sanitizer machines

[LSAT]

My cars running like crap I think is germs from my mask will the So clean 2 help?

Have you tried changing the air in the tires?

[chunkyfrog]

I always read to the very end of the side effects list.
--just thinking about anal leakage---uuuuugh!

[palerider]

My cars running like crap I think is germs from my mask will the So clean 2 help?

oh, absolutely, you just need to buy the "autoclean" accessory, which is ... essentially, a large baggy you drive your car into, then you run the soclean for a couple of hours, (be sure to leave the windows down).

note, this may result in premature aging of your tires, but at least they'll be CLEAN!... well, not clean, because soclean doesn't actually CLEAN anything, but the dirt on your car, (like the dirt on the mask) will possibly be more sanitary dirt.

[palerider]

I always read to the very end of the side effects list.
--just thinking about anal leakage---uuuuugh!

surely you're not talking about the suckerwalletclean machine? if so, I wonder if those people were using it wrongly!

they don't seem to be too bright, as a whole.... so I guess it's possible.

[chunkyfrog]

You are so bad, Palerider!

[flightco]

A good ultrasonic cleaner will clean the heck out of all your CPAP equipment. Ultrasonic cleaners are what hospitals use for cleaning surgical supplies and tattoo parlors use to clean their machines. Ultrasonic cleaners not only sanitize but they also remove dirt. If you put a little vinegar in the water of the ultrasonic cleaner it will remove the water scale from your humidifier tank quite quickly.

Ultrasonic cleaners also work great on dentures, tooth brushes, carburetors, and fuel injectors.

I have been employed by the oldest sterilizer manufacturer in the US for almost 40 years and there is quite a bit of misinformation on this subject.

Ultrasonic cleaners, by themselves do a good job of cleaning but do not carry sanitization claims. That being said, you can not sterilize organic and inorganic materials, so you are in a way sanitizing by removing these materials but you could say the same thing about washing your hands, when you remove the bio burden, you are in effect, sanitizing but to carry a claim of sanitization, disinfection or sterilization (the complete and total destruction of all living micro organisms) something besides cleaning needs to take place. My company does not sell Ozone sterilizers but one of our competitors does. The machines cost close to 100K if not more, they have a proven record of sterilization but are quite limited as to what products can be sterilized in their units. I have no idea what FDA claims a 299.00 unit can make, but I think if they did not have 510K approval they would be shut down for making any claims at all. (Sanitization is the easiest claim to prove)

What I am sure of, if you do not remove bio burden, this 299.00 will not sanitize your equipment.

[kazvorpal]

i'm tired of getting the same cold over and over again (4th in 2 months) despite cleaning my equipment all the time. i'm ready to fork over the money for a sanitizer machine. any recommendations? does anyone have the SoClean? Thanks in advance.

You may want to consider supplements to boost your immune system.

You could try 1 to 2 grams daily of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and 4,000 to 8,000 IU daily of vitamin D3 (make sure it is D3 and not D2). D3 is fat soluble so always take it with some fat (high quality fish oil is good or coconut oil works too).

Dietary supplements do not boost your immune system. That is a myth, with no hard science to back it. In fact, taking large quantities of vitamins statistically seems to SHORTEN your lifespan, while doing nothing for your immune system.

The only way taking supplements can have an impact on your immune system is if you were not getting the basic amount of that micronutrient, for example cholecalciferal ("vitamin D3"), in the first place.

And note that, even then, there is a lot of question as to whether purified micronutrients actually can be used by your body. For example, one of the reasons antioxidant supplements are harmful to your body is that your cells rely on oxidation to live. Your cell nucleus produces both oxidants and antioxidants, maintaining a balance to protect its mitochondria. Fruits contain what amount to proto-antioxidants your cells can turn into the real thing as needed. Taking an antioxidant directly presents it in your cell in amounts that are not needed, and can harm the mitochondria.

In the case of the D complex, the body produces this itself, in the amounts it needs, from exposure to ultraviolet light, ergo mostly sunlight. There is a lot of evidence that taking a D supplement doesn't actually help your body process calcium as well as just getting enough sun.

Acetylcysteine, on the other hand, isn't even scientifically considered a micronutrient in the first place. It's a medication with some unpleasant side effects, which is SOLD as a "micronutrient" solely to make a quick buck, not because of hard evidence that normally healthy people need it on a regular basis.

That something is useful in treating an ailment doesn't magically mean it's healthy to have all the time.
Likewise, that something is a necessary micronutrient doesn't mean you'll get even healthier if you consume even more of it. In fact, more is probably harmful.

[kazvorpal]

I'm not going to preach...but $250 would buy a ton of filters and distilled water. Guess I'll stick with the "old fashioned" way...although I DO love stuff with buttons to press. And lights. Gotta have lights.

Aside from my response about the myth of immune-strengthening supplements, I have a question regarding the concept of cleaning the cpap:

The machines are intended to kill pathogens. The idea of wanting to not re-catch a cold or the flu is silly, of course; you just built up immunity to it, or you'd still have it.

But what about fungal presence in the hoses and headgear? Especially for those who uses a humidified, heated hose (I have them but disable them), couldn't mould or other fungi build up, unseen, in the equipment? This is how I've interpreted the dubious claims of the sanitizer machines, since the virus/bacteria thing is absolutely silly.

Also, regarding cleaning oils and dirt from the machine:

Do we agree that we're doing this primarily for our own psychological happiness, because dirt is icky, and not because we think it actually makes us healthier? A small amount of skin oil might actually protect us from the irritation of the material rubbing our skin. It certainly doesn't harm us.

And is there a possibility that regular cleaning leaves microscopic scratches where we do it, actually increasing the "traction" for dirt and even pathogens to adhere to the surface afterward? This is a problem with the cleaning of other things, perhaps it applies to a cpap as well. I found this thread because of my concern that I may be doing just that.

[Julie]

Well, you can clean the headgear any time you like... but as only filtered room air goes through the hose one way and never returns, if you're using distilled water as recommended you shouldn't have a problem. If for some reason you become aware of one, you're free to clean the hose, but very many of us have not needed to do it in literal decades and we're still around.

[kazvorpal]

Well, you can clean the headgear any time you like... but as only filtered room air goes through the hose one way and never returns, if you're using distilled water as recommended you shouldn't have a problem. If for some reason you become aware of one, you're free to clean the hose, but very many of us have not needed to do it in literal decades and we're still around.

But what are you using to wipe with the distilled water? Cloth could be abrading what you wipe, even if it's too small to see. Then dirt/oil/germs could stick that much better.

[chunkyfrog]

Frequent "colds" and recurrent upper respiratory infection are often linked to ALLERGIES.
At least that was the fact in my case.
One 10 mg. Loratadine daily stopped almost every sniffle, cough, or bronchial infection
that once darkened my doorway.

[Julie]

Not wiping anything with distilled water - it goes in the humidifier tank to be used as humidity when you use Cpap.

[kazvorpal]

Not wiping anything with distilled water - it goes in the humidifier tank to be used as humidity when you use Cpap.

Ah, I was attempting to discuss "cleaning" the device. I don't use the humidifier, nor the heater. I would if I needed them, but I started without them to see how that worked. Since those are two factors that DO invite problems like mould/fungus, it seemed best to only use them if necessary.

How often do you guys clean the hose and mask, and how do you do it?

[kazvorpal]

Frequent "colds" and recurrent upper respiratory infection are often linked to ALLERGIES.
At least that was the fact in my case.
One 10 mg. Loratadine daily stopped almost every sniffle, cough, or bronchial infection
that once darkened my doorway.

If that's what is truly necessary, it's good that you found it.

I am leery of symptom suppressants, myself. They hide problems, not fix them. In fact, they generally make the underlying problem worse. For example, a histamine blocker like Loratadine can simply make one's own body try that much harder to produce the histamine reaction, so that if one uses it regularly, one becomes that much more sensitive to allergens, then if they stop using it, they may find their reactions even worse than before.

This is the same problem that regular use of analgesics has, and premature prescription of insulin to those diabetics who could have controlled their blood sugar through other means, and people with low testosterone or other hormonal "deficiencies", and worst of all, mood control drugs to hide depression, ADHD, psychosis, and so on. All can end up treating in a way that makes the now-hidden problem worse. Hell, if you constantly use moisturizing lotion, your skin becomes less capable of moisturizing itself naturally.

I try to avoid that kind of snowballing of a problem.

[chunkyfrog]

I never used Loratadine until AFTER those symptoms became life threatening.
((Pneumonia, bronchitis every year))
All drugs have side effects; the key is not to avoid them completely, but to weigh the good vs the bad,
and be realistic about when you really need them.