cleaning vents on the P10

[grybeard77]

I have 4 P10's that I rotate ever 4-5 days and night before last I came to realize the mask I had on was NOT venting at all, and I think breathing a combination of CD and CO2 for 4-5 days was making me very weak, especially my legs felt like there was no muscle left and I could hardly make my self walk more than a few feet. I was killing my self....That mask has a completely different pattern on each side that the other 3 don't have. Must be a real oldie....The other 3 masks all have clear looking mesh and they look clean.

So did a search on CPAPTALK and have been reading all the posts about cleaning the vents on the P10. Quite a list of different things to try, but I'm looking for the perfect solution that some one has come up with to guarantee to get them clean. I have been trying the air bottle and that works pretty good, water pick is next. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

grybeard77 soon to be 89 LOL

[JimW159]

... I have been trying the air bottle and that works pretty good, water pick is next. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

In the past when I used the P10, my regimen was similar to yours: weekly rotation through a stable of several mask frames with daily cleaning of the pillows (which I also rotated) and weekly cleaning of the last used mask prior to re-stabling it. I used the WaterPik at its highest setting and the tiniest stream to give it a thorough pressure washing. Prior to the pressure washing, I soaked the frame/short hose assembly in soapy water (dawn) for several minutes to use the surfactant properties to help loosen any particulates. Occasionally I used a 75%/25% mixture of water/Lysol in the WaterPik (just to see what difference it made - basically, none that I could see). I always rinsed it well under running water before putting it up - trying to avoid problems from "riding hard and putting up wet." I never tried drying it afterwards with canned air, but it couldn't hurt.

[chunkyfrog]

Polident tablets work, too--- if you don't mind the MINT.
(Actually, the mintiness rinses down to just a touch.)

[palerider]

I have 4 P10's that I rotate ever 4-5 days and night before last I came to realize the mask I had on was NOT venting at all, and I think breathing a combination of CD and CO2 for 4-5 days was making me very weak, especially my legs felt like there was no muscle left and I could hardly make my self walk more than a few feet. I was killing my self....That mask has a completely different pattern on each side that the other 3 don't have. Must be a real oldie....The other 3 masks all have clear looking mesh and they look clean.

So did a search on CPAPTALK and have been reading all the posts about cleaning the vents on the P10. Quite a list of different things to try, but I'm looking for the perfect solution that some one has come up with to guarantee to get them clean. I have been trying the air bottle and that works pretty good, water pick is next. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

grybeard77 soon to be 89 LOL

I've had great luck so far with hot water, dishwashing liquid, and an electric toothbrush... (one of the braun ones with the small head, ... gets down on the inside and cleans really well... just save an old brush head for cleaning things like that).

The mesh comes out looking new.

I've had people complain that hand soap goops up the mesh, but dish soap and a toothbrush seems to be great.

[grybeard77]

My daughter took my clogged vent and with some CLR and a toothbrush, gave me back a very new looking vent that I can't wait to try out tonight.

[zonker]

My daughter took my clogged vent and with some CLR and a toothbrush, gave me back a very new looking vent that I can't wait to try out tonight.

my goodness! i haven't thought of CLR in years. i'm bookmarking this and will try it for vent cleaning.

[jnk...]

. . . haven't thought of CLR in years. . . .

Wouldn't be my first thought, myself. Just sayin':

https://clrbrands.com/Jelmar/media/sds/ ... 2-2-16.pdf

https://clrbrands.com/proline/sds

[LSAT]

My daughter took my clogged vent and with some CLR and a toothbrush, gave me back a very new looking vent that I can't wait to try out tonight.

Have you read all the warnings on the container????

[Mikebear]

My daughter took my clogged vent and with some CLR and a toothbrush, gave me back a very new looking vent that I can't wait to try out tonight.

Well, she just ruined that mask for you. You'd be nuts to ever use it again, and take a chance on breathing in all the poisons and carcinogens in CLR.

It's your life, BUT, you'd do well to throw it in the trash and buy a new one, than to end up at the Emergency room with nasal passages and throat chemical burns.

[zonker]

. . . haven't thought of CLR in years. . . .

Wouldn't be my first thought, myself. Just sayin':

https://clrbrands.com/Jelmar/media/sds/ ... 2-2-16.pdf

https://clrbrands.com/proline/sds

YIKES!!! thanks for the heads up.

now, where's that UNbookmark button.....

[Pugsy]

I think I might opt for vinegar if I felt the vent holes had a build up of mineral deposits requiring something as heavy handed as CLR.
Might take a little longer soaking but probably safer in the long run.

[jnk...]

I would prefer vinegar, too.

And for the record, CLR would not be my first choice or thought, but I still wouldn't rule it out for myself, since no cleaner is exactly good for mask or skin and it just depends on the dilution. For the parts of the mask that touch skin, I generally recommend never using anything that you wouldn't feel comfortable putting directly on your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. For the other parts, just use your good judgment. Unless you are like me, in which case you should use other people's good judgment.

And just for comparison purposes, the MSDS sheets for straight vinegar can look pretty scary at first glance, too.

https://beta-static.fishersci.com/conte ... S25623.pdf

Water can be "dangerous" as well, since it is usually what people drown in, after all.

First time I noticed the feel of extra CO2 and then tried to clean my P10's air vents, I got so annoyed that I ended up just punching two extra, larger holes in the silly thing, one in each side, with a needle. Not what I would recommend to anyone, of course. But for me, I am in the habit putting my hand up to feel the venting of a mask to make sure my machine is on, and the venting is so gentle with the P10 that I can't always feel it. Now I can. And it is still virtually silent. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but certainly not the stupidest-est-est either.

dish soap and a toothbrush seems to be great

Thanks for that. I'll try it. In fact, if you don't mind, could you make some noise to distract my wife so I can go use her toothbrush instead of mine?

[Pugsy]

I am like PR...I just use a toothbrush (old one that I save for whatever) and soap....and the soap is whatever I happen to have handy.
Soap and water seems to work well for me but if I had a need for something else I would try the vinegar thing first and I don't even like vinegar. I think it stinks to high heaven and I would have to do tons of rinsing to get rid of the stink.
For me vinegar is one of those "when nothing else works" solution.
In fact just a P10 cleaning a couple of weeks ago that involved everything. Soap and water and a toothbrush was all I used.
If I had a water pik I would likely use it but I don't and don't want to go buy one just for cleaning those holes once every maybe 3 months or so.
Just one more gadget taking up counter space in an already teeny tiny house without any extra counter space.

[nanwilson]

Did you P10 users know that the white coating on the vents wear off as time and cleaning go by???? I have 3 of them and have noticed the white coating on all 3 is gone, at first I thought it was just the holes plugged up with dirt, but the more I scrubbed with my spare toothbrush it looked like it got dirtier. . I checked all three, and found they were the same. They are not dirty, but the white coating is gone and that makes them look dirty. I just give them the sniff test, and if I think they need it I go to it, soap and a toothbrush and a good rinse .
Good luck
Nan
PS- Just took a look at the mask that is in my "ready to go" emergency/travel bag and found that the coating isn't ALL gone on that one, so it was easy to see the difference between the other two that I use all the time. My masks are at least 1 to 3 years old.... don't ask me which is which because this old lady forgot to label them with dates when they were purchased.
Nan

[RicaLynn]

I have a cheap Colgate toothbrush that's dedicated for cleaning my masks. Little hand soap, little scrub with the brush and a rinse, that's it. Maybe once a month.