# The best way to clean a vaporizer?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-way-to-clean-a-vaporizer/106234>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 29, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-way-to-clean-a-vaporizer/106234 "2002-04-29T05:50:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-way-to-clean-a-vaporizer/106234/1 "2002-04-29T05:50:30Z")

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My vaporizers have openings too small to fit my had through, so I’m wondering how I’m supposed to clean the things (our water is “rich” in iron so it builds up in the vaporizers as the water evaporates, which is why I need to clean them). Any tried and true methods used by people here?

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**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-way-to-clean-a-vaporizer/106234/2 "2002-04-29T05:55:03Z")

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Here, you can buy vaporiser cleaning tablets. I’ve found denture cleaning tablets work just as well. YMMV.

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**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-way-to-clean-a-vaporizer/106234/3 "2002-04-29T19:08:45Z")

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Please, make sure your vaporizer is unloaded before you try to clean it. There’s nothing more horrible than an accidental discharge while cleaning a vaporizer, and next thing you know there’s a hole in the wall you can drive a truck through and a steaming pile of soot that used to be Uncle Jimmy. Vaporizer safety is _very_ important.

Remember: You should always treat any energy weapon as loaded/fully charged at all times. That goes for vaporizers, disentigrators, disruptors, phasers and blasters.