Cleaning unreachable parts inside the machine

My machine worked fine for a while, then I could NOT get at the inside to clean the microbes out. Now no matter how much I clean the accessible parts, I can not use it as it infects me. Does anyone have any idea how to kill the bugs inside? My wife is a nurse and says that in hospitals they have autoclaves that use a gas to kill microbes on surgical instruments. Does anyone know anything about that? MOST OF ALL, is there a machine that the customer can get to the insides, the fan and its housing and whatever else in there is blowing up my nose? If you are getting infected, even mildly, do you suspect that the never-cleaned insides are the culprit?

NO! I do not worry about the insides as long as I change my filters regularly, keep my hose, humidifier, mask squeeky clean & keep the outside clean. In a year and a half of use I have had 2 colds and they only lasted a few days, I'm assuming the continuous air flow has kept my passages open and lessened the cold. There are those on the forum that have had their machines for five years plus and do less cleaning than I do. Do a search (the box at the top) on machine cleaning and see what you get.

Treebreezes wrote:My machine worked fine for a while, then I could NOT get at the inside to clean the microbes out. Now no matter how much I clean the accessible parts, I can not use it as it infects me. Does anyone have any idea how to kill the bugs inside? My wife is a nurse and says that in hospitals they have autoclaves that use a gas to kill microbes on surgical instruments. Does anyone know anything about that? MOST OF ALL, is there a machine that the customer can get to the insides, the fan and its housing and whatever else in there is blowing up my nose? If you are getting infected, even mildly, do you suspect that the never-cleaned insides are the culprit?

Bacteria could only get in from the air intake, they can't swim upstream. If you keep your filters clean there is no issue unless of course you have it in a very contaminated area? But then you would be getting sick from just breathing the air in your bedroom.

You are probably reacting to all the cleaning chemicals you are using on the parts you can reach.

FILTER...FILTER...FILTER. Change it or clean it and the inside of the machine will stay clean.

I wouldn't even think of trying to get inside the actual machine itself - change the filters to keep them clean, clean your hose/mask, but go inside the actual CPAP?? No way.

khintul wrote:I wouldn't even think of trying to get inside the actual machine itself - change the filters to keep them clean, clean your hose/mask, but go inside the actual CPAP?? No way.

Right! I would not try to "clean" the "inside" of a CPAP machine at all.

Just change the filter when needed.

I very much doubt your problem is with the Cpap machine--nothing for the bacteria to grow on in there. Even hoses and humidifier tanks, which are much more hospitable to bacteria, are unlikely to be a problem. Although unlikely to be needed, you can also get inline bacteria filters (check Cpap.com), although you probably don't want to use those after the humidifier.

I once had your worries. But, it turned out I had two culprits causing me to believe my Cpap hoses were somehow generating infection: my nose and GERD.

Sinuses in the nose were reacting to the rush of air/pressure, the openings were getting inflamed and swelling shut; the bacteria inside would multiply and have a field day (ENT says there are always bacteria getting into the sinuses, but normally things drain out). Antibiotics worked only partially and the problem always came back big time. What worked for me were simple sinus rinses, using Neilmed salt/soda packets and a squeeze bottle. I did lots per day, and finally got the problem on the run. I still try to do one sinus rinse each day. They are great for getting pollen and other irritants out and gently encouraging sinuses to stay open and drain. If I have a cold, I do one in the morning and at least one in the evening.

Regarding GERD (acid reflux), I did not have heartburn, and thought it was an infection of some kind. I did a lot of coughing in the morning which ended in the early afternoon. The doctor asked what color
was the sputum. I said sort of brown; he said that sounded like GERD. I was doubtful, but took the Protonix he prescribed and within weeks the problem had gone away. (I have since weaned myself off Protonix, as I did not like what I read about side effects. I now try to avoid eating anything near evening; and have the head of my bed elevated.)

Anyway, that's my (somewhat long-winded) experience. In my case, the Cpap and hoses turned out to be innocent. In fact, today, I hardly ever even wash the hoses, and have no problems.

Links to Cleaning mask, hose, humidifier
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Treebreezes wrote:My machine worked fine for a while, then I could NOT get at the inside to clean the microbes out. Now no matter how much I clean the accessible parts, I can not use it as it infects me. Does anyone have any idea how to kill the bugs inside? My wife is a nurse and says that in hospitals they have autoclaves that use a gas to kill microbes on surgical instruments. Does anyone know anything about that? MOST OF ALL, is there a machine that the customer can get to the insides, the fan and its housing and whatever else in there is blowing up my nose? If you are getting infected, even mildly, do you suspect that the never-cleaned insides are the culprit?

Sign up for an ID and fill in the equipment in your profile so we can help you. There's a link at the bottom of this post on filling in your equipment.

It's highly unlikely that there are bacteria lurking inside your CPAP machine, especially before the humidifier. It's too dry, and there are no nutrients there for the bacteria to feed on. Some bacteria may get in through the filters, but these are the bacteria you'll be breathing if you don't use CPAP. Even if these bacteria do settle down inside your blower unit, there's nothing for them to feed on, so they can't multiply.

You can buy bacteria filters that fit between the humidifier and the hose. https://www.cpap.com/cpap-filters/bacte ... covers.php

I don't think they'll do you any good, but if they make you feel better, feel free to use them. Be sure to replace them when needed, or you could make the problem worse, since these filters do get wet from the humidifier.

Maybe CPAP dries you out or pushes air into your sinuses or something causing your infection problems.

I have next to my machine a HEPA filter with a UV sterilizer in it blowing generally towards my APAP.

You could also try Neti Pot, just use distilled water.

Infections in the sinuses are a continuing problem for some of us. It is difficult to get antibiotics into the areas of the sinuses that do not have a blood supply. My sister has had several surgeries to correct the shape and drainage of her sinuses that have issues. Else she was on a continuing cycle of taking Amoxicillin. then it ends, after some time the infections are back.

Do what seems best to you.

Hello, I hope this still relevant. With the greatest respect, some of you are misinformed concerning the nature of bacteria. First many species can live a long time on surfaces, even dry surfaces. Second, they are certainly capable of airborne travel. Third, many species hibernate in the form of spores which can survive for years in a dormant state. Fourth, molds also form spores and can infect the musousal membranes of the sinuses. They can also enter the middle ear through the Eustachian tubes which connect the nasal passages to the middle ear.

Due to the positive pressure of the cpap, these microscopic particles are literally pushed into the air passages. Most of the time the immune system will clear these without our even being aware of it. The rest of the time - look out!

DaveT wrote:Hello, I hope this still relevant. With the greatest respect, some of you are misinformed concerning the nature of bacteria. First many species can live a long time on surfaces, even dry surfaces. Second, they are certainly capable of airborne travel. Third, many species hibernate in the form of spores which can survive for years in a dormant state. Fourth, molds also form spores and can infect the musousal membranes of the sinuses. They can also enter the middle ear through the Eustachian tubes which connect the nasal passages to the middle ear.

Due to the positive pressure of the cpap, these microscopic particles are literally pushed into the air passages. Most of the time the immune system will clear these without our even being aware of it. The rest of the time - look out!

From where? Where do they come from? I guess that would be the dwelling where we breathe them any time we're NOT hooked to the machines.......because using the machines is breathing FILTERED air. The intake filters will stop most of the stuff (in the air in your bedroom) from getting into the machine.......then, the air flow would blow the air past the humidifier tank and anything in the air should drop into the water in the tank and STAY THERE since they're too heavy to be carried out by water vapor molecules.

With all due respect.......you're an idiot.


Den

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Yes, and because you're breathing all that stuff UNfiltered all day long (and so far you've survived)!

If you are looking for an excuse to not use the machine, sorry, no can do.
You have nothing to fear but fear itself, but enough fear can destroy you.
Please consider seeing a psychiatrist, no one should suffer from the amount of
unfounded fear you describe.

I think it was forum-member PaleRider who recently took apart an old machine he had laying around (he seems to have a collection of various used machines ). Since the air going thru the CPAP had always been filtered, guess what? Not a speck of dust or mold growth inside the machine at all. I see no reason to open up the case or even hook the machine up to a SoClean device - you'd breathe more dust just walking around your house.