Essential oils - can you just put a drop on the Filter?

[chunkyfrog]

Even the lightest fragrance can seem unexpectedly strong in an enclosed space.
You are welcome to learn this the hard way, if you are so inclined.

[LSAT]

Thanks all for the replies.

I guess I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around the functional difference between a diffuser disc in front of the air intake and a drop on the filter itself. Really don't want one more thing on the nightstand. I have a couple oils that are very easily dispensed by a single drop either by bottle tip, dropper, or capillary tube.

Filter material is not much different than a cotton ball. I don't see how 1 small drop of oil every few days would cause an oily intrusion into the machine itself. If the oil particles are going to intrude though the filter, I would imagine having the particles start in inch or two in front of the filter is going to intrude as well.

As for affecting the filter performance, a lot of air filters are oiled to increase performance by trapping finer particles. Certainly would not be coating the filter to that degree though, but it isn't going to be sufficient to block any airflow through the filter.

The only thing I really see as a concern is the lack of "adjustability" of the scent strength. The oils I am thinking to use are pretty light citrus based (blood orange, bergamot, grapefruit) and not strong to start with. My machine only use the disposable filters and I have plenty on hand so if it is overpowering, I can replace it.


Will report back after a few days and let folks know how it turned out, unless of course it kills me in which case I would suggest not doing it.

I am going to give it a shot and see what happens.

There is foam onside the machine that absorbs smells. When there is a smoker in the house the smoke smell is absorbed and almost impossible to remove. I assume that the same goes for the "essential oils". Removing/Changing the filter may not remove the smell.

[ChicagoGranny]

False advertising. "Essential" oils are unessential.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

False advertising. "Essential" oils are unessential.

Funny thing about words, sometimes there is more the one definition/meaning.

In this usage, it isn't that the oils are "essential" to have, but rather they are the "essence" of their source.

As in "the fundamental elements or characteristics of something"...

[Midnight Strangler]

My wife got into these oils one time. I hated the smell in the bedroom. Fortunately, she was able to get a small sample packet of different flavors, and when those were gone, she didn't reorder. My suffering in silence was short.

[Chilibit]

I prefer NO smells but that is just me. The aerosol on the input side will migrate to the fan and then act as a dust magnet. To avoid this you could add this oil to an output bacterial filter which avoids most of the aerosol passing through the machine.

[BlackSpinner]

Thanks all for the replies.

I guess I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around the functional difference between a diffuser disc in front of the air intake and a drop on the filter itself. Really don't want one more thing on the nightstand. I have a couple oils that are very easily dispensed by a single drop either by bottle tip, dropper, or capillary tube.

BECAUSE oil doesn't come off and you can't move the filter out of the way if it is too strong!!!!!!!

Filter material is not much different than a cotton ball.

Like bloody hell it is not different! I have never paid $10 for 3 cotton balls. Ignorance is not bliss!

The only thing I really see as a concern is the lack of "adjustability" of the scent strength. The oils I am thinking to use are pretty light citrus based (blood orange, bergamot, grapefruit) and not strong to start with. My machine only use the disposable filters and I have plenty on hand so if it is overpowering, I can replace it.[/quite]

Even mild scents are overpowering when fed directly into your nose.

[palerider]

Thanks all for the replies.

I guess I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around the functional difference between a diffuser disc in front of the air intake and a drop on the filter itself. Really don't want one more thing on the nightstand. I have a couple oils that are very easily dispensed by a single drop either by bottle tip, dropper, or capillary tube.

BECAUSE oil doesn't come off and you can't move the filter out of the way if it is too strong!!!!!!!

Filter material is not much different than a cotton ball.

Like bloody hell it is not different! I have never paid $10 for 3 cotton balls. Ignorance is not bliss!

meh, some people only learn by their own mistakes, instead of taking advantage of the mistakes and knowledge of others.

[chunkyfrog]

It does seem that the OP is set on learning the hard way.
Well, as long as the cpap is being used, it's not a total loss.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

It does seem that the OP is set on learning the hard way...

Yup, just like all those fools who fell off the edge of the earth back when it was flat.

[ChicagoGranny]

Yup, just like all those fools who fell off the edge of the earth back when it was flat.

There weren't many of them.

From at least the 14th century, belief in a flat Earth among the educated was almost nonexistent, despite fanciful depictions in art, such as the exterior of Hieronymus Bosch's famous triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights, in which a disc-shaped Earth is shown floating inside a transparent sphere.

According to Stephen Jay Gould, "there never was a period of 'flat Earth darkness' among scholars (regardless of how the public at large may have conceptualized our planet both then and now). Greek knowledge of sphericity never faded, and all major medieval scholars accepted the Earth's roundness as an established fact of cosmology." Historians of science David Lindberg and Ronald Numbers point out that "there was scarcely a Christian scholar of the Middle Ages who did not acknowledge [Earth's] sphericity and even know its approximate circumference".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_flat_Earth

[jtravel]

Like everyone else has said Putting Essential oil direct on the Filter in your Cpap Machine is a really bad idea.
The PurSleep products Diffusion pad product is the best approach. You don't have to buy their expensive diffusion pads however.
A cotton Ball, piece of foam or even extra foam filter can be used.
I use a cotton ball and a Binder clip. https://www.amazon.com/ACCO-Binder-Clip ... B002VD6BLG
The flat end of the binder clip will stand up when placed on a flat surface. I then place the cotton ball or foam filter between the two arms that will stand up straight.
I drop of oil on the cotton ball and then place it a inch or two behind the filter intake on your cpap machine.
Eucalyptus oil works wonders for me when i'm congested. I have also used Peppermint and Orange from time to time.

[chunkyfrog]

I use a stainless steel olive dish--(about 2"X1"), and put a scented cotton ball inside where 3 olives would fit.
---I eat my olives 7 at a time; the little bitty dish would just leave me jonesing for more kalamatas.

[Goofproof]

I use a stainless steel olive dish--(about 2"X1"), and put a scented cotton ball inside where 3 olives would fit.
---I eat my olives 7 at a time; the little bitty dish would just leave me jonesing for more kalamatas.

Impressive, I find it hard to stop at 7, so I buy mine at Sam's club, they are very large, and the best I have ever found, price is good too. Jim

[Mikaghan]

My personal experience is that essential oils aren't a problem - a couple of years back when I was adjusting to using a CPAP I thought using essential oils would help keep my sinuses clear and let me get to sleep easier. So I just added a drop or two to the water in the humidifier chamber. It worked fine and I followed this routine daily for about six months - slept well. Then I ran out of essential oil, felt I no longer needed the aid, so didn't re-order and haven't used since. Still using same CPAP machine, works fine, no lingering fragrance, no related health issues - just had complete physical including lungs (Doc says terrific condition). Not recommending anything to anyone - just sayin...