sanitizer machines

[Hose_Head]

Would like to here from those "in the know" about these machines regarding the impact of ozone on machines, masks and tubing. Ozone is very reactive and does not play well with things like rubber. I'm wondering if there might also be a deleterious effect on plastic. Don't want to damage the hardware through cleaning!

[sleepnasta]

I'm not planning to use this INSTEAD of regular cleaning with soap and water but IN ADDITION to. I plan to use the machine every day and clean with mild and soap and water once a week once a week. Might even continue to use the Control III solution once a week. Amazon had these in sale for about $250 when I ordered it.

[sleepnasta]

Sorry, can't seem to be able to type today.

[archangle]

Would like to here from those "in the know" about these machines regarding the impact of ozone on machines, masks and tubing. Ozone is very reactive and does not play well with things like rubber. I'm wondering if there might also be a deleterious effect on plastic. Don't want to damage the hardware through cleaning!

The manufacturer claims that the level of ozone the machine produces won't damage CPAP equipment. CPAP equipment does tend to be made of relatively "chemically tough" materials such as silicone.

I'm still skeptical that they have found the right mix to kill germs and not degrade the plastics.

[locust78]

I've been running a SoClean daily for over a year now & am completely happy with it. From the research I've been able to do, it appears that ozone has the ability to kill any kind of living organism that might be present in my CPAP equipment. I don't have any kind of measuring equipment, so I really don't know how powerful the machine is, but from my own experience I can tell that it's doing something good. I don't get slime build-up, I don't get a nasty smell, & I haven't been experiencing the continual sinus problems that plagued me before using it. As far as how it affects the equipment: so far, so good. I've been using my Swift LT mask for nearly that whole time and haven't noticed any breakdown of the materials. The same goes for my Philips System One machine, & my Aussie heated hose.

[DreamStalker]

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).

For cleaning, try soaking mask (minus headgear of course) in a half vinegar, half water solution followed by liquid anti-bacterial soap and warm water rinse.

Save your money for high quality organic veggies and fresh meat and lay off carbs (especially grain products) if you aren't doing that already.

EDIT:
Whoops, just now noticed that you already bought the ozone generator. Just know that ozone is fairly toxic to the respiratory system. So you may want to consider running your CPAP for a minute or two after the SoClean process to make sure all the ozone is out of your CPAP machine before hosing up to it.

[sleepybassetdad]

Hello everyone,

I am a to this forum, actually have been a cpap.com customer for a while but never knew about the forum.

I use the SoClean and it seems to do a decent job. My mask and hose smell clean, although I need to let the cpap run for a minute before putting the mask on. Someone above mentioned that they clean their cpap for 20 minutes, which seems VERY long to me. I was told by the manufacturer that you should only run it for about 7 minutes.

After a month of daily use, I was beginning to notice that silicone seal on my mask was starting to turn orange. I called the manufacturer and they said that can be one of the side effects of the cleaning process and recommended that I reduce the cleaning time to 4-5 minutes.

[sleepyMan99]

I ordered from amazon and it just arrived today,

Item: SoClean 2 CPAP Cleaner and Sanitizing Machine with ResMed Heated Hose Adapter
Price: 275 with free amazon prime delivery

My CPAP is a ResMed Airsense 10 with heated hose. The "ResMed Heated Hose Adapter" is designed for the Resmed s9 so won't do me a bit of good.

The SoClean 2 has an adapter that goes between the machine and your headgear hose, and includes a tube that's supposed to go down inside the machine and into the humidifier section, and be below the water level if you keep water in the machine during the day. My s10 does have a humidifier but the hose could not make it into the resevoir area and so I just removed that hose.

Also, the heated hose has some sort of electric plugs that connect with the CPAP. When you have the SoClean 2's adapter inbetween your hose and your CPAP, it does not maintain the electrical connection, so I guess you need to switch back and forth between CPAP using configuration and CPAP cleaning configuration, vs the stated "hook it up once and be done" which the product claims.

I set the clock on my gadget and then did a manual cycle of the cleaning. I did not use the CPAP yet. Will report back how that goes.

All said, I'm not very optimistic. The phone hours end at 5pm eastern and so I wasn't able to speak with them today about some of these issues/questions.

I like the idea of keeping your device clean. I don't want to have any more sinus issues/etc than necessary and the idea of a daily clean is very appealing.

[Tatooed Lady]

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.

[LSAT]

If you search you will find several discussions about this machine...mostly negative

[Oughtsix]

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.

[palerider]

I like the idea of keeping your device clean. I don't want to have any more sinus issues/etc than necessary and the idea of a daily clean is very appealing.

there's a difference between "clean" and "sanitize".

your new toy cleans *nothing*

[chunkyfrog]

Dead microbes, floating through your machine, hose, mask, and lungs, courtesy of SoClean.
--instead of washing (how inconvenient!) all the everyday gunk off your equipment.
Even dead bacteria and viruses can make you sick.
Lovely!

[archangle]

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.

Ultrasonic cleaners generally do not kill germs, but they may clean if done properly. You have to use the right solution and the right ultrasonic cleaner.

I think there are a lot of cheap ultrasonic cleaners out there that don't really do much. The high dollar professional models are probably actually effective if you use them right.

[bill-e]

I have a $34 Harbor Freight Ultrasonic cleaner that works very well if you use the right cleaner for the job. It will clean gun parts, brass and just about anything else. What it doesn't do is polish, it simply removes the dirt on the part and suspends in in the water. Because it doesn't brighten the surface of the parts like a physical scrubbing would some folks believe the surface isn't clean...I guess it depends on your definition of clean. Certainly the crud is off my part, if I want it to look different I need do perform some other action.