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If a CPAP humidifier is not cleaned daily and pink mold gets into corners of bottom plate of the tank or if tank not rinsed daily and bacteria gets into tank, can that cause emphysema?

Dunno on what it might cause but I wouldm' breathe it. I tossed my first humidifier tank from pink slime when it showed up (and I was washing daily...joys of the hot, humid South). Now, I wash, rinse, spray wtih vinegar, let sit 1-3 mins, rinse well, let air dry. I have a skinny bottle brush that I've bent to reach the far nooks and crannies if it seems like rinse water is not running down the insides of the tank as it usually does -- makes me suspect some sort of stuff growing in spite of my efforts.

Mulehead wrote: can that cause emphysema?

No. Mold cannot cause emphysema. But bronchial infections can certainly make the symptoms of emphysema worse!

LinkC wrote:

Mulehead wrote: can that cause emphysema?

No. Mold cannot cause emphysema. But bronchial infections can certainly make the symptoms of emphysema worse!

Right. And pink gunk can cause some really nasty pneumonia.

Muse-Inc wrote: to reach the far nooks and crannies

At slinky's suggestion, I clean my tank w/Polident denture tablets.
I use two w/fairly hot water.
Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes, rinse well.
NO vinegar smell.....I hate vinegar.

Works great.

Carbonman- I love this suggestion as I don't like the vinegar smell either. How often do you have to do this?

Kemosabe2 wrote:Carbonman- I love this suggestion as I don't like the vinegar smell
either. How often do you have to do this?

Isn't vinegar some of the most foul stuff on the face of this earth???

I do this as is necessary. Maybe every three weeks, or so.
It is Slinky's idea.

......hmmmm....what you mean WE, Kemo Sabe??

I love the idea of Polident tablets! I'm going to Rite-Aid tonight and get some.

Y'all convinced me I oughta give the Polident tablets a try and see what happens. Yeah, vinegar smells pretty horrid (but OK as salad dressing? go figure) but it is a disinfectant.

Unless I have been wrong all these years, vinegar actually kills the mold. Most people think bleach kills mold, it doesn't it just bleaches it.
I don't mind the vinegar smell but I do let it air out and I wash my mask completely every little part with Dove dishsoap and wash the hose with the brush and johnsons baby shampoo. Those two soaps pretty much block out any smell of vinegar that is left over.

Gerry

Aside from rinsing it out every so often, I haven't given my humidifier a good cleaning in the 4 months I've had it. But I took this suggestion and used the generic polident cleaner in it the other night, and now it sparkles.

Everytime I see one of these "slime in tank" threads, I panick, grab a flashlight and inspect mine. The screen says 3113 hous on this machine and I have never removed the tank to empty it or clean it. I just take the hose off every other night and pour some distilled water into it. It still looks as sparkling clean as it did when new. Same with my other machine. I'm wondering if taking it apart and cleaning it doesn't introduce the bacteria during the cleaning process? Just a thought.

I have had my Cpap machine for several year now, I thought I was cleaning it good enough, but for the first time in 4 years, I seen something horrible, scary horrible!!!! Now it scars me. It looked like a bunch of black tiny little slimy stuff. I has just cleaned and changed the water 2 days prior. My husband said I was snoring really bad the night before and then I woke up with a severe sore throat and I feel horrible. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I use vinegar also but I add a drop of Tea tree Oil which is a natural fungicide and I scrub with a baby bottle brush I bent into shape. I would like to spend 5 minutes with the idiot who designed this stupid tank. However I believe he probably got a bonus for creating a great LOOKING tank which forces people to buy new ones more frequently thereby increasing profits.

Bed Bugs in your CPAP

We’ve all heard about the bed bug problem and how it has shut down retail stores, vacated apartments and hotels and threatened schools, dorms, homes and movie theaters. These bugs and the bites they leave behind were a huge problem prior to 1950, but then insecticides eradicated them. We now have insecticides that are safer on humans but that don’t kill these pests. Bed bugs are also excellent hitchhikers and love to travel on clothing, luggage or linens. This poses a problem for those of us who do travel and who need to travel with our CPAP machines, which live in the bedroom.

Adult bed bugs are about the size of apple seeds with dark brown bodies. Their children and teens are smaller with a lighter color. They love coming out at night to crawl from their hiding places in the box spring or mattress to bite you. The only consoling news about bed bugs is that though their bites are annoying, they don’t transmit diseases.

What do we do?

• When you first check into the hotel ask if they have any current or recent bed bug infestation issues. If they say yes, try to avoid any room that has been treated for an infestation within 30 days.

• Keep your filters in your CPAP machine as clean as possible. There are Ultrafine filters on the market made with small synthetic fibers that capture bacteria and virus particles in the air. They’ll also capture bed bugs! Many CPAP users with severe allergies already use them. These Ultrafine filters will do their job even better if you regularly change the filters every 30 days.

• Clean your physical CPAP equipment with Citrus Cleaner whose odor repels bugs. Also give your mask and tubing a thorough cleaning as soon as you return home.

• Keep your CPAP equipment on a clean, dry surface. Inspect the area before you set it down.

• If you do see the bed bugs upon your return home contact your local health department and get professional help to eliminate them from your environment.

Be safe and careful when you travel with your CPAP machine. With a little added precaution you can keep the bed bugs from ruining your day