Essential oils - can you just put a drop on the Filter?

[WilsonVilleUSA]

I have a Res-Med AirSense 10 and am interested in using essential oil.

I understand putting a drop or two inside the humidifier tank is a no-no, but was wondering about just putting a drop on the filter. It seems to me this would be a lot simpler than messing with cotton balls, diffuser disks, or other external contraptions to get the smell in the air stream.

Am I missing something? If not a good idea, can someone explain the functional difference of a drop on the filter vs a drop on a cotton ball in front of the air intake?

[chunkyfrog]

The cotton ball can be moved away if the scent is too strong.
It is hard to put ONLY ONE drop anywhere.
If you have a spare filter, you can try it, but not if you have only one.

[Stormynights]

It is so good to see you again. I bought my first machine from you and it smelled so good. I wondered where you were.

[Goofproof]

You could, but you shouldn't, it will ruin the filter and may get into the machine, plus it could be too strong. But you have free will and can do anything even not following the rules. Jim

[bdz]

NOT ON FILTER! Do as Pugsy said. Try to put just 1 drop on a cotton ball. Put it several inches from back vent. I know from experience. Too close can aggravate your sinuses!

[Pugsy]

I will admit that I have thought about putting some oil on the filter but I just never had the guts to do it.
Couple of reasons mainly.
1...didn't want to risk the oil getting up inside the machine (don't know for sure it will or won't) and messing up my expensive machine.
2...depending on the scent involved a tiny drop can end up being pretty powerful and simply so strong it isn't soothing at all. Putting the oil on something else lets you move the something else closer or further away depending on aroma strength. I almost always end up moving the something else away from the air intake because the aroma is too strong.

[DreamStalker]

Putting essential oils in front of air intake will cause the oils to accumulate on the inside of your machine ... which it was not designed for.

Bret, owner of PurSleep products, used to sell a device that could be installed inline between your CPAP machine and the air tube. I used to have one and ended up giving it away to a fellow forum member (as I did not experience any benefit though understand that it may benefit others if nothing else as a placebo). I believe that FDA eventually forced Bret to stop selling it because it was not FDA approved ... though I didn't see the harm if used properly. It looked very much like a bacterial CPAP filter ...



Anyway, he has a new product he calls Fiber Diffusion Pad -- which is similar to what others have mentioned about using a cotton ball a few inches away from machine's intake ....



... but I would definitely avoid putting the oils on the intake filter itself.

[chunkyfrog]

The packaging of the aromatic oils does not facilitate easy application of only ONE DROP.
I wish they came with a dropper tip. More than you need can be most unpleasant.

[Pugsy]

The packaging of the aromatic oils does not facilitate easy application of only ONE DROP.

That's probably one of the main reasons I have never really considered applying the oils to the filter. It's impossible to do just a teeny tiny drop.
I always seem to end up with a lot more dispensed than I want or need and end up having to move the disc/cotton ball further away from the intake.
That and the fact that I can't be absolutely certain that the oil doesn't make it inside the machine if it is placed directly on the filter.

[OkyDoky]

My first thought is that it's OIL. Wouldn't that clog up the filter and make it harder on the machine even if it didn't get into the machine. I don't think most cars run well with a dirty air filter. Maybe not a good analogy but still, I wouldn't take the chance.

[BlackSpinner]

In a lot of health food stores you can get empty bottles and matching eye droppers. Then you simply put the oil (labelled!!!) in the empty bottle and use that. Or you could pick up a syringe for feeding babies and small animals - that would allow you to measure accurately.

[Pugsy]

My first thought is that it's OIL. Wouldn't that clog up the filter and make it harder on the machine even if it didn't get into the machine.

Good point and something that I hadn't even thought of. I just have the "don't add anything to anything that touches the machine" warning playing over and over in my head. Don't add it to the water....and in this case the filter. How much of an impact it might make on the filter might depend on the filter construction. Like in my case the el cheapo A/G aftermarket filters that are more in line with an el cheap furnace filter material or the white fine filter products which if you laid them side by side you could see the difference.

While I am usually up for any new experiments regarding cpaps....this is one that I just don't want to be doing. I don't want to risk damaging the machine even if the risk is small. It's just not worth the gamble since there is an easy and cheap alternative.

[chunkyfrog]

I think a lot depends on your own constitution/sensitivities.
Many of us have encountered the dreaded "over-fragrancer",
who has no idea of what constitutes a hint of scent.
Then there are people who can not BEAR to enter B3,
especially around the holidays.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

Thanks all for the replies.

I guess I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around the functional difference between a diffuser disc in front of the air intake and a drop on the filter itself. Really don't want one more thing on the nightstand. I have a couple oils that are very easily dispensed by a single drop either by bottle tip, dropper, or capillary tube.

Filter material is not much different than a cotton ball. I don't see how 1 small drop of oil every few days would cause an oily intrusion into the machine itself. If the oil particles are going to intrude though the filter, I would imagine having the particles start in inch or two in front of the filter is going to intrude as well.

As for affecting the filter performance, a lot of air filters are oiled to increase performance by trapping finer particles. Certainly would not be coating the filter to that degree though, but it isn't going to be sufficient to block any airflow through the filter.

The only thing I really see as a concern is the lack of "adjustability" of the scent strength. The oils I am thinking to use are pretty light citrus based (blood orange, bergamot, grapefruit) and not strong to start with. My machine only use the disposable filters and I have plenty on hand so if it is overpowering, I can replace it.


Will report back after a few days and let folks know how it turned out, unless of course it kills me in which case I would suggest not doing it.

I am going to give it a shot and see what happens.

[Goofproof]

Let's hear it for natural selection, natures equalizer.... Jim