CPAP equipment cleaning

[Roger2]

I have only been on a cpap since the middle of May this year just after spending 8 days in the hospital for pneumonia and bronchitis so I am a novice here. I did the sleep study and although I am not sure what the numbers on that entailed but per my pulmonary doctor, it was kind of bad and the need to be on this devise is also connected to other problems with AF and COPD.

Not anxious to chance another episode in the hospital from bacterial infections, I did some search’s on the internet about how to clean and disinfect the air hose, humidifier reservoir and mask. Seems like some were recommending just soaking these items in extremely hot water for 15 minutes, some recommending commercially prepared products for this purpose while others recommend soaking in a solution of vinegar and water for a similar period of time.

The vinegar ratio most recommended was one part vinegar to three parts water. Does anyone here use vinegar and if so, doesn’t the equipment kind of smell bad afterwards? None of the recommendations I found mentioned what kind of vinegar to use, is there a preferred kind?

[HoseCrusher]

I use RespiSoak

http://www.respi-products.com/respisoak.asp

No residual odor and it works great.

[ameriken]

I went with the DME's suggestions of vinegar/water = 1/3. I clean the mask and hose about once every 2-3 days with warm soapy water, the water tank about once a week with the vinegar solution. After letting the tank soak, I then rinse the mask and hose with the solution, then rinse a couple more times with water.

I've had no problems with residual odor.

[JayR_1945]

I had an episode of Bronchitis, Respiratory infection, Pneumonia (whatever) this spring. I think I am still feeling the effects of it, and trying to figure out a better treatment strategy.

As far as CPAP cleaning I suspect that copious cleaning needs to be synchronized with the antibiotic treatment to get rid of all germs in the CPAP at the same time antibiotics do their thing on the bad germs in the body. I'm not sure about vinegar. I think I would use it on a salad.

But I hear that 3 small drops (not glugs) of plain old "Bleach" in a sink full of water kills anything. And, yes the hose/mask has an unpleasant bleachy smell for the first few hours of use. But I guarantee the germs like it even less.

Many of us have had ear/nose/throat infections during youth. And "broad-spectrum" antibiotics have been over-prescribed. So, I'm working on finding a test to see which type of pneumonia it is, so that a more specific antibiotic can be used.

And because CPAP users are more prone to pneumonia, a pneumonia (along with flu) shot is recommended, though I'm not sure how often.

[pollyanna40]

This post is sooo interesting...like the look of Respi soak and hope i can buy it ere in England!! i at the mo i just use a bit of warm water and a drop of washing up liquid!! dont think its good enough after reading all wot u put,im 4wks into treatment!! and defo dont want any bad infections,Thanks for asking this question,good answers

[Bright Choice]

I know others here are very casual about cleaning their equipment and adding fresh distilled water to their humidifiers daily. Personally, I think that sooner or later you are going to have problems. My absolute favorite for cleaning xpap items is Control III sold by our hosts at https://www.cpap.com. It is antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal and it is used by hospitals for infection control - you can't beat that! They say that it is actually cheaper than using vinegar and water. If you buy some, buy the larger bottle and not the "kit". You can buy a larger container (1 gallon with a lid at Ace hardware for around $3). Having a larger container allows you to dump everything into the container and you then can let it sit for the 10 minutes required. I use it weekly and clean mask daily. I also empty the humidifier water daily, letting the tank dry out during the day. Microorganisms love to live where it is dark, warm and moist - ie your cpap humidifier. Regarding putting fresh water in daily, my attitude is that if you wouldn't drink water that had been sitting out for days, why would you want to breathe it into your lungs?

There have been comments from others on this site about the "pink slime" that builds up in the xpap humidifiers. It has been identified by others as "biofilm". I read a comment by Dr. Parks that others are correlating this biofilm and sinus infections. Bronchitis and pneumonia could certainly be an issue too imho. I used to be a nurse and I think that you just can't be too careful with infection control. I have seen too many health "disasters" that could have been prevented.

As for clorox - that would scare me. I wouldn't want to breathe in those fumes and I think it would be damaging to the equipment.

[ala5081]

Just checked Ace Hardware and nothing called Control III exists. Can you help with a better name please???

Thanks so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[archangle]

Pneumonia shots last quite a long time. For most people, you get one shot as an adult, then another one when you turn 65. Mine cost $35 at a pharmacy.

[The Texan]

Per both the sleep Doc and the DME RPT, I clean mine monthly with nothing but a 50/50 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and distilled water. Put 1 cup of the mixture in the humidifier and run the machine on the highest setting for about 10 minutes. Sleep doc said if I did this, I would NEVER have an infection associated with the cpap. So far it has worked very well and does NOT have an odor after the cleaning.

[nanwilson]

Be at this since mid April of 2010...clean mask once a week with Johnsons baby shampoo (UNscented) Add vinegar to the water and chuck in the headgear and stap covers...rinse and hang to dry. Clean the hose once in awhile with water and vinegar, same with the humidifier. Have not even had a cold in that time frame.

[Bobby269]

This link takes you to the Resmed's version of how to clean your equipment. http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/html/di ... clinicians
There are 3 PDF files that include all the necessary information.

[ameriken]

I tend to stay away from the antibacterial type of cleansers, with the exception of alcohol.

I used to use antibacterial soap till I heard about ingredients in such soaps and other regular household products that cause cancer and other problems.

Like nanwilson, I'll stick to vinegar and water.

From: http://www.examiner.com/health-news-in- ... themselves

Buyer beware: Are Americans systematically poisoning themselves
http://www.examiner.com/health-news-in- ... themselves

One of the worst offenders is the paraben class of compounds (mostly found as methyparaben or PABA), which is used as a preservative in nearly all commercial toiletries. The second most common is triclosan, found in numerous so-called antibacterial products, including the following:

Neutrogena Deep Clean Body Scrub Bar
Lever 2000 Special Moisture Response Bar Soap, Antibacterial
CVS Antibacterial Hand Soap
Dial Liquid Soap, Antibacterial Bar Soap
Softsoap Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
Cetaphil Gentle Antibacterial Cleansing Bar
Clearasil Daily Face Wash
Clean & Clear Oil Free Foaming Facial Cleanser
Dawn Complete Antibacterial Dish Liquid
Ajax Antibacterial Dish Liquid
Colgate Total Toothpaste
Right Guard Sport Deodorant
Old Spice Red Zone, High Endurance and Classic Deodorants
Vaseline Intensive Care Antibacterial Hand Lotion


Continue reading on Examiner.com Buyer beware: Are Americans systematically poisoning themselves - Seattle Health News | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/health-news-in- ... z1Rf3dh9AK

[billbolton]

i at the mo i just use a bit of warm water and a drop of washing up liquid!! dont think its good enough

Soapy warm water is fine, and is more than good enough

Cheers,

Bill

[archangle]

Please fill in your equipment on your profile for this board.

I disassemble my mask, hose, and water tank and wash them in the dishwasher on the hottest setting. My dishwasher has a "sanitize" setting. I've done this for 7 years now and have gotten good lifetime out of my parts. I hook the hose up to the kitchen faucet and run the hottest water I can get through it to wash out the inside of the hose.

I have two sets of all these parts and swap them each week. I clean the dirty set and set it aside for a week to dry. I believe that letting them dry out thoroughly helps keep mold or bacteria from growing.

Not all masks are suitable for such cleaning. Some have foam that I'd be concerned about washing this way. Some humidifier tanks disassemble for cleaning and are classified as "dishwasher safe," some aren't. It's good to have a spare mask, hose, and tank anyway, so get a spare before you try dishwashing any of them. If they get yucky with age, throw them away or replace the yucky parts.

Using distilled water in the tank is a good thing because there's no nutrients in the distilled water for bacteria to feed on. Even if bacteria end up in there, there's nothing for them to grow on. Be sure to clean and change your filters on your machine according to schedule.

[Bright Choice]

Just checked Ace Hardware and nothing called Control III exists. Can you help with a better name please???

Thanks so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get the Control III at cpap.com. I bought the 4 qt bucket at ace hardware.