Clean a nectar collector after every 5 to 10 dabs, or sooner if the tip clogs or reclaim collects at the joint. The job takes 10 to 15 minutes with 91% isopropyl alcohol, coarse salt, and pipe cleaners.

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What you need

Step 1: Cool the piece and remove reclaim

Let the nectar collector sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Hot quartz or glass can crack when it hits cold alcohol. Scrape reclaim from the tip with a metal tool and set it aside in silicone. Reclaim at the joint comes out with a cotton swab.

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Step 2: Soak the tip

Titanium and quartz tips go in a jar of 91% isopropyl alcohol for 15 to 30 minutes. Quartz tips tolerate a 99% soak. Glass tips need 20 minutes. Do not soak wood, silicone, or rubber parts in alcohol. Silicone swells and wood dries out.

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Step 3: Clean the body with salt and alcohol

Pour 2 tablespoons of coarse salt into the body tube, then add enough alcohol to cover the salt. Cap both ends and shake for 60 seconds. Salt does not dissolve in alcohol. It works as an abrasive and lifts residue from the inner wall. Repeat the shake if film remains.

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Step 4: Pipe cleaners and small parts

Run a pipe cleaner through the tube from both ends. Bend the tip to reach the curve at the mouthpiece. Dip a cotton swab in alcohol and wipe the joint where the tip meets the body. A second dry swab removes loosened residue.

Step 5: Rinse and dry

Rinse the parts in warm water with a drop of dish soap. Rinse again with plain warm water. Set the pieces upright on a paper towel for 10 minutes. Alcohol left in the tube adds a bitter taste to the next dab.

How often to clean

Titanium vs quartz vs glass tips

Titanium resists chips and takes a full alcohol soak. Quartz handles high heat but cracks from sudden temperature change, so let it cool before cleaning. Glass tips are the most fragile and need a short soak plus a warm water rinse. Replace a tip that has a chip or crack on the edge.

Common mistakes

Storing the piece

Keep the nectar collector upright in a case or on a stand. Store the tip in a separate small container. A clean, dry tip holds flavor better than one with burned residue on the edge.