✨ Why cleaning the Crafty matters
The Crafty is built to last, but every session leaves a thin film of resin in the cooling unit, on the screens, and around the chamber. Because the Crafty is the small, pocketable sibling that tends to get pulled out for a quick single session and tucked away again, it sees a lot of use, so that film builds up faster than you would expect. Left alone it does three things, none of them good:
- Flavor goes flat and harsh. Old resin tastes burnt and stale. A clean cooling unit is the single biggest factor in crisp, true-to-strain flavor from your Crafty.
- Airflow tightens up. Sticky screens and a gummed vapor path make every draw feel like sucking through a straw. Cleaning brings back the easy pull it had on day one.
- Lifespan shortens. Resin creeping toward seals and the heating path makes parts stick and wear early. Two minutes of upkeep now saves a replacement part later.
The good news: the Crafty was engineered to be cleaned. The cooling unit comes apart by hand with no tools beyond a brush and a swab, the materials shrug off an isopropyl soak, and the disassembled unit is even dishwasher safe.
🧰 The tools you need
You almost certainly have most of this already. Storz & Bickel includes a cleaning brush in the box, so start there.
| Tool | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 91%+ isopropyl alcohol | Dissolves resin. Higher percentage means less water, so it cuts grease better and dries faster. 99% is ideal. |
| Cleaning brush | Sweeps loose particles out of the chamber and off the screens between sessions. The one in the box is perfect. |
| Cotton swabs | Spot-scrub stubborn marks and swab out the chamber where a brush cannot reach. |
| Replacement screens | Screens are consumable. Keep a small set on hand so a clogged one never sidelines your Crafty. |
| Warm water + a small dish | A shot glass or bowl to soak parts in, and warm water to rinse everything after. |
📅 How often should you clean?
You do not need to tear the whole thing down after every bowl. The trick is a layered rhythm: a little upkeep often, a real soak occasionally. Since the Crafty usually does one session-ish per charge, it gets used and cleaned often, which actually makes the quick after-session brush easy to fit in.
| How often | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| After each session | Empty the chamber while warm and brush the chamber and cooling unit screen. Residue lifts off easily when the Crafty is still warm. | ~30 sec |
| Weekly | Pop the cooling unit screen out, brush both screens, and swab the mouthpiece and vapor path. | 2 to 3 min |
| Monthly (or every 10 to 15 sessions) | Fully disassemble the cooling unit and soak it, or run it through the dishwasher. Full routine below. | 10 to 15 min plus drying |
🧼 Deep-clean the Crafty cooling unit
The cooling unit is the part that snaps onto the top of the Crafty and holds the flip-up mouthpiece. The Crafty and Crafty+ use the same classic cooling unit as the Mighty, so this routine is identical across all three. It comes apart into the mouthpiece, the cap, the cap lock, two silicone seal rings, the cooling unit screen, and the base. Work over a clean towel so nothing rolls away.
Remove the cooling unit
Let the Crafty cool first. Slide the plastic locking tab to the side, then lift the whole cooling unit off the top of the device.
Disassemble it fully
Pull off the mouthpiece. Slide the cap lock aside and wiggle the cap free. Pop out the cooling unit screen and peel off both silicone seal rings.
Set the seal rings aside
The two silicone seal rings and the cap lock do not need to soak. Wipe them with a damp cloth instead. Repeated soaking can swell silicone over time.
Soak the rest in isopropyl
Drop the metal and plastic cooling unit parts plus the screen into a dish of 91%+ isopropyl alcohol. Let them soak up to 30 minutes (10 is plenty for light buildup).
Scrub the stubborn spots
Pull the parts out and work any leftover resin with a cotton swab or the brush dipped in alcohol. The soak does most of the job.
Rinse well with warm water
Rinse every soaked part until there is no alcohol smell left. You do not want to inhale residue on your next session.
Swab out the chamber
Turn the Crafty upside down so nothing drips inward. Lightly dampen a swab with alcohol and swab the chamber walls. No liquid should reach the heating element below.
Dry fully, then reassemble
Lay all parts on a towel until bone dry. Re-seat the seal rings, drop in the screen, refit the cap and cap lock, click the mouthpiece on, and snap the cooling unit back onto the Crafty.
🫧 The dishwasher method (our favorite shortcut)
Here is the tip most Crafty owners do not realize they can use: the fully disassembled classic cooling unit is dishwasher safe, and from our own experience it works like a charm. It is the most hands-off way to get every part spotless at once.
Take the cooling unit fully apart
Separate the mouthpiece, cap, cap lock, screen, and base, exactly as for the soak.
Set the silicone seal rings aside
Keep the two seal rings out of the dishwasher and just wipe them. Heat and detergent over many cycles can degrade silicone.
Load the parts securely
Place the small metal and plastic parts in the cutlery basket or a closed mesh bag so nothing flies around. Run a normal cycle.
Air dry completely before reassembly
Let everything dry fully, reseat the seal rings, and you are done. Spotless cooling unit, almost zero effort.
🔥 Cleaning the filling chamber & screens
The filling chamber is the oven where your herb or dosing capsule sits, and it has its own screen. This part touches your material directly, so keeping it clean has the biggest impact on taste.
Empty while warm
A warm chamber releases spent herb cleanly. Tip it out, then brush the chamber and the filling chamber screen.
Lift out the chamber screen
The screen sits in the base of the chamber. Work it loose with a fingernail or tool so you can clean both sides.
Soak the screen with the cooling unit
Drop it into the same isopropyl soak. Resin on a screen dissolves in minutes.
Rinse, dry, and reseat
Rinse under warm water, dry completely, and press it back in so it sits flat. A screen that sits proud can block the chamber.
💊 Do not forget your dosing capsules
If you vape with dosing capsules in your Crafty, they need the same care as the cooling unit. A resin-coated capsule chokes airflow and dulls flavor just like a dirty screen.
- Brush between uses. Tip out the spent herb while warm, then brush the cup and the screened lid.
- Soak when sticky. Every few weeks, drop your food-grade aluminum capsules into the isopropyl soak alongside everything else.
- Rinse and dry fully. Warm-water rinse, full dry, then refill. No alcohol smell, no moisture.
Keeping a few spares on hand makes it effortless: clean one set while the other is loaded and ready.
Keep a clean rotation going: 40 dosing capsules
Clean capsules last longer and taste better. With a 40-pack you can soak one batch while another is loaded. Reusable, food-grade, sized for the Crafty.
Shop the 40-pack →♻️ When to replace your screens
Screens are the one part you should treat as consumable. Cleaning extends their life, but they do not last forever. Replace a screen when:
- It stays clogged or discolored even after a full soak.
- It is bent, dented, or no longer sits flat in the chamber or cap.
- Airflow feels restricted with a freshly cleaned, empty Crafty.
As a rule of thumb, daily users swap screens every 1 to 2 months; lighter users go longer. They are inexpensive and sold in sets, so keep a small stash and replace at the first sign of wear rather than fighting a tired screen.