How to clean your vaporizer before you get on the plane

Many fans of vaporization wonder if they should take their vaporizer with them when they go on holidays. The good news is that in the majority of cases, you can clean the device so well that you’ll be able to safely bring it on board with you. Find out from this article how to properly clean your vaporizer before the trip and how to protect it while on the move.

Since herbs for vaporization are available in almost every corner of the world, many fans of vaping wonder whether to take their vaporizers with them when they go on holidays if they plan to take a trip on a plane. Let’s start by checking the most crucial part – is It even legal to bring a vaporizer on board?

Vaporizer on a plane – safety regulations

Vaporizers are not on the list of items prohibited on the plane so there are no legal restrictions as to whether you can carry your device with you or not. Theoretically, you can have your vaporizer both in your hand land check-in luggage. In practice, however, you are not allowed to have any devices with any lithium-ion batteries in the check-in luggage due to the cases of explosions of e.g. e-cigarettes that have occurred in the past.

Therefore, if your vaporizer has a replaceable battery, you can put the device into the main luggage and keep the battery in your handbag. If your vaporizer has a built-in battery, like e.g. in PAX 3 Vaporizer, it’s best to keep the device in your hand luggage.

When you go through the security control at the airport, your vaporizer won’t attract any special attention of the staff because it’s not considered a dangerous item. Just make sure it’s free of any herb particles and that it doesn’t release any smell of the material you used. To be on the safe side, you can carry a bag of tobacco and if you’re asked any questions (which is very unlikely), you can say that you use the vaporizer to vape tobacco.

We don’t recommend carrying any vaporizers with built-in batteries in the main luggage as the staff may open the luggage, take the device out (which you’ll find out only after the landing) and fine you for breaking the safety regulations. Whether you put your vaporizer into the hand luggage or you place a vaporizer without the battery into the main luggage, you have to make sure that it’s properly cleaned before the flight.

How to clean the vaporizer before the flight?

Almost every vaporizer can be cleaned well enough for it to be taken on a plane. Some wooden devices, like Sticky Brick Junior or MFLB, are an exception because you can’t clean wood with isopropyl alcohol so it’s very hard to remove all the herb particles and the condensed vapor that sticks to the walls on the inside.

However, the majority of electronic models can be cleaned very precisely. You need to focus on the spots where the vaporizer gets in contact with the material (the heating chamber, the screens) and with the vapor (the vapor path, the screens, and the mouthpiece).

Let’s have a look at the heating chamber first. The first step is to remove the screen from the bottom if your vaporizer has one. Soak a cotton bud in 99% isopropyl alcohol, remove the excess liquid with a paper towel and rub the inside of the heating chamber until you remove all the visible residue.

If you come across a spot that’s hard to clean, try to heat the device up a little and repeat the cleaning process while the chamber is still warm. Also, remember to clean the area around the chamber well to make sure that any surfaces that come in contact with dried herbs get properly cleaned.

The heating chamber may be located at the bottom of the device or just under the mouthpiece. In the first case, you have to clean the whole vapor path (the route down which the vapor moves from the chamber to the mouthpiece). The easiest way to do it is to push a cotton bud or a cleaning rod soaked in isopropyl alcohol down the vapor path.

Repeat this process several times, using a clean cotton bud or a rod every time, until the cleaning accessory comes out completely clean. If the chamber is located just below the mouthpiece, it’s much easier to clean the device. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the whole vapor path and you just need to make sure that any particles of herbs are removed from the air inlets at the bottom of the chamber.

The screen that you remove from the bottom of the chamber can be soaked in isopropyl alcohol, along with a dismantled mouthpiece. Make sure you additionally clean the inside of the mouthpiece with a cotton bud. All the elements that get soaked in alcohol should be rinsed with boiling water afterward.

Once the vaporizer is clean, free from herb particles and any visible impurities, like condensed vapor, you should do a burn-off of the device, just like you did before the first use. Set the maximum temperature and let the device work with an empty chamber until it switches off automatically.

This way, you get rid of any remains of the alcohol you used for cleaning as well as the smell of the product. You can do the burn-off a few times to make sure the device emits no unwanted scent. If you notice any smell after you switch the device on, repeat the whole cleaning process with isopropyl alcohol and do the burn-off again. Eventually, the smell will go completely.

A good idea to mask the smell is to do one vaping session using herbs that have a very intense aroma, like e.g. peppermint. Remember, however, that the smell is a secondary issue – it’s much more important to remove any particles of herbs and the residue accumulated from the condensed vapor.

These are the elements that can get you in trouble if you use medical marijuana in your vaporizer and you travel to a country where this product is illegal. The smell itself is not prohibited by law and it’s just a trace that won’t get you in trouble when you travel within European Union.

However, make sure to be extra careful if you go to countries like the the United Arab Emirates or Singapore. In those cases, it’s better to simply leave your vaporizer at home.

Vaporizer on holidays – why not?

If you clean your vaporizer properly before you get on board a plane, you’ll have no problems at all. Remember that if you use your vaporizer while on holidays, you have to make sure that you clean it properly again before your return flight.

Take a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol with you, along with some cotton buds, the rods and all the accessories you normally use for cleaning. If you have any doubts about how to clean a specific model of a vaporizer before the flight, send us a message and we’ll be happy to help!

If you have doubts whether your vaporizer is suitable for aromatherapy or you would like to get more information about it – contact us, our experts will be happy to give you professional and free advice!