Cleaning Your Gear

[Texas Dad]

Hello all, I've recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea, no surprise as I've been a heavy snorer since I can remember. I approach this life change with open arms and positivity and realize that it's going to be a process to be figured out along the way. I got my machine today, a Dreamstation Auto with heated humidifier, for my mask I have a ResMed Airfit F30I (coming in tomorrow). Tomorrow night will be my first run with the gear, we shall see how things go!

That said, my biggest question at this time is what is the best way to clean the mask/hose and how often. Also is the 3B Cleaner and/or Bullet worth the money?

Thanks for any and all help! I look forward to becoming a well rested individual!

[Pugsy]

Soap and water is all you really need to clean your gear.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-you-n ... in-4171650

Not to mention using one of those cleaners might void your machine warranty.

https://www.resmed.com/us/dam/documents ... letter.pdf

Mask cleaning needs will depend on how oily your face might be...a lot of people just wipe the mask down daily with one of those little wipe things and wash once a week.

The hose...it doesn't need washing on a regular basis. It really won't get dirty if you think about it. All that is going to go through it is filtered air. I don't bother washing the hose at all and my mask...I wash when I think about it and that's not very often but then I don't use a mask that has a chance to touch my skin much.
If I did and my face was on the oily side...once a week would probably be all that I would do.

Hot soapy water wash and rinse is all you need to do to keep things clean.
Using those fancy equipment "cleaners"...not needed and all of them tell you to wash first anyway. The only thing they are really cleaning out is your wallet.

[Okie bipap]

Most of us clean to the level we are comfortable with. I clean our masks, including the head gear and strap pads, weekly. The water tanks used to get cleaned monthly, but we started getting the pink slime once in a while, so I have gone to weekly cleaning of the water tanks. I don't clean the hoses on a regular schedule. I only clean mine after bronchitis attacks which usually happen once a year for me. I have never cleaned the hose on my wife's machine and it is over three years old. Another issue that comes up quite often is the use of distilled versus tap water. You can use either in the machine. Distilled is usually recommended because it does not cause mineral build up in the water tank. If you get a mineral build up, it can be easily removed with vinegar solution or lemon juice.

[Sheriff Buford]

Howdy fellow Texan! I buy Pamper Thick wipes for sensitive skin. I wipe down my mask every morning. On Wednesdays and Sundays, I squirt a couple of squirts of hand cleaner sanitizer on the wipe.... then maybe once a month wash the mask in soapy water. I never wash my hose. I only use a humidifier once a year when my sinuses start acting up. My washing of the tank is like the others that responded here. We all have a routine. Use a cleaning routine that makes you comfortable.

Sheriff

[greatunclebill]

I wash the water tank out if i see any floaters. other than that i refill when it gets low because i use it non-heated pass over. i wipe my face and the mask with baby wipes before bed.

[Texas Dad]

Awesome thanks for the great information!

One other question, how often do y'all clean/replace the filters on the unit itself. I have a Dreamstation which has a reusable/cleanable filter and a throw away one that is recommended to be replaced twice a month.

[Pugsy]

Awesome thanks for the great information!

One other question, how often do y'all clean/replace the filters on the unit itself. I have a Dreamstation which has a reusable/cleanable filter and a throw away one that is recommended to be replaced twice a month.

Twice a month just happens to be how often insurance companies will pay for a new disposable filter. Funny how DMEs suggest replacement of things that correspond to how often insurance will pay for them.

How often to replace it...when it gets dirty enough to not pass the yuck factor for discoloration.
I live out in the country...dusty, etc and in an old 60 year old farmhouse with old duct work. My disposable filter gets yucky looking (turns gray) at about the one month mark so that is when I change mine. I have a friend who lives in a the city and in a newer house and his disposable filter doesn't look the least bit gray after 6 months. Still looks brand new.

Replacing the filters time frame is something you will just have to figure out based on your own house and personal experience.
Every 2 weeks is probably over kill depending on where you live. You might be like me and need to change it once every 4 to 6 weeks or you might be like my friend and only need to change it every 6 months.

[zonker]

Awesome thanks for the great information!

One other question, how often do y'all clean/replace the filters on the unit itself. I have a Dreamstation which has a reusable/cleanable filter and a throw away one that is recommended to be replaced twice a month.

you may think i'm being a smartass here, but i don't check mine until i see someone here mention it. let's go look...

nah, i'm good.

but thanks for bringing it up.

[Slartybartfast]

10 years, here! I rinsed the filter in my S9 Autoset out in the sink maybe twice a year. Then set it out to dry and used it the next night. I don't get why filters like that need to be replaced when they're so easy to wash. They're really only there to filter out cat hairs and lint. Bacteria and pollen flow right through the filter and settle in the humidfier tank mostly. The slippery slime you can feel in the humidifier tank is most likely Pseudomonas fluorescens, a harmless bacterium that lives everywhere there is water. I clean it when I can feel the tank is slippery. Otherwise, it will eventually develop a sort of low tide at the mudflats smell. The mask I wash only a few times each year, and the hose never. Fun fact: the more gukked-up a filter becomes, the more efficient it will be at removing dirt. But at the cost of reducing airflow.

The purpose of the filter is to protect the workings of the CPAP machine. Not you. You don't want dust and cobwebs and cat hairs to get inside and wrap around the blower impeller. The air you breathe through a CPAP machine, even one with an old dirty filter is likely to be far cleaner than the air in your house. And unless you have some condition that renders you immunocompromised, like a transplant, on chemotherapy, or on certain drugs (your doctor will tell you if you are) then it's nothing to be concerned about.

The idea just struck me that investigating the pros and cons of cleaning a CPAP machine would make a great senior project for someone finishing their degree in microbiology.

[chunkyfrog]

I live in an old, dusty house, and replace the extra fine filter in my Airsense 10 Autoset for Her every 3 weeks.
These filters are not intended to be washed.
I would probably lose it down the drain if I were foolish enough to try.
New filters are cheaper than a new blower--and my mother did not raise any idiots--except maybe my brother.
And I love him anyway.

[Texas Dad]

Thanks all! And have a Happy New Year!

[zonker]

Awesome thanks for the great information!

One other question, how often do y'all clean/replace the filters on the unit itself. I have a Dreamstation which has a reusable/cleanable filter and a throw away one that is recommended to be replaced twice a month.

you may think i'm being a smartass here, but i don't check mine until i see someone here mention it. let's go look...

nah, i'm good.

but thanks for bringing it up.

is it ethical to quote one's self?

anyway, shows how fast dust can show up on a filter. this was on 12/4. checked 12/29. i think. and it needed replacement!