I'm Afraid You'll Think I'm Disgusting

[dvejr]

but I use the same hose for 2 or 3 years and never clean it.
I rinse my nasal pillows once a month or so.
Never even tried to wash the headgear/straps/bands of whatever device I was wearing.
I clean my humidifier tank every 60 days or so, when I notice it getting slimy.
I think I am a negative role model....

[Pugsy]

Well join the club...I have a heated hose with over 10,000 hours on it that has never been washed.
I do wash my headgear but only when I need to shrink it a bit because it does tend to stretch out a little....maybe once every 3 or 4 months.
I wash the water chamber when I think about it which is maybe every 2 or 3 months....like you...whenever it starts feeling slimy.
The nasal pillows...maybe every couple of weeks or longer. Whenever I think about it which isn't very often.

So...yeah...some people will think we are disgusting but you know what...I don't care. I am happy with my cleaning routine or I suppose more accurately...lack of cleaning routine.

[linuxman]

I'm of a similar mind on this. I do wash my cushions daily to keep the silicone nice and grippy, but the tube...naah, not going to clean that for a long time. I see no reason to. It's just blowing filtered air. The tube is always dry, even when I was running humidty. I make sure there are no condensing conditions (heated tube).

[Sheriff Buford]

Are you kidding? I have a relative (on Mrs Buford's side) that was a boilermaker in a Refinery. He wore those blue gean overalls. He would fry up a couple of eggs every morning, put them on his overall pocket, and when he felt the urge, he would reach into his pocket, grimey hands and all, pull out the fried egg and pop it in his mouth. If anyone said anything, he'd say, "what?"
Sheriff

[raisedfist]

I never wash my tubing or my humidifier chamber. The only reason I wash my mask once a week or so is that I find I get a better seal by doing so. I breathe through my mouth so it kind of makes my mask stink after a while...

[OkyDoky]

Have no fear! To each his own. I do wipe my mask down each morning with a baby wipe mainly trying to make it last longer. The rest is on an as needed basis. I did once get the pink slime in my humidifier so I do watch for any slimy feel. And I had a batch of distilled water that left a sandy grit in my tank so had to change where I bought the water.
The most unneeded cpap purchase I made was for tube brushes in both sizes.

[LSAT]

I'm with dvejr...never wash my hose...rarely wash my mask (only wipe with baby wipes). every month or two I boil my mask cushions to keep them clear. Mask is 18 months old and my cushions are changed at about 12 months. I do rinse my humidifier monthly with clear tap water but use distilled water nightly. Current container is as old as my machine...about 30 months.

[Pugsy]

The most unneeded cpap purchase I made was for tube brushes in both sizes.

I never fell for that one but I did think about it early on in my therapy when I was doing the whole shebang cleaning religiously every Sunday afternoon. That got old real fast.
Kinda like with kids...the first one we keep spotless and don't want to get dirty ever...by the time we get to the 3rd or 4th..we tell them to go and make mud pies.

[OkyDoky]

The most unneeded cpap purchase I made was for tube brushes in both sizes.

I never fell for that one but I did think about it early on in my therapy when I was doing the whole shebang cleaning religiously every Sunday afternoon. That got old real fast.
Kinda like with kids...the first one we keep spotless and don't want to get dirty ever...by the time we get to the 3rd or 4th..we tell them to go and make mud pies.

And now we know that those mud pies were healthy for the kids. http://www.webmd.com/parenting/d2n-stop ... rms?page=1

[Okie bipap]

When I first started, I washed everything weekly. Now, I wash my mask about once a week, and the water tank once a month if I think of it. The last time I washed it, I found some deposits on the bottom of it. It took quite a bit of scrubbing to get it out. I bought a few gallons of distilled water from a local grocery chain and I think that's where the deposit came from. I normally get my water from Walmart or or the base commissary. I may have washed my headgear once or twice since I started treatment two years ago.

[grayghost4]

Ditto on the hose brush

[palerider]

I started with a used machine, used hose, and used mask... I did wash the hose when I got it, also found that running hot water through it helped straighten out the kinks.. I may have washed it a couple times more, but rapidly decided that was too much of a pain. I'm on my second hose in seven years, and the only reason I bought this one was that it's longer than the old one.

I used to wash my FFM weekly, I'd take it apart, hot water and dawn... let it dry. nightly I'd wipe the cushion with purel to remove any facial oils.

now with the P10, I rarely mess with the frame/mesh, and just swipe the pillows with a bit of purel, again, just to de-oil they so they don't end up slippery.

most of the cleaning advice is from the same mindset of "cook all meat to 165+, don't leave out food for more than two hours, throw out leftovers after 2 days" basically "best practices in a worst case situation", that and lawyer CYA. ain't nobody taking away my 131 degree steaks or 140 degree chicken breasts...

[Janknitz]

I never wash my hose.
I sometimes wash my mask (not often)
I sometimes wash my humidifier chamber (not often)
I very rarely wash the straps and covers--if at all.
I change the filter when I think about it.

Ain't dead yet. Not sick ever.

[chunkyfrog]

Alternate uses for a tube brush:
---Snag dust bunnies from under the fridge.
---Pull lint out of the dryer innards (unplugged, of course)
---dust quarters without removing them from sofa crevices

[palerider]

---dust quarters without removing them from sofa crevices

tatooed lady (on phone says): "she has quarters in her sofa? I'm jealous! that broad is rich! all I have is dust bunnies"