BEWARE: THESE WILL BE HOT.

Let them to rest for 30 seconds before thoroughly rinsing them.

Tips: A tiny bit of dish soap may be used to assist cut the materials on the inside of the whip, but I didn't and it still worked perfectly.

The final result is that this is the way I propose for cleaning your vaporizer whips. It's simple, doesn't need any additional cleaning equipment, and takes less than 10 minutes. Again, nothing is completely successful, but the boiling procedure was by far the simplest and most effective.

Alternatives for Vaporizer Whip Replacement

When purchasing new whips, you have the option of purchasing them separately or purchasing a bigger roll of tubing and cutting many whips off the roll. Personally, I like to buy the bulk whip and clean it two or three times before tossing it and cutting myself a fresh one.

As a result, there are just a handful vaporizers that provide a whip-type device. Options for the Volcano, Ditanium, Extreme Q, and SSV/DBV desktop vaporizers are shown below. A whip, on the other hand, may be used with any vaporizer, portable or desktop.

For the Storz & Bickel Crafty+ and Mighty vaporizers, for example, I propose the Xmax starry water pipe adapter with whip. It attaches straight to the mouthpiece and has a 14mm female connector, making it a simple whip/glass attachment to your Mighty and Crafty plus vaporizers.