Cleaning CPAP Equipment

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:41 am

ahujudybear wrote:?? Maybe you have a slightly different product??

http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_10.asp

There we go:

"Available in Original and Fragrance-free formulas"

O.

momexp5 · Post by **momexp5** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:43 am

Oz wrote:

Confused Now, if only I knew the difference between "fragrance" and "scent".... any suggestions from native born English speakers - which I am not?

Fragrance is the better term in this case, for baby shampoos. Scent has been used in marketing/advertising for more of a man-ly connotation. It is possible to have an "unpleasant scent" but I don't think companies would knowingly create one.

scent - "any property detected by the olfactory system"
fragrance - "a pleasingly sweet olfactory property"

fragrance - "a distinctive odor that is pleasant"
scent - "an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced."

So you would say
"Sherlock Holmes is on the scent!"

but you wouldn't say
"Sherlock Holmes is on the fragrance!"

You could say both "lovely fragrance!" and "lovely scent!"

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:52 am

Oh Duh!

Been back there 3 times searching for something about ingredients and never noticed that!!!

<LOL> Thanks Ozi!!

hey! Nice explanation, Mom!
- JB

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:01 am

Well,
I've always been a Sherlock Holmes fan, and once I was on the scent, I couldn't help noticing the part about fragrance... or lack of it.

Thanks Momexp - as you can see, Resmed were chatting about a scentless and fragranceless liquid soap....
O.

Nev · Post by **Nev** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 1:12 am

ahujudybear wrote:

?? Maybe you have a slightly different product??

and ozij provided web reference http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_10.asp

Indeed I do have either a slightly different product or the same product in different packaging. Mine is as supplied in Australia (as well as Malaysia, Singapore and the Phillipines). Our government has extensive disclosure requirements on packaging which may require a more detailed list of ingredients than the US?. My Neutrogena is made in Korea and imported into Australia by Johnson and Johnson. It comes in a 175ml pump pack. You can see it at:

http://www.jnjaust.com.au/brands/neutro ... d=cat20024

I guess the ResMed CD video clip was made in Australia because the guy doing the demo is certainly using my product rather than the US one![/quote]

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:53 am

Hi Nev!

Yeah, we have pretty strict disclosure laws here too. But the packaging company probably put the info on the outside of the box (The bottles are sold in boxes here) so that people could read it without having to take the bottle out of the box and possibly damage the packaging.

I'll have to take another look at the CD that came with the Resmed Swift. It seems all they said was to use Neutrogena Facial Wash.

At any rate, I'm glad that it helps to restore the softness of the seal!

SnoreNoMore2005 · Post by **SnoreNoMore2005** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:12 pm

I clean my Activa mask daily with Johnson's baby shampoo. Once a week I take it apart and give it an extra good cleaning.

I find the baby shampoo is gentle on my mask, washes off completely without residue, and keeps my hands soft and supple.

SnoreNoMore2005

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:45 pm

Hi everyone! I am finally back home again after surgery and four weeks in the rehab center.

It seems that the hospital Respiratory staff still have a few things to learn about CPAP usage. I had to use their own equipment (hospital policy) which, by the way, was pretty good! Respironics BiPAP S/T Institutional. They had it set a;lmost as well as my PB GK 425! Problem was the mask. It was very similar to my F&P 427, but the seal was a bit more rigid, so it had more leaks. On the second night I asked the RT to wash the mask & my face & she looked at me like I was speaking Greek (my sister had done this for me the first night and the following AM.) So I explained how to do it - and why. Third AM I washed the mask myself - very difficult because you could not detatch it from the headgear. That night I had to explain the face-washing procedure all over again to a different RT. By the time I left (after 8 days) all the nursing staff and the RT's knew about face and mask washing. This was something new to all of them. Maybe people using the device don't know about it, or maybe don't need the equipment for such a long time? The masks are throw-away, so cleaning is not an issue for cleanliness or for disinfecting.

But it was a surprise to learn that they had no clue about washing the equipment to improve the seal.

- JB

oh_possum · Post by **oh_possum** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:36 am

I usually use Dr Bronner's "Baby Mild" soap once a week or so to give a cursory cleaning of the mask. The soap really is unscented to my bloodhound-type nose and leaves the mask feeling completely clean without residue. I used to buy Dr. Bronners for camping because it claims to be so versitile. I brushed my teech with it, as the other campers said I could and - while I think that they were technically right and my teeth felt clean - i may have prefered to have left my teeth in their semi-mossy state rather than eat the soap.

note* when you are camping, it's fun to read dr bronner's voluminous thoughts on many issues a few of them even concerning soap.

Nynugen Phan · Post by **Nynugen Phan** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:34 am

well.... my lap knows exactly how hot my mouth likes its coffee now

Nynugen Phan

Guaranteed Signups
One who is slack in his work Is brother to him who is a master of destruction.

Amigo · Post by **Amigo** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:45 pm

Well I suppose this post is somewhat akin to "bringing coals to Newcastle" as soooo much has already been written on this subject, but as a newbie here I could not resist throwing in my $.02 worth.

The following represents my approach to cleaning over the past two years:

Daily - nasal pillows soaked for a few hours in Palmolive and warm water then rinsed and let air dry. Empty humidifier, and fill with distilled water.

Weekly - change foam filter

Monthly - change paper filter

Whenever (bi-weekly, bi-monthly, when the moon is blue) - soak hose, nasal pillow "holder," and its hose attachment, and humidifier tank (taken apart) in Palmolive and warm water for an hour or so. Rinse and let air dry. Attach hose, etc. to CPAP with humidifier empty and turn on to let machine dry the hose for me.

Amigo

dsg · Post by **dsg** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 8:39 pm

This is an interesting discussion. It seems that in some ways, my cleaning protocol is different from most others. I was told emphatically that it's distilled water for the humidifier and nothing but. However, for cleaning, this is what I've been doing since January of 2001, almost religously.

Every week (always on weekends, early in the day), I disassemble my mask completely, and submerge the parts, along with the tubing, into a sink full of warm, sudsy (Joy dish detergent) water. I let everything soak for at least a half hour to an hour. Then, I rinse all the parts and tubing very thoroughly. I let the mask parts dry in the dish strainer while I hang the tubing over the shower rod, generally for a few hours at least.

Sometime later in the afternoon/early evening, I plug the tubing into the CPAP (sans mask) and turn on the machine for a half hour or so (without the humidifier). This dries the tubing nicely. Then I re-assemble the mask and put the whole thing back together. Voila, clean and done.

Orginally, I was able to replace the masks and tubing once a year. Today I found out that I can get a new mask and tubing every three months (how long has this been possible and I wasn't told about it?). I don't plan to change the cleaning routine, as it's worked well for me. I can't do the routine every day, but if I miss a week, the mask feels kinda gross, kind of like I would if I didn't shower every day.

Ric · Post by **Ric** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:58 am

hockeydad wrote:I take my mask & hose into the shower with me every morning, rinse it well and wash it with a mild liquid soap (same soap I use on me), rinse my hose out and then leave them to dry on the shower rod all day.

Bathing with the enemy?

amazing!

(not such a bad idea really).

cvansant · Post by **cvansant** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:04 pm

I wash my face with Neutragena before donning the mask. I agree it helps the seal. Can't comment on the bacteria. Maybe because of my growing up when and where I did, I think my constitution has been pretty ironclad.

I take the cushions off the mask every day and wash them in warm, baby shampoo water, dry with a towel and reassemble. Seems to work for me.

Disassemble and wash the rest of the mask in the same solution every now and then.

As per the manufacturer's recommendation, I use distilled water. So, decalcifying/disinfecting tanks, hoses, etc. with a vinegar solution is only done occasionally.

Sleep well.
Clif

Darth Vader Look · Post by **Darth Vader Look** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:04 pm

A few people have mentioned cleaning masks with mild dishwashing soap in this thread.

Flower51 wrote - The written instructions from my rt/dme said to use a mild dish washing soap such as palmolive or ivory

I just checked the Ivory dishwashing soap label and it says:

Ivory is specially formulated to not remove the natural oils in your skin while providing tough grease cleaning.

So if Ivory is "specially formulated to not remove the natural oils in your skin", how do you expect to get these same oils off your mask

The spiel I received from the DME's I have gone to, their written instructions plus the cleaning instructions by manufacturers say not to use scented, fragrance or perfumed cleaners. The baby soap I have is fragranced.

So the only thing that abides by these rules is my toilet. Does that mean I should give my mask the once a day swirly.

.

Cleaning CPAP Equipment

arcane english lesson, openings for jokes

cleaning mask

Cleaning equipment

CPAP Cleaning

Cleaning protocol

Mask	Humidifier

Mask

Mask

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