2 part question on cleaning and cpap related illness.

[cpappy47]

Do it the way you want. I don't want to stand around waiting for the water to boil and wait for things to cool off. Also if you wash the cushion off with hot water what can be left on there to harm your pretty little face. Doing this for the last 5 years with no problems.

PS:The can costs about $2.50 to $3.50 and last for about 4 to 5 weeks.

[The Latinist]

Also if you wash the cushion off with hot water what can be left on there to harm your pretty little face.

Silicone rubber is impervious to water, but not to all substances. Some chemicals (benzene and hydrogen peroxide are two common ones) can be absorbed into silicone rubber, causing it to swell. They will not be rinsed off with hot water, but will remain in the silicone rubber and then leach out slowly and evaporate. I do not know if any such chemicals are in Scrubbing Bubbles -- indeed, I doubt that all the ingredients in Scrubbing Bubbles have even been tested for compatibility with silicone rubber -- but it is naive to assume that rinsing in hot water will remove all chemicals.

Please note that I am not saying that this will cause harm, I am merely objecting to your assumption about the effectiveness of a water rinse. You are of course welcome to do with your mask what you want; indeed, many people around here are shocked that I have used isopropyl alcohol to clean silicone rubber mask seals. We each must decide for ourselves what methods we are comfortable using.

[chunkyfrog]

I'm tempted to try carbonated distilled water.
I'd take the distilled water from my distiller, and inject CO2 with the Sodastream.
Not that it's something anyone can do, but if I do it , I'll let you all know how it works.
--Maybe I'll try it on the headgear, too.

[cpappy47]

Boil they fry them or do what ever you want using the Scrubbing Bubbles is what works for me. I did not post this to make it a requirement for everyone to do it. I am not a chemist or would ever want to be one. If it kills me oh well were all headed that direction..

I my self have got so much Agent Orange in me from Vietnam what the hell just another chemical or two....Don't breath the air it has been known to cause death. Also stay out of VA Hospitals they will kill ya too. The VA is death squads that backfired on the OBAMA administration.......

[The Latinist]

Boil they fry them or do what ever you want using the Scrubbing Bubbles is what works for me. I did not post this to make it a requirement for everyone to do it. I am not a chemist or would ever want to be one. If it kills me oh well were all headed that direction.

I don't believe anyone here thought you were trying to force us to use scrubbing bubbles on our masks, nor that you are a chemist or have an ambition to become one. But you asked a specific question: "Also if you wash the cushion off with hot water what can be left on there to harm your pretty little face." I was answering your question, which appeared to be based on false assumptions about the effectiveness of a hot water rinse for removing chemicals from silicone rubber. What exactly do you expect people to do when you ask a question other than answer?

[Sleepless in Ca]

Has anyone tried the SoClean machine that cleans your whole system? I just bought one and am hoping it works as good as the reviews on Amazon say.

I ran across this earlier today and made me cringe. I knew the masks are so dirty from breathing into them all night but this
http://www.easybreathe.com/blog/cleanin ... m=referral brought that home.

[Julie]

What is your obsession about sterility? The masks are NOT 'so dirty' if you clean them wkly and the hoses should be fine. SO Clean is for hospital sterilization standards because systems are used on many patients and hospital lawyers would have a fit if someone sued even thinking they'd gotten sick because of their equipment... but machines are only a conduit for filtered air being blown out to you, and considered you don't breathe through filters otherwise all day, never mind outside on the street, what's the point of clenaing the machine?

[Drowsy Dancer]

I ran across this earlier today and made me cringe. I knew the masks are so dirty from breathing into them all night but this
http://www.easybreathe.com/blog/cleanin ... m=referral brought that home.

You do realize that the material at the link is purely an advertisement and not any attempt at objective reporting?

[chunkyfrog]

The SoClean does NOT remove soil and grease; it does NOT "clean";
but enough UV light kills just about anything exposed to it, so it might make a good last step in cleaning;
IF the UV is intense enough to work. Remember, the product is marketed to the general public,
which usually means it is not the professional version--if there is one.
If you need this degree of sanitization, I would recommend something that has been tested to be effective-
-not one tested to be "idiot-proof". The SoClean is IMHO, only designed to make users feel safe.

[Sleepless in Ca]

Julie, SoClean is for home use, not for hospitals. The manufacturer's instructions are to clean your mask daily and also you need to clean your tubing and humidifier reservoir. Have you ever seen how you need to take the mask fully apart to clean it daily? So many parts, so much work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsA3wLh5D_g

Being an RN makes one so aware of bacteria and how dirty things get and how to protect oneself. http://www.sfcdcp.org/germs.html

Viruses and bacteria multiply so quickly. Look at this chart http://www.answers.com/topic/how-fast-d ... a-multiply It shows that in just 10 hours the bacteria has grown from 1 to 134,000,000. Or to watch them grow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrx7Xg0gkQ4 It is hard to understand when you cannot see them. But they are there. And if you have a chronic disease or just not feeling well, you are even more susceptible to them. So prevention is so important.

Anyway, I am all for being clean the easiest way possible and am hoping the SoClear is as efficient and as easy to use as is being reported. I have spent the morning reading about the SoClean. Here is an interesting video on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiYUWxuglVU

It states to be a "Powerful automated daily sanitizer for your CPAP equipment
Destroys 99.9% of CPAP bacteria, viruses, and mold- without chemicals or water"

So I am going for it!

[Drowsy Dancer]

Have you ever seen how you need to take the mask fully apart to clean it daily? So many parts, so much work.

<snip> It is hard to understand when you cannot see them.

I think most of us understand the idea of bacteria already, even if we can't see them. You're making a lot more work for yourself than you need to.

[Julie]

Well, my mask is not anything like dirty daily, so I don't clean it daily, and only use wipes when I do most of the time unless I think soap is needed (very, very rarely). I have worked in teaching hospitals all my life and I think your obsession with 'bacteria' has probably weakened your immune system if anything. Doctors (NOT surgeons) don't wash all day long and fret about germs and they don't get sick... why do you suppose that is?

And PS - not all bacteria is bad for you.

[Drowsy Dancer]

I guess I'm also not troubled by the idea of "germs" on my nasal pillows because they are, so to speak, my own germs from my own nose. It's not like anyone else is using my mask.

[DeadlySleep]

Next they will be using muriatic acid.

[Drowsy Dancer]

See an extensive debunking of the SoClean here: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread ... ing-system