If your atomizer has you feeling that you are sucking on a pinched straw, then chances are it needs a really good clean.

 

But before you clean it – check the contacts are clean on the battery and the atomizer, as  sometimes a poor performing atty is due to poor battery power caused by dirty contacts.

 

But if you still have that pinched-straw ‘sucking’ thing going on – then let’s clean!

 

First – you have to be sensible, as this involves HOT WATER – you want it too hot to touch.

 

Hold the atomizer tank side/battery side up (with pliers, or BBQ tongues – something that grips well and gives you distance between your hands and the hot water), and allow the HOT water to drain through to the threaded end. Hold the atty over a bowl or the sink, and keep pouring hot water through it, until the water runs clear. It will be a tobacco brown to start with.

 

Once you have clear water running through your atty, let the atomizer cool before you touch it, but when cool enough to handle, blow out as much water as possible and then leave to dry completely.

 

Once your atty is completely dry, prime with 4-5 drops of e-liquid or VG or PG and you should be up and vaping with a great working atty!

 

But how do you clean your atty?  Found an awesome way? Leave a comment and let us know.

 

OK, You’ve been happily vaping e-juice, your flavour of choice has been menthol, but now when you vape it, you cant taste it? If this has happened (or is happening) to you, then it’s menthol mouth.

What causes it?  Is it the atomiser? Perhaps it is a wicking problem?

No, it’s neither of these.

What appears to be known as ‘menthol mouth’ or ‘vapours tongue’ is a strange affliction that smokers of mainly menthol e-cigs, (and even menthol analogue’s) can experience; which is basically a loss of taste. Vapours tongue can be due to the use of large amounts of menthol containing e-liquids, resulting in the deadening of taste for a period, with the result that all e-liquids become tasteless until menthol use is reduced or ceased. Cinnamon has also been implicated.

However, menthol and cinnamon may not be the only culprits since many e-cig users have report that all e-liquids they vape can unexplainably lose their flavour for a time. So why is this? If it’s not just your taste buds being whazzed by the strong menthol, could it also be a change in taste perception and your taste buds re-adjusting?

There is a loss of taste when smoking tobacco cigarettes, so when the taste buds return to life after the switch to e-cigs, there could be a period when taste goes dead for a time, especially during the first few months off the cigarettes, even for those who have not used menthol. I’m not too sure about this, but it is an explanation that has been posted on the forum, and there may be some truth to it.

But what can you do about it? How do you get rid of menthol mouth?

There are several suggested cures for this condition – one is to stop smoking menthol for a while – choose another flavour and let your taste buds recover. Another is to drink plenty of water (seems sensible), as e-smoking can dehydrate you, and the water will freshen the mouth. Another cure is to have a packet of cough sweets handy, and if you think you have menthol mouth but don’t want to give up the menthol, suck on a cough sweet and then have a vape!  One man swears by it!

Within 2 – 4 weeks of switching from smoking tobacco cigarettes to e-cigs, your sense of smell and taste comes back.  If you have smoked tobacco cigarettes for a long time, then chances are the odour is still in your house and car, and you are now aware of it. The sticky tar from the cigarette smoke traps the smell as it lands on your walls, furniture, windows, and ceilings; basically it will be in and on everything. So this week, we get the rubber gloves on to give you some practical advice on how to get rid of the unwanted smell cheaply and in an environmentally friendly way too.

We are going to use vinegar, yes – plenty of lovely vinegar!  But that smells too! I hear you cry, I know it does, but the smell goes after a few hours, taking the cigarette smell with it.

So, gloves on, apron on and lets go!

• First let’s do the car – this is easy: air fresheners do not remove smells they mask them, so they are a short-term solution. Vinegar on the other hand absorbs odour. The leftover resin and tars from the smoke cause the cigarette smell, and vinegar being an acid cuts through them.

• Once you have thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed you car, get a couple of plastic tubs – like an ice cream tub, and place in a folded cloth or towel that has been soaked in distilled white vinegar. You will need several tubs ,one to have near the ashtray, the other one or two place under the passenger seats. Leave them in the car for several days – at least 48 hours. And yes, your car will smell of vinegar while the vinegar is absorbing the cigarette odour, but after a couple of days remove the tubs with the cloths, let the car ventilate, and the smell of cigarettes and vinegar should pretty much be gone. DO NOT USE the vinegar solution to wash the fabric upholstery of your car, either use a cleaner designed for car upholstery, or seek professional advice.

Now for your home:

Note:  for fabrics it is best to get a professional cleaner in, and seek advice if you are unsure at all, but do check the labels on curtains as some can be put in the washing machine.  This blog is for information – but you must take responsibility.

• Washing down walls and windows that are stained with tar:

 

Get a large bucket, and using luke warm water, add one cup of white distilled vinegar to every two cups of water. Wash the walls and windows gently, have the windows open too, as the fresh air will help disperse the smell of vinegar. You may be surprised at the amount of dirty yellow tar that comes off on the cloth! Do not use the vinegar on varnished surfaces or leather; use the correct polish for these surfaces.

 

• Don’t forget to clean the light bulb – when it is switched off and has cooled down after use, as this too will have tar on it, and every time it warms up lighting your room – it will be gently wafting that stale cigarette smell around.

 

• Plants – Apparently plants emit a water vapour in such a way that pulls in contaminated air, converting it into food for the plant. Some scientists who were studying ‘sick building syndrome’ discovered this plant action.  The plants they suggest best for cigarette smell are: spider plants, peace lilies and bamboo palm.

If you are a fan of air fresheners, then look for odour eliminators, and ones that have activated charcoal in them, as again this absorbs odours and doesn’t mask them.

So, a few hints and tips on how to get rid of unwanted cigarette smells. Vaping doesn’t smell, so why should your home? If you have found any unusual or environmentally friendly ways to get rid of cigarette odour – then please share them it with us!

When I typed the word ‘denormalization’ into Google, I expected to see lots of social studies, a bit of pop psychology and maybe some sprinkling of NLP. But no, the word denormalization is a computing term.

 

I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of the geek speak until I found this excellent quote on a forum posted way back in 2006.

“De-normalization is a term that is used by poor database designers to explain why their design is a huge stinking pile of ****. Most often, they don’t understand how to create a normalized design, so when someone objects that a design is not normalized, they explain it away by claiming they de-normalized it for performance reasons. That is by far the most practical and common use for de-normalization. There are also a small number of expert designers who understand that a de-normalized design can increase performance in one part of a system while imposing a substantial penalty in performance and maintainability in other parts of the system. On rare occasions and after proper analysis of the relative costs and benefits, they may decide on a de-normalized design. However, this is very rare.”

 

This applies so neatly to the denormalization of smoking. We see lots of people running around (like the anti-smoking lobby), making up theories and programs that don’t really work.   I need not remind you of the recent research proving NRT in the long term doesn’t work, but  the anti lobby group have refused to admit this for years. And yes, there might be improved performance in one area at the expense of the other – non smokers can now go to a restaurant and no longer come out smelling of cigarette smoke, but then there is the Pub Industry that is on its knees as a direct result of the smoking ban. Pubs are no longer a place to relax; they are soft play areas for kids.

 

Further delving and looking into Google has revealed that research published back in 2008 (link below) was about denormalization and smoking, so it was already taking place probably in 2006-2007.

 

Reading the abstract alone reveals phrases like: ‘smoking depicted in the media in overwhelmingly negative ways’, and ‘smoking positive cultures have been severely eroded’, and my favourite ‘the spoiled identity of the smoker’.  As one journalist from the free society website wrote:  But smoking can’t be denormalized, only smokers, (see link below). It is the people that end up being stigmatized during this ‘denormalization’ process, not the object – i.e. the actual cigarettes.

And that favorite quote of mine, ‘the spoiled identity’ has been credited back to a chap called Ervin

Goffman  who was one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century. He defined Stigma as:

The phenomenon whereby an individual with an attribute is deeply discredited by his/her society is rejected as a result of the attribute. Stigma is a process by which the reaction of others spoils normal identity. (Goffman, 1963).

So when you read the politically correct phrase that says governments or lobbyist are aiming to ‘denormalize’ a behavior, what they are really saying is they are on the PR drive to stigmatize those taking part in whatever behavior they feel should be denormalized.

http://www.thefreesociety.org/Articles/Features/denormalisation-and-democracy

 

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/17/1/25.full

“Both Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation couldn’t comment – they’d never heard of tobacco liqueur.”

Neither had I till I read the article by Daniel Tapper in the Guardian Online.

A very enterprising Frenchman – Ted Breaux – is producing tobacco liqueur that is taking the trendier nightspots of London by storm.

 

Daniel mentions a few creative souls who went before Ted, one chap who invented the ‘nicotini’ back in 2003, and another in 2010 – a Jonathon Condesa who invented the aptly named D. F Irreverent cocktail that consisted of rum, pineapple juice and the contents of a cigarette that was then strained out of the drink. Doesn’t sound very pleasant from here!

 

But back to Ted and his Periqu Liqueur.  The taste as described by him is

“Sitting in an old leather armchair, in a cosy library where your favourite grandfather has smoked his pipe a few hours before.”  Makes it sound very calming and relaxed, and I wonder how that evocative feeling translates to a taste.

 

The mixture of tobacco and alcohol in one glass though is enough to make the anti smoking brigade swoon, so lets bring in the health police, and see what they say. The Cancer Research and Heart Foundation guys won’t comment yet, as they’ve never heard about it. What about ASH?  Their comment –  ”There is no safe exposure to tobacco no matter how small. And it would seem like a bad idea to promote the taste or aroma of tobacco, especially to someone who is trying to give up smoking.”

Maybe the folk giving up the fags might have the sense to stay away from it, but the anti smoking guys don’t seem to like it, and it will be interesting to see what they can find to try and discredit this, even though it is not tobacco, it is nicotine.  The tobacco leaves have been distilled in alcohol, and the levels in the drink will be minimal.

 

I love cocktails, I tend to go for the sour ones, like margheritas, but I would be curious to try this – just to see if it does taste like my idea of a leather armchair and the smell of pipetobacco.

What about you?