In many ways squonk mods offer the ultimate compromise between flavour potential and e-liquid capacity, but they do require a little extra maintenance, especially after heavy use.
Some users may notice an off-taste when a specific squonk bottle has been used for a long period of time and though the obvious solution is to replace it with a new one, they can be difficult to source for some proprietary bottles and in other cases, are simply quite expensive. Luckily, there are ways to significantly extend the lifespan of each bottle.
As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure. For this reason, we recommend thoroughly soaking your bottle in warm water and then allowing to air dry each time you intend to switch flavours. This isn’t always practical but it’s a good habit to get into and will minimise the need for deep cleaning methods.
Let’s start with something you’re better off avoiding.
Isopropyl alcohol:
Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used as a cleaning solution and for many applications it works a treat. Unfortunately, we’ve found that’s not the case with squonk bottles. In our experience, the aroma of isopropyl alcohol lingers on the silicone, even after thorough rinsing and you certainly don’t want that making its way into your e-liquid.
Now, onto the good stuff!
Everclear:
Everclear is a 190-proof spirit that we have found to be particularly effective for cleaning squonk bottles. Simply submerge your heavily used bottles in a Tupperware full of the spirit, close the lid and allow to soak for 2-5 hours.
Once soaked, make sure to thoroughly rinse the bottles with warm water, then allow to air dry. We have found this method to make bottles good as new, even after going through this process more than once.
The only downside to this method is that Everclear is quite difficult to find due to excessive demand at the time of writing, so if you don’t already have some, this might be tricky.
Boiling water:
The boiling water method is our favourite because it’s essentially free and can be repeated as often as you like, with minimal fuss.
Place all affected bottles in a large ceramic mug, then boil water with a kettle and carefully fill the mug, making sure to fill each bottle with boiling water in the process. Allow the bottles to soak for 10 minutes, then repeat the process 3-5 times, depending on how heavily stained the bottles are. Then allow the bottles to air dry, which typically takes less than an hour. You don’t even need to worry about rinsing them!
We find that this method works equally well as Everclear, with no obvious down sides. In some extreme cases, such as bottles being exposed to sun light or allowed to sit full of e-liquid for extended periods, these methods wont work. If that’s the case, it’s unfortunately time to find some new bottles.
If your bottles aren’t past the point of no return, though, you should now be able to keep your squonk mods feeling fresh for much longer.
