cleaning your cpap machine & mask

roncron · Post by **roncron** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:14 pm

Hello again, fellow CPAPers.

(Or should I spell it "CPAPper"? Or does that look too much like "crapper" or "rapper")

Question: What is your cleaning routine? Do you religiously clean your mask/pillows, hose, and humidifier tank every day like the manual says? How much time does it take? Do you clean these items in your bathroom sink, or do you have a special pail/bucket you use only for cleaning your gear?

What about when you travel? How is your cleaning routine different?

Must the 6-foot hose be COMPLETELY dry inside before using? (Since my machine has a heated humidifier, I'm guessing that the hose need not be 100% dry inside, but I'm hoping you experienced CPAPers can set me straight on this.)

And finally, an unrelated question: When you fill your humidifier, is it okay to use any decent bottled water (which is probably filtered using reverse osmosis), or MUST you use DISTILLED water?

Thanks again for all the great info here and all your participation! I am learning so much from this wonderful resource!

-RonCron

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:22 pm

Tons of threads on this topic, do a search on cleaning.

Opinions vary from clean by the book to hardly ever clean. I am in the hardly ever clean camp.

Bonnie · Post by **Bonnie** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:46 pm

Distilled water is a must, bottled water won't do. Do a search and you will find threads that spell out the reasons.

Same on routine cleaning, everyone has their opinions and reasons. I fall into the "rarely clean" category. I top off the humidifier nightly, rinse it out with vinegar maybe every 4 months. I never rinse out my heated hose but in the beginning when I did clean it once a week I used baby shampoo, swished it around, rinsed and hung in the kitchen to dry. I never had any water left over but if you do you could hook it up to the machine and run it for a few minutes to clear out any water. Be sure you don't have your card reader in if you have one, this would bring your leak numbers up. I have Pad-a-Cheeks and a ComfortSleeve hose cover both made out of soft fleece, these I do wash weekly. As far as my mask, I rinse out the nasal pillows when I think about it, usually every7 -10 days maybe longer and the headgear (I don't take it apart) every couple of weeks or so. I change out the sponge filter every 2-3 weeks and the white filter as needed, seasonally.

As you can see there is no set routine to my cleaning which has worked fine for me. Everyone is different, and some of us are lazier than others.... lol

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:42 pm

I am in the constant ly cleaning camp....or darn close. I dump humidifier every day, clean every other. wash mask cushion every day, rest of mask every other. Clean hose every other day. I chage filter every 2 weeks.
I use a large kitchen bowl and do it in the tub. Mostly it is just more convenient. My bathroom sink is small. Plus it it easier to clean the hose in the tub. More water coming out of a bigger hole....just goes faster. Then I just hang up the hose over the shower door and lay everything else on a towel on my vanity. At night I turn on my mask fitting feature and let it blow for a min to make sure everything is dry. Takes me 5 min on my light days and about 10 on my full cleaning days. Its not so bad.
It is really just a personal preference. You need to come up with a system that works for you.

tbouv · Post by **tbouv** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:05 pm

I clean it when it bothers me. Not the right plan, but...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:24 pm

I clean my nasal pillows, cap, and small tube daily in Dawn.

Do a 30 minute vinegar soak on the above and my large hose weekly, then wash with Dawn to remove the vinegar smell.

Stefernie · Post by **Stefernie** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:27 pm

Geez. Let me try again.

I clean the cap, nasal pillows, and small tube daily in Dawn.

I clean all 3 of those, large hose, and humidifier chamber weekly with a 30 minute vinegar soak, then wash with Dawn to get out the vinegar smell.

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:08 pm

I just use lavender baby shampoo. lol It works. I dont do vinegar. I havent found that I needed to. I use only distilled water, I dont have any funny smells going on. I have to wash my cushion daily, my skin gets so oily at night that if I dont I cant get a good seal when I try to wear it the next night. I wash it every day and the cushion is still starting to break down after only a few weeks. I dont put anything on my face before bed....just wash it. I only use baby shampoo on it. DME says it is from the face oils. I am going to have to start putting tissue under it. lol

Mask

Mask

Additional Comments: 9 cm