Give me your poor, tired, nasal pillows...

[archangle]

Give me your poor, tired nasal pillows, yearning to help someone breathe freely.

Hey, something I read the other day got me thinking. Will someone who's a nasal mask user try this?

Take some nasal pillows you are ready to discard because they've gotten old and limp or whatever happens to them when you've used them for a while.

Boil a pot of water. Turn down the heat until it's just barely simmering. Toss in the pillows and let them sit in the boiling water for 5 minutes or so.

Remove, let cool and see if they've been improved by the process.

I don't really expect it to work, but it's cheap, and wouldn't it be great if it did?

Remember, only pillows that are ready for the trash.

Satisfaction guaranteed or no money back.

[mrnetwurm]

Well, I'm not in a position to try this right now, but I know that I had a moldable mouth piece that
you put in simmering water and then bite into it. They say you can reheat it and try again, but
I know from experience that it does not go back to the original shape.

Just sharing my thoughts.

Jerry

[Infinity85]

I think I'll try that in the nearest future. Thanks for the information!

[deerhound]

It seems to work on my swift fx pillows. I been boiling them for a couple of months and I seem to get a week or so more out of them. I only boil pillows that have srarting leaking regularly.

Dale

[DocWeezy]

Boiling hasn't worked very well for me...I'm notorious for going through pillows quickly--they turn squishy very fast even though I do not use any facial moisturizers at night. It seems like the best I've been able to get out of them is about 7 to 9 wearings. I soak them in Respicare solution and they dry for three days (I rotate between 4 pillows).

Baking in the oven at 450 was another experiment, and while it helped the squishiness a bit, they came out looking and smelling like roast beef. I need to try that again with wrapping in foil to see if it avoids the roast beef syndrome.

HOWEVER, I tried something different a few weeks ago: using a pressure cooker. It helped! Better result than boiling--I actually got another 2 nights out of the test pillows. I didn't keep them in the cooker for longer than 20 minutes; think I'll try longer next time to see if I can get more additional wears out of a pillow.

So bottom line: boiling may help some; it didn't for me. Pressure cooker makes a noticeable difference.

Weezy

[codinqueen]

I put mine in a FULL boil for about 20 minutes, and it does revive them. I don't know how long the "reviving" lasts though, because then I put them in my emergency stores for when I can neither afford the co-pay on the pillows or take delivery of any (like on a weekend) when they go bad. I think they will be used next year, as I work up to reaching my deductible again.

[scottjf8]

Newbie here.. How do we know when it's time to replace the pillow?

[codinqueen]

They leak like crazy when they need replaced, and they get really "mushy". At least that is what happens to mine.

[scottjf8]

They leak like crazy when they need replaced, and they get really "mushy". At least that is what happens to mine.

Monthly?

[Pugsy]

Monthly?

Maybe, maybe not. I get several months out of one. Others seem unlucky and do good to get 2 weeks.

I typically alternate. Wash every 5 to 7 days letting the newly washed pillow sit till used at the next washing.
I am currently using the pillows I got last Dec. I am lucky that I can use the XS and small without noticing anything different. I do have a stock pile of replacements just in case the dog gets one (has happened more than once).

Will depend on your insurance how often you can get replacements but even Medicare allows for 2 a month.

Now I don't wash nearly as often as others might (or as often as I did when I was newbie) it works for me and I don't use anything like Lansinoh ointment anymore. So there is no added gunk to my pillows. And unless I have a runny nose, really no added gunk at all.

[SleeplessInBrussels]

Oh so you wash the nasal pillow once a week? I just switched to this from mask, which I was told to wash once a month. Washing that often doesn't make them go mushy faster?

[apneawho]

I just boiled my mushy squishy nasal pillow this morning. My first attempt. Will let you know if it worked for me.

[Pugsy]

Oh so you wash the nasal pillow once a week? I just switched to this from mask, which I was told to wash once a month. Washing that often doesn't make them go mushy faster?

No, I don't think washing more frequently makes them go mushy faster. Not unless the washing the routine is extremely harsh. Back when I first started therapy I washed every day. I still got months of use out of them.
I think with a once a month routine your body oils will affect the sealing ability and might cause more leaks then being a tad "mushy". To be honest I don't understand "mushy". I think that is going to be relative to what a person perceives themselves. To me a brand new pillow is soft and "mushy" anyway. I have some unused pillows and I try to feel the difference with those and the months old pillows and I can't. They feel the same to me.

My washing routine is a simple wash my hands with some mild liquid soap that smells good (so the pillow smells nice) then I add the pillow to my sudsy hands for some quick washing, maybe 10 seconds. Rinse and air dry.
I don't soak them.

I have never used the mask you are trying. I have used the Swift LT and Swift FX.

[McSleepy]

I don't want to alarm (or gross out) anyone, but I will contribute to this thread by saying that I have used my original nasal pillows for 8 years now, without any boiling or anything, and I have only washed them a few times. I have no leaks or sealing problems, never have any infections or congestion, or anything that wold make me consider replacing them, and I have a few brand new spares sitting in my drawer.
McSleepy

[apneawho]

I have been washing mine once a week, not soaking them, but washing with water and Ivory liquid soap and air drying. Is that okay? Too often? Too little?