How often do you clean your equipment?

[SUEBRIT]

WHEN MY SON RECEIVED HIS, HE WAS TOLD TO WASH ALL THE BITS EVERY DAY IN DISH WASHING SOAP AND THEN ONCE A WEEK IN 1PART VINEGAR AND 2 PARTS WATER.

WELL, I JUST RECEIVED MY CPAP FROM APRIA AND WAS TOLD THAT WASHING IN VINEGAR I ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU HAVE HAD A COLD OR FLU. SHE DID SAY TO WASH THE MASK/NOSE PILLOW DAILY IN SOAPY WATER AND THE HUMIDIFIER CONTAINER. AND ONCE A WEEK THE HOSE IN SOAPY WATER. MUST NOT BE ANTI-BACTERIAL OR WITH MOISTERISERS. SHE DID SAY THAT THE BEST SOAP TO USE IS JOHNSTON BABY SHAMPOO WHICH IS HYPO-ALLERGENIC. HOPE THIS HELPS.

[rested gal]

Here's a list of links to discussions about about many different cleaning routines:
Apr 19, 2005 subject: Cleaning CPAP Equipment
viewtopic.php?t=2482

[hockey8man21]

I am fairly new to this but I wash my nose and forehead every night before putting on my mask with one side of a clearisil pad and then wash off the parts of the mask that touch my skin with the other side of the pad. I use distilled water so I dont wash the tank very often, maybe every few weeks and I have yet to wash the hose.

[HoseCrusher]

The discussion around personal hygiene has been going on for a very long time. Many times it ends up separating people into two camps.

On one side we have those that believe that we are suffering from more illness today than we did during earlier times because of over sanitation. If we learned to live with a little more "dirt" our immune system would rise to meet the challenge and we, while being exposed to a lot more, would simply walk through it without ever getting sick.

The other side points out the benefits of frequent hand washing to stop the spread of disease, water purification to eliminate the microbes that give you the runs even when you have a strong immune system, and the benefits of removing mold and mildew from where you sleep and live.

The arguments on both sides go on and on.

I will say that if my surgeon stopped by on the way to surgery and I noticed that his hands were covered with mud and he had dirt under his fingernails from working in the garden, I may insist that he clean up before sticking his hands inside me...

Yet I know that in battle field and disaster conditions, medical professionals perform invasive procedures all the time under "un-sterile" conditions, and people live.

So, what does this mean to xPAP users?

With xPAP use, air is being blown into your lungs under a small amount of pressure. Most of us breathe air all day without problems, but it isn't being "forced" into us. The machines have a filter to strain out the large stuff, but small particles can still pass through the filter. The next issue is how well the filter fits, and how often it is cleaned or changed.

Moving down the line we come to the humidifier. Warm water can grow all kinds of things and turbulence can kick some of the water up into the airstream that you breathe.

That brings us to the hose and mask. Body fluids (mucus and saliva) end up in the mask and sometimes migrate their way into the hose.

The nice thing about xPAP is that using filthy equipment doesn't immediately kill you. It just wears away at your health a little bit at a time. This is similar to what OSA does, but OSA is much more dangerous. I don't believe I have ever heard of anyone committing suicide or dieing by using filthy xPAP equipment.

A few questions to consider...

Do you have a rash on your skin from the mask or sores?
Do you have a sore throat?
Do you have sinus issues?
Do you have asthema issues?
Do you have nasal congestion?
Do you have lung congestion?

If you answer NO to all of those, whatever you are doing to clean your equipment is good. On the other hand if you answer YES to any of those, I can tell you that more frequent equipment cleaning will not make the condition worse, and it may help.

In general the best place to start is with the equipment manufacturers recommendations. If you extend things and suffer no ill symptoms you can adjust to fit your schedule. However, if you develop symptoms, go back to the original recommendations just to make sure that your symptoms aren't being caused by your extended cleaning schedule.

[digitaleagle]

Here's my routine:

Wash Nasal pillows every morning with Johnson's Baby shampoo and warm water - rinse and let dry. I rotate two of these on a regular basis.
Wash out the humidifier tank each weekend with Johnson's as per above- otherwise I just top it off with distilled water each night.
Wash the reusable filter each weekend with Johnson's baby shampoo and water - rinse and dry.
Rinse out the inside of the hose with a disinfectant I got from Cpap.com every three to four weeks. (Diluted with water) then rinse and dry.
I also use the Resmed Softgel mask from time to time. I just wipe the gel portion off with a citrus wipe each night. Wash and rinse every two weeks.
Replace disposable machine filter monthly.
Wash the Pad a cheek pads about every two weeks.
Wipe down machine when dusty or dirty.

That's it. In short I basically follow the manufacturer's recommendations. It just doesn't take much time to do.
I figure I shower every day, I brush my teeth twice a day, wash my clothes, etc., so doesn't it make sense to clean a piece of equipment that is in your nose or on your face delivering air to you each night? It does to me.

[kteague]

I am usually in the casual-about-cleaning camp, but every now and then find cause to switch till I get lax again. Just ran into one of those times. Moved 3 weeks ago and the first week or so I hadn't made it to the store to buy distilled water, so I used tap water, even though it downright stunk. I get ready for bed in near darkness, and since I use the humidifier in passover, a tank lasts me a good week before needing topped off. When I did finally remove it to take to the sink and refill, I was shocked at the slime and floating crud in my tank. Good thing I had a new one I'd never opened in the closet, along with a new hose. Dense me figured the crud wouldn't affect the mask - right?! Well, this week I pulled the hose and mask off the machine to bring it to use in another room, and when I walked into a brightly lit room, I almost dropped the mask in disgust. Back to the closet to dig out an old (but clean) mask. I think what goes into your humidifier makes a difference. Not sure about the mask, that was the first time in 5 years I've seen a nasty mask, and it was fine when I packed it to move. Oh well. Time to go turn on the light before getting into bed.

[Amigo]

I clean my equipment every day when I take a shower.

Oh wait, did you mean CPAP equipment? If so, then whenever the mood strikes.

[Jersey Girl]

Every day I take a Citrus II cpap mask wipe and wipe down my Swift FX nasal pillows.

Every Sunday: I soak my humidifier tank in 1 part vinegar, 2 parts water. I wash out my hose and mask parts with Ivory dishwashing liquid and very warm (almost hot) water.

Every month: Wash headgear on Swift FX by hand, including strap covers.

I also used only Distilled water in my humidifier.

My equipment always smells clean and fresh and I have never had any problems or seen anything "growing" in the humidifier or anywhere else. I feel comfortable with the cleaning regimen. Oh, and I clean all of my husband's cpap equipment every Sunday as well. He also has a padacheek mask cushion cover for his Quatro and this gets washed and dried every sunday as well.

Regards to all,

Jersey Girl