Cleaning the Swift

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:34 pm

I just got my Mirage Swift today and am wondering - what is the best daily cleaning procedure for this interface? The instructions that come with the Swift suggest taking the whole barrel apart from the headgear. It seems to me like this would cause a lot of leakage at the ends of the barrel. Wouldn't it make more sense to just take the nasal pillow off the barrel and wash that daily?

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:44 am

I spray mine with a vinegar and water solution and let it dry, I am a believer in not taking anything apart as it creates leaks.

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:47 am

when I was using the Swift I just took off the barrell and washed it every morning. Its the rpimary piece that comes in contact with your skin. Then once a week took the shebang apart.

Tampa Tom · Post by **Tampa Tom** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:17 pm

I pull the 'whole sebang' apart every a.m. - most days, it's a rinse with a tiny bit of baby shampoo...

Once a week, it goes into a 'buzz tub' with 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water for a ten minute soak...

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:28 pm

I am a believer in not taking anything apart as it creates leaks.

Amen, Rock and Roll!

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:10 pm

I take the pillows off every day and every few days I wash the whole thing in baby shampoo (minus the headgear). Leaks in the Swift? So much air goes out those vent holes, how would you even notice any leaks? <LOL>
- JB

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:09 pm

I go with the "avoid leaks" method of cleaning any interface. Leaks in the wrong place can be VERY irritating. Plastic snap fits have definite life spans. Remember, the manufacturer would like us to be replacing this as often as possible.

Every day I do the dilute vinegar spray, rinse, dilute castille soap wash and rinse again.

On the swift I do slide off the "clip" and crack open the barrel a tiny bit when I hang it to dry so it will dry off better.

gailzee · Post by **gailzee** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:31 pm

i wash the nasal pillow daily. I wash the head straps 1-2x's a week, hose 2x's a wk. I use unscented hand soap and warm water. I do let is soak in the soapy water, when I make the bed, and get organized, and back to the bathroom where I put the whole thing on a clean face cloth and let it air dry till evening, when I go to bed.

I wash out the htd humidifier tank, bottom, 1-2x's a wk.

I think that the pc that comes into contact with one's face should be cleaned daily. We shower daily, so why not clean up our ''stuff'' for heading off to bed.

[quote="brandy"]I just got my Mirage Swift today and am wondering - what is the best daily cleaning procedure for this interface? The instructions that come with the Swift suggest taking the whole barrel apart from the headgear. It seems to me like this would cause a lot of leakage at the ends of the barrel. Wouldn't it make more sense to just take the nasal pillow off the barrel and wash that daily?

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:41 pm

I rinse some parts daily and completely take apart and wash everything, including the main hose, thoroughly with baby shampoo once or twice a week. I only do the complete wash once a week if no offensive odors begin to show up. Going any longer than a week and I begin to notice an odor coming from various parts of the system. When an odor shows up I'm assuming it is caused by something not too friendly beginning to grow somewhere, and I don't want it to grow in my lungs.

Those little seal rings on the end of the barrel only cost $12 for 10 from cpap.com, meaning you can replace both end seals periodically for $2.40. I have been taking my swift completely apart multiple times per week for the past 2 months with no increased leakage. Just in case, I bought a 10 pak of seals to have on hand if a problem shows up. To me it's more than worth the replacement cost to make sure it's all clean and fresh and I have no chance of something nasty taking hold in my lungs.

You wouldn't think twice about paying $1.00 for a soda out of a machine a couple times a week. Skip a few sodas, get healthier, and buy some replacement parts to have on hand for your mask.

Ron

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:44 pm

Snork?

On the swift I do slide off the "clip" and crack open the barrel a tiny bit when I hang it to dry so it will dry off better.

??

Are you saying that you wash the headgear too? Tried that once. It took two days to dry!
- JB

sandy · Post by **sandy** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:17 pm

I clean my pillow portion daily with a non-alcohol based, unscented babywipe every morning when I wake up. Once a week I clean the whole thing thoroughly with unscented, mild dishsoap. The only pieces that I actually take apart are the pillow portion and I unsnap the tubing off the side and then soak the rest in warm, soapy water and rinse. I usually try and use the cool setting on the blowdryer to help dry the headgear.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:58 pm

Thanks for all the great input! Since I used KY jelly on my nose last night, the nasal pillow was pretty sticky by morning. Until I figure out a better way to clean it, I think I will just slide off the clip and remove the nasal pillow daily.

I was actually pretty impressed with the comfort of the Swift. It felt almost like I wasn't wearing anything on my face. The only problem so far is that I've had a bad sinus headache all day. I even have some slight swelling in my forehead. I'm hoping that if I turn up the humidifier, things will go better tonight.

wb9tpg · Post by **wb9tpg** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:41 pm

I take mine apart daily and wash it with Liquid Neutrogena soap. It rinses cleanly without leaving any residue at all. I wash the headgear every couple of weeks.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:50 pm

ahujudybear wrote:Snork?

On the swift I do slide off the "clip" and crack open the barrel a tiny bit when I hang it to dry so it will dry off better.
??

Are you saying that you wash the headgear too? Tried that once. It took two days to dry!
- JB

Cleaning the Swift

Cleaning the Swift

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Re: Cleaning the Swift

cleaning swift