sickness and cleaning

[sleepnasta]

when you have a cold do you wait until you're better to clean your mask/hose? i'm sick right now and feel compelled to clean my things every day. is that going overboard or is it necessary?

[Pugsy]

It may not be necessary to clean the hose every day and maybe not even the nasal pillows but it won't hurt anything.
I would probably still try to clean the nasal pillows or part of the mask that is bearing the brunt of any mucous production, daily just for the elimination of yucky stuff.

Hose contamination chance is minimal due to distance and logistics of how the bug might need to travel to actually get to the long hose. I would probably wait till I was over the bug before giving it a good cleaning just as a precaution and for peace of mind.

If using nasal pillows....I would probably toss it (nasal pillow only) at the end of the illness. More for peace of mind than anything else because a good wash with really hot soapy water and/or a soak in a disinfectant is probably enough to kill any lingering bugs. Just depends on what gives you the most peace of mind.

So if it were me I would wait till the bug was gone and then do a really good overall cleaning of the long hose, humidifier tank, and mask parts and maybe toss the part of the mask that bore the brunt of mucous production.
Humidifier tank cleaning is probably overkill but it doesn't take much effort so why not.
In theory if you have a virus..your body will have immunity to that virus anyway but sometimes peace of mind is worth just a little extra work.

[JeffL]

I clean my mask every day no matter what.
Speaking of colds, I've got something going on right now, don't know if it's a cold or sinus infection. Started out with a sore throat, which went away, but I've been generating massive amounts of mucus for several days (yuck!). I haven't been able to hose up for 3 days, and I'm starting to feel it

[Denial Dave]

I am in the middle of a cold right now. I'm wiping everything down after sleeping overnight or after a nap.

Coughing while wearing a FFM is an adventure !!

[squid13]

I'm just getting over a terrible cold and worst sinus infection. Taking antibiotics for the sinus and took Mucinex DM for the other and that stuff really works, you wouldn't believe the stuff that it brought up and down from the nose. Went 5 nights that I didn't hose up, little hard to keep a mask on when your coughing all night long and blowing your nose. Got back on the hose 2 nights ago and feeling much better. Jefft that's just about how mine started, hope you feel better, there is an end to it eventually.

[sleepnasta]

I am in the middle of a cold right now. I'm wiping everything down after sleeping overnight or after a nap.

Coughing while wearing a FFM is an adventure !!

same with sneezing with nasal pillows. i've actually sneezed into my pillows a couple of times. yuck. i guess i will be tossing those in a couple of days.

hope everyone feels better soon. i ordered an oral mask to use in these situations. even one night without cpap leaves me a terrible wreck.

[cosmo]

I would clean everything with soap when I'm sick, hose and all. I have started to use a second set of everything so the drying time is much easier. No more rogue drops in my nose.

I sneezed once in my nasal pillows. Had to get up, wash the pillow and frame tubing. Trying to get all the water out was the longest part This is where a second set would have been nice at the time.

[sleepnasta]

I would clean everything with soap when I'm sick, hose and all. I have started to use a second set of everything so the drying time is much easier. No more rogue drops in my nose.

I sneezed once in my nasal pillows. Had to get up, wash the pillow and frame tubing. Trying to get all the water out was the longest part This is where a second set would have been nice at the time.

I have a second hose and 4 pillows. I think I'm going to wash everything tomorrow despite having done it just 2 days ago. And I might do it again after a couple of days. I'm kinda nuts when it comes to cleanliness!

[cosmo]

I usually get sick from catching other people's germs so thats why I always clean my stuff and hands when I'm sick.

I wear a medical mask around the house if there is anyone sick or if I'm sick. I haven't caught anything from home so far

[LSAT]

I recently finished with a cold that lasted 10 days. I was thankful for my CPAP because I had the benefit of humidified air all night. At the end of the cold I boiled the silicone insert from my Quattro mask. I think cleaning the hose is unnecessary. Don't be afraid to boil the silicone...it comes out like new...crystal clear.

[qmx]

I would clean everything every day, when ill. I clean my Mirage Quattro Mask 1st thing every morning. DEAN

[tqpannie]

I am in the middle of a cold right now. I'm wiping everything down after sleeping overnight or after a nap.

Coughing while wearing a FFM is an adventure !!

Yeah I have bronchitis and every time I cough it registers an event. Went from a .5 Ahi to a 2.4

[Denial Dave]

I haven't even bothered to check my numbers since the cold symptoms started

I do know that there will be a very high number of hours used recorded over the past 2 days

Slept 9 hours on Saturday night, was awake for 2-3 hours, went back to bed for 2-3 hours, repeated the sequence throughout the day.

Same thing for Sunday.

I'm at work, but not very active.

[squid13]

My numbers have been high, last night 7.2 and the night before 2.6. They seem to be all over the place. I've stopped worrying about numbers, when this is all over they'll settle back down to where they normally are.

[Suzjohnson]

I recently finished with a cold that lasted 10 days. I was thankful for my CPAP because I had the benefit of humidified air all night. At the end of the cold I boiled the silicone insert from my Quattro mask. I think cleaning the hose is unnecessary. Don't be afraid to boil the silicone...it comes out like new...crystal clear.

My method too!