We don’t have to tell you how frustrating it is when you have a bottle of vape juice that won’t open – after all, your frustration led you to this very article. You’ve got an empty tank and a bottle of e-liquid, and you want to vape. When you try to open your vape juice, though, the lid just spins and spins. What’s going on?
In this article, you’re going to find some real solutions that can help. Problems with opening a vape juice bottle almost always happen due to issueswith the child-safe cap, and we’re going to give you five solutions for dealing with that. We’ll also end the article by leaving you with one simple tip that can almost guarantee the problem won’t happen again in the future.
The Tighten-then-Untighten Method
We’re going to start with the simpler methods for opening a vape juice bottle before proceeding to the more complicated – and potentially destructive – methods. We’re also going to assume that you’ve got a plastic vape juice bottle with a child-safe cap. If you’re using a glass bottle with a twist-off cap that’s not child resistant, proceed straight to the Get-a-Better-Grip Method below.
If you’re having trouble getting a bottle of vape juice open, the most likely cause is that the child-safe mechanism isn’t engaging when you push down on the cap. Here’s a slightly counterintuitive solution that solves this problem most of the time. Simply turn the cap clockwise until it’s fully tightened and try opening the bottle again. Most likely, your bottle will open on the first try. If it doesn’t, continue to the next solution below.
The Push-Really-Hard Method
If your vape juice bottle doesn’t open with the Tighten-then-Untighten method, don’t despair – we have several other ideas for you. The most common reason why a vape juice bottle doesn’t open is because vape juice gets inside the child-resistant mechanism in the cap. That causes the mechanism to become slippery, so it doesn’t engage when you try to open the bottle. Sometimes, you can overcome the lack of friction by pushing very hard on the cap before turning it. Push much harder than you normally would. If you begin to feel a little friction when you turn the cap, you’ve just about got it. Be persistent.
The Get-a-Better-Grip Method
Another reason why a vape juice bottle can sometimes be difficult to open is because e-liquid often gets on the outside of the cap, and that makes it hard to get a grip. Here are a few methods that work well for getting a better grip on a vape juice bottle when it’s slippery.
- Wear a pair of work gloves. Even rubber gloves for dishwashing can do the trick.
- Wrap a rubber band tightly around the lid to provide extra friction.
- Use one of the silicone jar-opening tools that you can find in stores that sell kitchen supplies.
- Grip the lid with a dish rag.
- If all else fails, you can use a pair of pliers to get a better grip on the cap for a vape juice bottle. If that doesn’t work, the pliers might come in handy later.
The Temperature-Differential Method
In some cases, opening a stubborn vape juice bottle is actually as simple as changing its temperature. There are two ways of going about this.
- You can run warm water over the bottle for several minutes. Vape juice is water soluble, so this can potentially dissolve any gunk in the bottle that’s causing the child-safe mechanism to stick.
- You can put the bottle in the freezer for a couple of hours. Freezing increases the viscosity of vape juice, which may create the necessary level of friction for the child-safe cap to work properly.
The Brute-Force Method
Are you still unable to get your bottle of vape juice open after trying all of the tricks in this article? If so, you’ll need to apply a bit more force. Be warned that if this method works, it’ll probably damage the cap for your vape juice bottle permanently – so you’ll most likely need to leave the cap off until you’ve used the rest of the e-liquid in the bottle. There are two ways to do this.
- Grip the cap tightly with a pair of pliers. Squeeze the cap enough to deform it. While the cap is deformed, try opening it. If this doesn’t work, try the next method.
- Put the tip of a butterknife under the cap and use it to pry the cap off of the bottle. Be warned that some plastic caps are very strong, so if the butterknife starts to bend, you should give up. You don’t want the knife to break.
If you break the cap in the process of opening your vape juice bottle, you’ll need a way to keep the bottle closed until you’re finished with it. Try covering the bottle with a piece of aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can place it in a zip-top plastic bag. Remember that without the child-safe lid, you’ll need to be especially careful in making sure that the bottle stays where little hands can’t reach it.
How to Make Vape Juice Bottles Easier to Open in the Future
With luck, you used the tips in this article and were successful in getting your vape juice bottle open. Now that you’ve succeeded, the final step is to ensure that the situation won’t repeat itself in the future.
As we explained earlier in the article, the most common reason why a vape juice bottle becomes difficult to open is because e-liquid gets inside the child-resistant mechanism in the cap, making it slippery. The mechanism doesn’t engage when you push down on the cap, so the cap simply spins when you turn it.
Once you’ve solved that issue, your next priority is to prevent it from happening again – and you can do that by keeping e-liquid out of the cap. Every time you refill your tank or pod, use a paper towel to dry the bottle’s nozzle and lid. If you do that, vape juice should never have a chance to get inside the child-safe mechanism, and that should resolve the issue permanently.
