Control III disinfectant & Sinus Irritation

I have noticed that Control III disinfectant is often recommended on this forum to disinfect CPAP equipment. I decided to try it out, and recently started soaking my Mirage Activa Nasal Mask in a diluted solution of Control III disinfectant (1/2 fluid ounce per gallon of water). After soaking in Control III and before using the mask, I rinse it under tap water.

After starting the above procedure, I began noticing that my sinuses were becoming irritated (swelling up) to the extent that breathing with a nasal mask was not possible, so I switched temporarily to a full face mask. I am trying to determine what is causing the sinus irritation, and my preliminary conclusion is that the Control III solution is causing the problem because is not completely rinsed off my mask before use.

Today I stopped using Control III to see if that solves the problem. Has anyone else had similar problems?

Marose,

From time-to-time I use Control III, and frequently use Citrus II mask cleaner wipes and spray, in addition to routine washing of therapy items with a mild soap.

For professional use:
The Control III is an extreme concentrate originally designed for use in lab, clinical, hospital and morgue settings.

At 1/2-ounce per gallon of water the concentration is proven effective for killing heavy concentrations of almost every pathogen that body fluids or samples from multiple patients can yield on surfaces. While appearing clean, those places are veritable warehouses for all manner of discomforting to deadly bacteria and viruses.

For home use:
As in using it to clean the mask that only you touch and use.... an even lesser concentration is very adequate for disinfecting. I mean... IMHO.

I use far less than 1/4-ounce of Control III per gallon of water for my masks, swivels, hoses and other apparatus parts that are safe to clean with water.

You may want to try a lesser concentration. You could wash the mask and parts with mild soap and water..... after using Control III to disinfect, to lessen the likelihood of the chemical residual effects causing you problems.

Contact and breathing:
Too, and this is a very serious matter.... wear gloves when working with Control III, and avoid the concentrate or diluted solution from touching your skin. If it does, wash the area immediately with a mild soap and lots of water to rinse. Always ventilate the area where using or mixing Control III, and avoid breathing the vapors. Even if you can't smell it... it's in the air in the room or home where being used.

Control III also kills friendly bacteria that your body needs in order to function properly.

I hope this helps... and yes, I still use it with precautionary measures and in a greatly diluted form. I mean, considering that my masks and other parts are not subject to a wide range of really nasty bugs.

Yep, I refuse to let pets sit on them.

Nodzy

You may simply not be rinsing it enough to get the solution out of all the nooks and crannies. It can be difficult, especially if you have hard water. The Control III seems to try to stay on as an oily film and takes a lot of water to get it off.

Perhaps try soaking it in plain water for a couple minutes after you rinse it to get the last bits of solution out...?

Do you let the mask dry before using it?

I use Control III occasionally to really clean my equipment, but I've never had a problem with irritated sinuses. I do agree that the key here is thorough rinsing. If the equipment is properly rinsed, there should be no residue remaining on the mask.

OK, Stupid Newbie question.... where do I buy it?

Jerry.

Jerry,
Our host has it, among many other online and B&M stores.

https://www.cpap.com/productSearch.php? ... ol+iii&q=1

Nodzy

You can get it here, from cpap.com
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Contro ... e-Kit.html

Gee, if I had read this blog before buying Control III from Amazon (arrived today), I never would have bought the stuff. Too many caveats!

I've used Control III for over a year and have never had any problems with it other than the fact that is smells a bit strong the first night if I don't rinse it thoroughly. But then again, I never use it for my cushions or anything that touches my skin all night. Its good for hoses, the humidifier tank and stuff like that - IMO, it kills any yucky biofilm dead after about an hour of soaking. As mentioned, it's sold by CPAP.com. You don't really need very much, after being diluted, the instructions say you only need to wet the surfaces you wish to disinfect. I put about a half an ounce of diluted mixture into my humidifier tank twice a week, swish it around and let it set for and hour. Presto, a clean tank without scrubbing those annoying corners with a Q-Tip.