cleaning your mask

mdbarthe · Post by **mdbarthe** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:05 pm

At the risk of sounding like a complete slob (compared to all the previous responses), for the first year and one half, I took my mask apart and cleaned it every morning after use and then let it air dry while I was at work.

For the past six months, I simply wipe it down well with alcohol-free wipes (Cottonelle) every morning. I'm careful to make sure I get the folds in the cushion wiped well and the interior of the mask. The only time I take it completely apart is at the end of the month. Then I fill the kitchen sink with Dawn dish soap and take the mask completely apart, let it soak for about 20-30 minutes (along with the humidifier tank and hose). I then wash all the parts and rinse them off good and let them air dry.

My mask looks clean all the time, I can't tell a bit of difference from how I used to do it every morning as opposed to the once a month. I always wash my face before I go to bed, however, so maybe that makes a difference? For me, less work with the same result is good.

SharkBait · Post by **SharkBait** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:29 pm

I use citrus wipes from time to time (I cut a little bitty part of one because I'm wiping on a Swift LT.

My daily routine is to run the nasal pillows under warm/hot water. I make sure it's not too hot on my hands. The walls of the nasal pillows are so thin that I'm hesitant to expose them to anything more than really warm water. The main thing I'm shooting for is to make sure all of the lanolin is off of there.

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:42 pm

I used some Ivory Fragrance Free dishwashing detergent, but I had had it for a while and couldn't find it again.

I now use Method dishwashing liquid, Fragrance Free. It helps with my allergies to fragrances and is available at a lot of stores, such as Target, Meijer, grocery stores, etc.

The Method dishwashing liquid was tested by the folks of America's Test Kitchen on PBS. They tested other commercially available brands, and rated Method the highest! And i was only using it on my CPAP equipment!

BTW, if you search for cleaning, you will probably get some interesting reading for the next month or two. This topic comes up regularly--194 pages worth on a quick search.

Karen,
Who has read enough to make her own decisions

always_tired · Post by **always_tired** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:39 pm

OutaSync wrote:Always_tired,

I'm curious about the statement in your signature line that says, "Have severe OSA but don't stop breathing." What does that mean? Do you just have hypopneas? UARS?

Just wondering,

Bev

From what my doctor said, he had trouble finding episodes of actual apnea in the data. So I assume I have mainly hypopneas and therefore very inefficient sleep. I will question him more after this next test. He has never mentioned UARS. In fact, I heard about that on this forum.

sleeper4088 · Post by **sleeper4088** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:02 pm

The reasoning behind cleaning your supplies is not so that they will look pretty. Bacteria grows well in warm dark places. Remember you are breathing what ever may be growing in there, YUCK! It is rec you clean daily with soap and water. Once a week use 1:3 white vinegar and water to get rid of bacteria that may have begun to grow. If you have a cold or respiratory infection, disinfect daily with above solution. You can develop chronic sinus infections, pneumonia, etc from improper cleaning of your supplies.

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