Cleaning humidifier vs. distilled water

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Guest

Re: Cleaning humidifier vs. distilled water

Post by Guest » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:42 am

TedVPAP wrote:Dry your CPAP equipment. Air drying is drying.
NO need to.
You should spend some time learning about the pink slime- you may learn that it comes from particles in the air, yes the same air you breath and feeds on the minerals in tap water yes the same water you drink & bath in.

You can prevent it or not.

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AMK
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Re: Cleaning humidifier vs. distilled water

Post by AMK » Mon Sep 18, 2017 10:12 am

The idea that it's the tap water rinse when washing that causes the red slime is an interesting one. However I do not think it's possible to sterilize the humidifier chamber without an autoclave, and even if you did that it would not be sterile anymore the moment it's exposed to air. So I think we can agree that no matter what, the humidifier chamber is not a sterile environment. I prefer to not see or deal with slime, or god forbid "strands" as someone mentioned, and regular washing and daily air drying seems to prevent that. Bottled distilled water serves the purpose of preventing hard water scale buildup, whether it's technically sterile or not.

#1Guest

Re: Cleaning humidifier vs. distilled water

Post by #1Guest » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:21 pm

When you are not happy with what you are doing (anywhere in life) then it's time to try something different - instead of repeating the same actions over and over but expecting different results.

Google this
Why do I have a pink ring in my toilet?
However, the pink ring that develops at the water line in the toilet, around drains, in the tub/shower area, and in bathroom drinking cups is actually caused by an airborne bacteria known as Serratia Marcescens. The airborne bacteria thrives in moist environments, which is why it is commonly found in some bathrooms.
or this
What is the pink stuff in the shower?
The reddish-pink residue in your bathrooms, on shower stalls, tubs, tile, toilets, sinks and toothbrush holders is caused by the growth of an airborne bacterium called Serratia marcescens. Yes, that's right, you've got bathroom mold.
Then google
Serratia Marcescens
Then keep doing the same things over and over or not. It's your time, it's your life, it's your slime.

IF you are gonna clean your humidifier, try rinsing with distilled, try not leaving it out to dry - see if things change or not. It's gonna get wet again in a matter of hours or minutes.
What have you got to loose?