# My experience using Powdered Brewery Wash for cleaning vape stuff **URL:** \ **Category:** Vape Help\ **Created:** [August 8, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166 "2026-08-08T21:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/tigolebitties/32/9669_2.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/1 "2026-08-08T21:17:46Z")
Hi All, I wanted to give a quick write-up of my experience using Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW) as a cleaner instead of ISO. Please don’t take this as a guide, it’s just my thoughts following my first cleaning with it. First a little summary about PBW from Gemini _Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW) is a safe, non-hazardous, buffered alkaline cleaner used to remove caked-on organic soil, proteins, and krausen from brewing equipment. [[1](https://fivestarchemicals.com/pbw-cleaner-1bs), [2](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:11544854613897580295,catalogid:9667703846930879705,gpcid:6493563187036920233,mid:576462563912766255&ibp=oshop), [3](https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/powdered-brewery-wash)]_ _ **Key Features** _ \*\* **Safe on Metals:** Unlike caustic soda, it will not corrode soft metals like aluminum, brass, or stainless steel.\* \*\* **Active Oxygen:** Uses active oxygen to penetrate carbon and protein soils.\* \*\* **Hard Water Tolerant:** Formulated with chelators to work effectively in hard water environments. [[1](https://torontobrewing.ca/products/five-star-pbw-powdered-brewery-wash-1-lb), [2](https://www.graintoglass.ca/products/powdered-brewery-wash-pbw-50lb), [3](https://brewhq.ca/products/5-star-pbw-powdered-brewery-wash?srsltid=AfmBOorToCL_Mn3MSXf2_GcC2fyeJCK1cinwn-oVM909nrQOxgFk0TVc), [4](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:11544854613897580295,catalogid:9667703846930879705,gpcid:6493563187036920233,mid:576462563912766255&ibp=oshop)]\* _ **Standard Usage** _ \*\* **Hot-side cleaning (kettles/tanks):** Dissolve 1 to 2 ounces per gallon of warm/hot water.\* \*\* **Cold-side cleaning (fermenters/kegs/bottles):** Dissolve ¾ to 1 ounce per gallon of water.\* \*\* **Process:** Soak or circulate the solution, then rinse thoroughly with water. _Note: Do not mix with hot water in an airtight container, as it creates pressure._ [[1](https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/powdered-brewery-wash), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdSKtiPZaUU&t=16), [3](https://torontobrewing.ca/products/five-star-pbw-powdered-brewery-wash-1-lb), [4](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:11544854613897580295,catalogid:9667703846930879705,gpcid:6493563187036920233,mid:576462563912766255&ibp=oshop)]\* PBW is most effective when used in around 60C water according to what I read. I bought a basic sous-vide machine to control the water temp and put some glass vape stems and WPAs in a mason jar along with a disassembled Frolic CU **no aluminum heatsink**. PBW can cause pitting on aluminum and it is a sensitive metal so not worth the risk when cleaning vapes. I filled the quart (basically 1 liter) mason jar with tap water and added 2 tsp, which is on the higher side to help with thick resin stains. My glass is kinda thick but you could put a silicone mat or towel at the bottom of the jar for safety but I didn’t. Could also use a ziploc but I didn’t want to risk a leak for my first time. I put the mason jar in a pan with my sous-vide attached set to 60C and added water to match the level in the jar, and stay in the min/max range of my sous-vide machine. I had some really nasty thick resin stains on some Solo WPAs, glass stems and the Frolic CU so I waited a full hour. Rinsed everything in hot tap water after pulling them out of the jar and most stains slid right off. A few things required brushing while rinsing in hot water to dislodge stuff. The PEEK Frolic CU needed the most brushing but stuff came off. I still find I didn’t get the “squeaky” clean effect i.e. things still felt sticky on some pieces even with nothing visible but I wiped these with ISO wipes and that worked. Because I still needed at least **some** iso, I’m not sure this is a total success. I want something cheaper and less environmentally damaging so I’ll see if I can improve things in the next cleanings. Edit: I left all silicone gaskets/o-rings in the PBW bath as it’s safe for those which is a bonus. I would suggest letting them cool after the hot bath before using them as they’ll deform when hot. ---
**Author:** ![1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/1130somewhere/32/10929_2.png) [@1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/1130somewhere)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/2 "2026-08-09T14:38:39Z")
Be aware that PBW will remove anodization from titanium pieces. ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/tigolebitties/32/9669_2.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/3 "2026-08-09T14:43:36Z")
Ok, that’s good to know. I think I only had stainless, glass, silicone and PEEK stuff in my batch of things. Doesn’t removing titanium anodization help titanium look shiny again? I don’t know if I own any titanium that was anodized on purpose. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/1130somewhere/32/10929_2.png) [@1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/1130somewhere)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/4 "2026-08-09T14:49:49Z")
PBW is great for glass. My Simrell Hyper 9, however, was a lovely purple before I dunked it. If I had wanted to return it to shiny titanium, I’d have been pleased in the end, but after a short soak, it came out light greenish (the tip had been heated and retained more color at first), which was rather disappointing, surprising, even a little upsetting. With a second soak, it was back to plain shiny titanium. ---
**Author:** ![stickstones](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/stickstones/32/8_2.png) [@stickstones](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/stickstones)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/5 "2026-08-10T18:52:06Z")
did it anodize again with further use? ---
**Author:** ![1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/1130somewhere/32/10929_2.png) [@1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/1130somewhere)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/6 "2026-08-11T00:16:52Z")
I don’t know. I decided to sell it to someone who wanted a Hyper 9. ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/tigolebitties/32/9669_2.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 12:25am UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/7 "2026-08-11T00:25:48Z")
I’m pretty sure a flame or induction would bring the oxidation layer back over time. ---
**Author:** ![1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/user_avatar/420vapegeeks.com/1130somewhere/32/10929_2.png) [@1130somewhere](https://420vapegeeks.com/u/1130somewhere)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://420vapegeeks.com/t/my-experience-using-powdered-brewery-wash-for-cleaning-vape-stuff/3166/8 "2026-08-11T21:55:30Z")
Perhaps I should clarify, this was electrochemically anodized, not from heat application. Before and after photos: ![IMG_3941](https://420vapegeeksdiscourse-803871049052-us-east-2-an.s3.dualstack.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/original/2X/5/591f21028a9122bd891220e9fd45c514ba4f7c73.jpeg)