skimmer cleaning questions

[Strider199]

So I've tried a search in this forum but when I type the words 'skimmer cleaning' I get alot of posts about skimmers and after an hour I decided just to ask. When the collection cup is full I am emptying it and then rinsing and drying it out. I am doing this with tap water and paper towels. Then a thought struck me, I wouldn't do this to my freshwater set-up.
My thinking is that the collection cup isn't part of the BB filteration system so cleaning it with tap water and drying it throughly before screwing it back on can't hurt.
Now I have second thoughts just because when I clean my freshwater filters I would never do that, used tank water or treated water is the way I have been taught at the AC.
Yes I'm sucking up.

[Cliff]

Think of your skimmer as a mechanical means to acheive biological filtration, (no bacteria required). Cleaning a skimmer in FW will not hurt anything. It's your live rock that holds your bacteria.

I clean my skimmer cup in fresh water once or twice a week. Every three to six months I take out the whole skimmer and clean it in FW until it looks new again and run the pump in some vinigar water to make sure it gets a good cleaning as well. After a lot of rinsing in RO water, I put it back in sump and it works as as good as new.

[Strider199]

Thanks for the peace of mind Cliff. Thats how I too thought of it. All of a sudden I started thinking, Is this the right way? Saltwater is a real learning experience. Glad your here bud.