CPAP Hose Cleaning and a brief sideline about humidifiers

[jencat824]

I clean my mask weekly & replace my hose yearly (approx yearly)

I've never had any problem cleanliness related to my hose/mask. I do use aromatherapy regularly, here's what I use:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/cpap-a ... aster.html

Now that's my True Confession,
Jen

[LSAT]

I buy a new hose every year. I rarely clean my hose...when I do I rinse it with hot water and let it drip for a day. It never drys out. As soon as I connect it to my CPAP is starts getting humidified air which causes moisture. I often wonder if I am doing any harm since I am rinsing with non-distilled water. Perhaps I should never clean the hose.

[Kitatonic]

Since a high percentage of the population carries staph bacteria on their nose, I think it is advisable to wash your mask daily. I scrub my pillows and barrel cozy cloth with a fragrance- free dish soap, rinse the silicone with my leftover distilled water. Every other week, I scrub the short hose tht attaches to the pillow. The hose only gets cleaned with the same soap every few months. Since the humidifier has leftover water drained over e pillows and new water nightly, I have never cleaned it. All the equipment is handled with freshly scrubbed hands as the hands are a another staph carrier.

[archangle]

Since a high percentage of the population carries staph bacteria on their nose, I think it is advisable to wash your mask daily. I scrub my pillows and barrel cozy cloth with a fragrance- free dish soap, rinse the silicone with my leftover distilled water. Every other week, I scrub the short hose tht attaches to the pillow. The hose only gets cleaned with the same soap every few months. Since the humidifier has leftover water drained over e pillows and new water nightly, I have never cleaned it. All the equipment is handled with freshly scrubbed hands as the hands are a another staph carrier.

If you've got staph bacteria already in your nose, breathing it out into your hose and then rebreathing it is probably not going to do you much harm unless there's some sort of rich growth medium in the hose where the staph can multiply to much higher levels.

Sharing a hose with someone else would be a bad idea.

[davelikesbeer]

The problem for me is the mold/mildew that can grow in the hose from all the moisture. A rinse once a week or two should be enough to prevent this.

After I do this, I like to spin the hose around to get rid alot of water then I let it drip dry.

[rested gal]

Links to Cleaning mask, hose, humidifier
viewtopic.php?p=567264#p567264

Happy holidays, everyone.

[RogerSC]

Wipe nasal pillows every day, and rinse out the humidifier tank with soapy water. Wash everything in soapy water once a week (hoses, nasal pillows, humidifier tank). I live in a moist area near the ocean, and don't relish the thought of culturing bacteria or mold. Oh yeah, also have a dryer to make sure that everything that I wash dries out.

I'm really not OCD...really really really really really really really. Okay, I'm done now.

[cosmo]

I think not cleaning the hoses regularly is too risky. The ridges on the inside scares me. They're a good place for stuff to collect.

Can someone that has not cleaned in a while, can you take a Q tip and swab as far as you can inside. I would like to find out if it comes back clear.

[Wulfman...]

I think not cleaning the hoses regularly is too risky. The ridges on the inside scares me. They're a good place for stuff to collect.

Can someone that has not cleaned in a while, can you take a Q tip and swab as far as you can inside. I would like to find out if it comes back clear.

Absolutely clear/clean (both ends).

Been using the very same hose (on my primary machine) since May 14th of 2005.......it has NEVER been "cleaned" (although I've filled it with hot water a couple of times to check for leaks.....and there were none). I've always used distilled water and no heated humidity.......just cool "passover" all year round.

However, for the "clean freaks", my advice is to do the hose cleaning in the evening and then hook it up to the machine and get a little added humidity during the night. That way it won't be hanging up in an unsanitary place (like the bathroom) to dry. In my opinion, subjecting a hose to the open air is how pollutants could possibly get in there (if you're really that spooked by germs). Personally, I'm not that paranoid. The unfiltered air I breathe for the other 16 hours each day could potentially be more problematic.

But, do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Den

.

[Wulfman...]

Happy holidays, everyone.

Happy holidays, Laura.

Take care.

Den

.

[pwaterman]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

So, my take on the responses is that it is probably a good idea to clean the thing every once in a while, but it isn't fatal if you aren't obsessive about it.

That's good to know. Also appreciated the link to the Aromatherapy stuff!

Merry Christmas all!

[lazer]

TRUE CONFESSION.......

I wash my hose every night whilst in the shower.

[chunkyfrog]

I wash my mask every morning; sometimes on the second morning, but I can tell the difference.
I can't remember when I washed my hose, but the tank was about a month ago.
I wish they made a 15mm hose brush for the Climateline hoses.
Might have to get the bullfrog to make me (us) one.

[cosmo]

I can't remember when I washed my hose, but the tank was about a month ago.
I wish they made a 15mm hose brush for the Climateline hoses.
Might have to get the bullfrog to make me (us) one.

I did use the cpap.com's brush on my climate hose, it did work but it was a little difficult. I was thinking about making my own as well to be easier.

It would be like two 3ft sticks with bristles or brushes on a base that can go in the tub. You can now scrub both halves of the cpap tube at the same time.



To rise out the soap, you hook it up to a showerhead adapter/diverter.


I cleaning would be all done in 1 - 2 min with a setup like this.

[Chronicle Cat]

I've used a CPAP for three years and don't clean the hose. Because my insurance pays for it I replace the hose every year. I do rinse out the water container for the humidifier and put in fresh water every night. The air filters on the back of the machine get either cleaned or changed regularly.