Coronavirus - A Vaper’s Guide on what to do during lockdown
There are many thing you will need to consider as a vaper going through lockdown, this article will shed some light on vaping etiquette and maintaining a proper level of hygiene to protect you and your surroundings; as well as practical tips on how to avoid vaping too much out of boredom or running out of supplies. Furthermore we will touch on how to get your vaping supplies in the time of uncertainty and what to look out for.
Vaping Etiquettes
A number of us will not face lockdown alone, if you live with family or share a house with other dwellers, it’s important to be mindful of your surroundings. During lockdown we will spend most of our time indoors, if you’re an avid cloudchaser, things will not look so bright for other home dwellers when the interior is suddenly foggy 24/7. Although vaping does not come with the negative aspect of second hand smoking with studies showing no negative effects of second hand vapour, it’s just not polite; so for the sake of others, we strongly suggest keeping that to a minimum.
It’s important to note however that this advice also applies to public spaces. At this time people are very conscious about their health. Even though there is no evidence showing vaping poses an increased risk of contracting the virus, many members of the public might be concerned about partially inhaling vapour from another person. We strongly recommend keeping a 2m distance and paying attention to factors such as wind direction to ensure whatever you exhale doesn’t get inhaled by anyone else, also be mindful that for some 2m distance will not be enough, especially if your device produces a lot of vapour.
If you’re a sub-ohm vaper. It might be beneficial to lower the wattage of your device or temporarily switch to smaller vape pens or pods if maintaining enough distance if not viable.
Vaping and Hygiene
You probably wash your hands maniacally by now which is great, but as we try to improve our hygiene we sometimes miss the obvious. One big thing is our phones, when was the last time you sanitize your phone? But a bigger concern for us vapers are our devices. Studies have shown that the coronavirus can live on metal and plastic surfaces for an extended amount of time.
Consider how many times you subconsciously touch your face during the day, now add to it the contact between the drip tip and your mouth every time you vape. Every drag is a potential for infection, maintaining a good vaping hygiene is therefore essential.
Santisize your device with anti-bacterial wipes multiple times a day, even though it may not be necessary it helps to build a habit. Everytime you go outside, pay attention to your vape. If you’re shopping for instance we recommend holding off from vaping until you come back home and sanitize your hands to minimise the chance of infection. Frequently disassemble your device and clean it under hot water. And lastly and most importantly, do not share your device with anyone else.
Vaping Frequency
As we spend more time indoors, working from home or social distancing, the boredom associated with isolation can often result in vaping more than you usually do. As we adapt to the new situation it’s important to identify triggers that might cause you to vape more than you actually need. Triggers such as the aforementioned boredom in combination to anxiety or lack of structure to your day. It’s very common for people to vape more when you don’t have to wait for your designated break from work. Being mindful of your vaping habits can easily help you to vape just enough to keep your cravings at bay.
Vaping Supplies - Make them last longer
During its time it’s also worth while trying to make things a little bit efficient. We mentioned before about identifying triggers that make you vape more than you need. If you’re working from home it’s useful to set up a break schedule, it’s tempting to just vape away at your temporary work station, but that is just a gateway to vaping your supplies away. We also recommend keeping your device away from you, it’s a common tactic which is successfully used in tackling phone overuse, simply don’t have your kit lying around where you’re most likely to use it a lot, remember, vaping out of boredom is your enemy number 1.
We also recommend vaping outdoors if you can do so safely. You can create a schedule where you allow yourself a quick vape break. If you use this system you can easily control your use with the added benefit of a nice break from the indoors.
It’s crucial that you get the most out of what you have. Many people have been tracking their use of food or medicine, we strongly recommend doing that as well, see the chart below to understand better how long you can expect to get out of your e-liquids or coils. For some it might be obvious, but for others it might be an important eye opener.
Vaping and Health
Although there is no link between vaping and increased risk of Coronavirus, it’s very important to understand that if you are unfortunate enough to contact the COVID-19 disease you can experience respiratory problems such as shortness of breath. In serious instaces we strongly recommend taking a break in order to ensure a safe recovery as vaping can irritate lungs which are under stress.