There are things people will tell you are ok and there are things people will say should not be used. I've heard glass bead media should be avoided because the tiny balls can work their way between the electrode and the ceramic insulator...become jammed in that space and then fall back inside the cylinder when the plug heats and that space expands, but I don't know. I've always just used the media that comes with the cleaner. It lasts a long time and the only thing you have to do is to smack them a bit against a piece of wood or such to dislodge any particles that might remain. Now having said this, a friend uses a MAPP torch torch to clean plugs. He heats them up and when they cool he wipes off the ash with a small stainless brush. Or you could duct tape them all to that part in your dishwasher that spins around and run them through a couple of cycles. Use lots of duct tape if you do this and take some digital images for us.
