Cleaning/replace hoses

[acctingman]

How often do you all clean your hoses? Is there any particular cleaning solution that is best?

Thanks

[LSAT]

Never clean...replace when damaged. Current hose came with my machine 30 months ago.

[hobbs]

The only time I do anything to them is to rinse with water after traveling out of town.

[Wulfman...]

How often do you all clean your hoses? Is there any particular cleaning solution that is best?

Thanks

I've never "cleaned" a hose. Still using the first one I started with in May of 2005. Every few years I'll fill it with hot water to check for leaks and then put it back on the machine and mask.
Here's a little light reading for ya. Bottom line is do what you feel comfortable with.
If you DO feel the urge to clean this stuff, do it in the evening before bedtime. Then the residual moisture in the hose will be added to your humidifier air when you start it up later. Too many people complain about their hoses or HH tanks don't dry out........HUH? Why would you expect them to when you're going to be putting moisture back in them fairly soon.
Try to use some common sense and save the time for something more useful.

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Den

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[SewTired]

You'll find on this board that there are variations of tolerance for hygiene. Manufacturers recommend cleaning once a week. I do it whenever, but at least once a month. The PT at the hospital says they quite often get people in the hospital with respiratory problems who don't clean their equipment.

I use two different methods because I clean my equipment with Dawn, but my brother's equipment with a ratio of 1:8 vinegar because he had trouble with lingering Dawn odor. I fill the sink with water and soak hose, mask and humidifier bin for about 10-15 minutes. Rinse - lay everything to dry and hang hose. For bro, I use a 4 quart steel bowl and mix a water/vinegar solution doing the same. To rinse the hose, I clean and then run water from the kitchen faucet for about 30 seconds. Then hang to dry for about 10 minutes in the kitchen, then move it to the bedroom and hang from a hanger to complete drying. I do agree with Wulfman that you don't have to let it completely dry before using.

edited to add: if you look around this board, the average hose lasts at least 2 to 2 1/2 years old unless a calamity occurs. They usually fail when the connector starts to crack and leak air. This can happen at either the machine end or the mask end. I do think older manufactured hoses lasted longer, but they were not as light which resulted in a change.

[JeffL]

Once a week I put either a little Dawn or vinegar in the hose, run some water into it, slosh it back and forth, run water into again to flush it out, and hang it up to dry.

BTW, Someone once posted on this forum that they do not clean the water tub. I tried that for awhile... until I noticed a red scummy growth in the tub I went back to cleaning it once a week.

[Sheriff Buford]

I don't clean my hose. I replace it every 4 - 6 months.
- some folks will whirl it around overhead to sling the water out.
- if you want to check for leaks, you can hook the hose up to the machine (as normal), turn the machine on and spray a water/dishwashing soap solution on the outside of the hose. A leak will cause bubbles to form. No bubbles... no leak.

Sheriff

[jtravel]

If you live a humid environment where mold grows really easy it's best to clean weekly or whatever the manufacture recommends.
Here in Arizona we are supper dry and I have found no reason to clean my hose. I actually still have my original Hose from 15 years ago that is still going strong.
I was shocked how cheaply made my PR heated hose is at $35 each.
The newer hoses today are cheaply made in my opinion. They use really thin hose materiel that seem to get tears or rips really easy and need to be replaced or Duct taped repaired.
I use to clean the Water Chamber but never found any slimy walls and so i stopped doing it.
I use only distilled water in it and rinse it out with hot water every few weeks now and refill.
I have oil & alcohol free baby cleaning wipes that I use to wipe my mask silicone mask parts off every couple of days.
The bottom line is do whatever you feel comfortable with.
If the inside of your humidifier water tank is slimy on the sides or discolored then it stands to reason that your hose may also have some contamination inside.
You your own best judgement for your own individual situation.

[Goofproof]

Never, Never dropped mine in a toilet either, I do keep two spares on hand, as I do with all things. One for me and one for Murphy, he's a klutz. Jim

[Denial Dave]

I typically rinse out all new out of the package items like tubing to get rid of any new plastic smell. But I have never washed any hoses after that.

My current climate line hose is 2 + years old. I had to replace the previous climate line hose, because a crack / leak developed in the tubing near the connector to the machine.

My fleece hose cover gets washed every 2 weeks.