How often should you clean your machine!

[butterflygirl26]

Im not sure how often i should clean the parts to my cpap machine.

[HoseCrusher]

I think it is related to how strong your immune system is.

If you never get sick, you probably don't need to clean your "stuff" as often.

If you are always sick, you should probably clean it more often.

I look at it kind of like washing my hands. I do a job, then wash my hands. I use my machine, then clean the mask and hose and humidifier tank in the morning.

[nanwilson]

Morning
I clean my mask, headgear and straps every Sunday morning - just did it. I use Johnson baby shampoo. If I have a cold or any illness, I do the mask daily.
Nan

[butterflygirl26]

ok, thank you very much. Im sick a lot so i guess i need to clean my "stuff" more often than i was thinking...thanks for you help!

[msradar65]

I have never cleaned my hose. However I wash my headgear and nose pillows and cozy when I wash my hair. My hose covers I wash when I do linen which is once a week. I throw everything in a lingerie bag except for nose pillows...wash and throw into the dryer.

I have never washed my humidifier tank. I only use distilled water. It looks like brand new. I wipe the dust off my machine and change my filter monthly.

[Country4ever]

When I first started using cpap, I washed things almost daily. But then.........I quit doing that. I wash my hose about every 2 months and my mask and humidifier maybe monthly. I posed this question several years ago, and it was amazing how little people washed their equipment, and never got sick.
I actually tend to wash out my humidifier when my leak rate goes up. There's something about washing it that seems to help it seal better.
I no longer think you have to be real compulsive about constantly cleaning it.

[archangle]

I disassemble and wash my mask once a week in the dishwasher. (Unless I get lazy and miss.) Be sure your mask can handle it before you try it on yours. If you're not sure, wait until your insurance will pay for a replacement, buy a new mask and experiment with the old mask. I blast it with the hottest "sanitize" cycle the dishwasher can do with an extra rinse cycle. I turn off the heated dry. I don't put any dishes in the washer at the same time.

I have more than one mask, so I put the just washed one aside to dry until the next wash cycle. That way I can still CPAP while one mask is being washed or just sitting in the dishwasher.

I wash the humidifier tank in the dishwasher, too. Same cautions as to being sure it won't harm your humidifier.

I hook the hose to the kitchen faucet and run the hottest water I can get through the hose. Then I switch ends and run the water the other way. I hang the cleaned hose vertically so that the water can drain out and use my spare hose for a week.

I wash the foam filter once a week. I have two filters, and put the wet one into my carry bag and put the spare one in the machine, so each one gets a week sitting dry. I replace the micro filter when it looks dirty.

I never wash my headgear. I don't do any particular cleaning of the CPAP machine unless it gets dirty somehow.

I'm experimenting with a new process. I bought 2 spare cushion and flap sets on ebay for $20 each. I swap the cushions and flaps each night and let the "wet" cushion and flap sit separate and dry for two days. I'm going to wash less often. I figure that bacteria growth will be less when the parts are sitting dry, plus, each cushion and flap is seeing 1/3 the amount of face contact and wear.

[nanwilson]

I have never cleaned my hose. However I wash my headgear and nose pillows and cozy when I wash my hair. My hose covers I wash when I do linen which is once a week. I throw everything in a lingerie bag except for nose pillows...wash and throw into the dryer.

I have never washed my humidifier tank. I only use distilled water. It looks like brand new. I wipe the dust off my machine and change my filter monthly.

I would not put your headgear in the dryer as it will stretch too fast. Its like - do you put your bras in the dryer? Its okay to put your covers in but I would not put the headgear in the dryer. Just wring out the excess water in a towel then just hang it to dry. I wash mine first thing in the morning then hang it to dry and its good to go by bedtime.
Cheers
Nan

[leighsha]

i have achne issues so I wash my mask daily and harness weekly, inbetween washes of the harness I wipe it daily with lemon juice. since starting to do this my face has almost completely cleared up while before I always had sores on the bridge of my nose and across my forehead and checks. I guess it depends on your skin type as well. I have oily skin if I don't wash my harness weekly it gets gross. I must say its a challenge to keep it up all the time and I get lazy..... then my face breaks out bad and I get my butt back in gear