How often do you clean your equipment?

ohwhatanight · Post by **ohwhatanight** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:38 pm

I've had my CPAP for a month now and have been really obsessive about cleaning everything - washing the hose, mask & humidifier tank every morning with Ivory & then air drying just like the instructions said. Also using vinegar once a week. I'm scared of having mold or bacteria blasted into my lungs. But I wonder if this is a bit too obsessive or is there no such thing?

So just thought I would ask - how long have you been using your xpap and how often do you clean everything?

MJKelleher · Post by **MJKelleher** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:45 pm

And to add to the original question - how in the blazes do you clean the nasal pillows, and get them dry? I tried one morning, there was still water inside them when I was ready to use them that night.

I've been on the CPAP for just two weeks, and really appreciate this board for the reality checks I've seen. It's made me much more mentally comfortable with the whole process.

JeffL · Post by **JeffL** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:39 pm

I clean everything every Sunday morning.
I clean the nasal pillows every morning. Just run soapy water through it and shake it out. If there is still a drop or two in it at night, I let the machine blow it out before I put it one.

The cleaning instructions for it are at 3:30 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRRbCMu_tk

LSAT · Post by **LSAT** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:51 pm

ohwhatanight wrote:I've had my CPAP for a month now and have been really obsessive about cleaning everything - washing the hose, mask & humidifier tank every morning with Ivory & then air drying just like the instructions said. Also using vinegar once a week. I'm scared of having mold or bacteria blasted into my lungs. But I wonder if this is a bit too obsessive or is there no such thing?

So just thought I would ask - how long have you been using your xpap and how often do you clean everything?

You are a bit too obsessive.
I rinse my hose monthly and replace it yearly
I use CPAP wipes on my mask and replace the cushions at about 3-4 months
I never clean my humidifier tank...Just use distilled waterI have done this for 3.5 years.

idamtnboy · Post by **idamtnboy** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:58 pm

ohwhatanight wrote:I've had my CPAP for a month now and have been really obsessive about cleaning everything - washing the hose, mask & humidifier tank every morning with Ivory & then air drying just like the instructions said. Also using vinegar once a week. I'm scared of having mold or bacteria blasted into my lungs. But I wonder if this is a bit too obsessive or is there no such thing?

Most likely the majority of us on the forum would say yes. But how much too obsessive? There is no agreement. Do a search on cleaning CPAP and you'll find some who clean at least once a week or more, all the way to some who clean once or twice a year. Some report crud building up in the tank if they don't clean at least once a month, and others who seem to never have any crud buildup. Some worry about mold, others don't.

The best recommendation is to use a cleaning schedule you yourself are comfortable with, whatever that schedule may be.

zinkemomx2 · Post by **zinkemomx2** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:02 pm

I'm bad. I've been on Cpap therapy since April of last year. I started out scrubbing everything once a week. Then it gradually got so that I only cleaned stuff when it was time to refill the humidifier. I don't use heat so that was about every two weeks or so. Since then I've gotten a new machine. I clean things when I get a filter check reminder. I've always used distilled water in the tank. I use the original blue Dawn to clean everything.

HoseCrusher · Post by **HoseCrusher** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:47 pm

I advise people to clean according to their immune system.

If you have a strong immune system and don't mind giving it a work out, put off cleaning until you actually get sick.

If you have a weak immune system, clean more often.

The other side of this is prevention. I use my lovely "germ factory" grandchildren to exercise my immune system and prefer to keep my equipment clean. I do a quick clean of my mask, hose, and humidifier tank daily. This takes about 2 minutes. On the weekends I do a complete cleaning.

I also wash my hands frequently and change my underwear and socks daily...

islandboy5150 · Post by **islandboy5150** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:52 pm

Ive been on CPAP for five years, never have washed my hose, only washed the mask once, maybe. I use tap water every night and never used soap to clean it, just swish it out and wipe it dry. No problems, ever.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:11 pm

Our DME says to clean the pillows/cushion every day.
I discovered that just using baby wipes extends the use by at least double or triple.
Since I rarely get sick any way; it seems to be enough.
Of course, if your immunity is not as good as mine, by all means, wash them often!

2 B Sleeping Soundly · Post by **2 B Sleeping Soundly** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:01 pm

I wipe the mask inside and out when I get up each day with 2 CPAP wipes. I then use the wipes to quickly wipe off the inside and out of the hose ends and the humidifier air outlet.
Every 2 weeks I wash the mask parts & hose in a large bowl with hot water and baby shampoo. Also every 2 weeks I replace the fine white filter from the PAP machines air intake and change out the grey foam filter for a cleaned one.
I have never washed the humidifier water reservoir, but I do occasionally rinse it out and then let it air dry for the day. Except for traveling where I will use bottled water, I only use distilled water while at home. Every 3-4 days I dump out the water and put in fresh.

John

Slartybartfast · Post by **Slartybartfast** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:57 pm

18 months and washed the filter out twice with soap and water, but other than just rinsing out the humidifier reservoir every once in a while, never cleaned anything else. I'm on second mask, just wipe the pillows off once in a while and that's it.
But I'm just a guy and we all know guys are pigs at heart.

Newbie Woman · Post by **Newbie Woman** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:19 pm

I think it's a lot like having a new baby. At first you're obsessive about cleanliness. A few months later, assuming the baby is healthy, you let it crawl on the floor.

Lizistired · Post by **Lizistired** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:24 pm

Yeah, you get over it, and realize you don't die.
I clean the pillows when I think they need it. Wipe the headgear down once in awhile, rinse the tank if it's almost empty...
I do clean or change the filters, but haven't cleaned my climate line yet.

MJKelleher · Post by **MJKelleher** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:52 am

JeffL wrote:The cleaning instructions for it are at 3:30 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRRbCMu_tk

Thanks for pointing to this video. I know I'd seen it referenced before, but hadn't watched. Besides the part about cleaning, it was a help for me in adjusting the mask straps, and dealing with my long hair. I'll get the hang of this stuff yet.

xenablue · Post by **xenablue** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:02 am

I use wipes to clean my pillows every day during the week, then the whole mask gets a wash in hot, soapy water and allowed to dry on Saturday.

I USED to just top my humidifier up when it needed it, washing about once a month - after reading about the young man who died from Legionnaire's cause by bacteria in a humidifier tank during a sleep study, it now only gets filled enough for a couple of nights, then washed and let dry for the day.

It helps when you can build up a stash of 'spares' like nasal pillows, masks, tubing, humidifier tank, etc. so you can use clean, dry equipment while the others are drying.

Have found that the tubing takes several days to dry, so blowing it with a hairdryer or attached to your machine will speed that up a bit.

Cheers,
xena

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Machine	Mask