disinfecting a mask

[ErnieH]

This is the first winter using CPAP. What is the best way to disinfect a mask if one is sick or has the flu or whatever. What is the best way, not to just clean it, but to disinfect the mask, so you don't keep getting the same germs?

Thanks,
ErnieH

[deerhound]

There is a product sold on cpap.com called Control III that I will use when I have a cold. It is supposed to be a hospital grade disinfectant. I have some on hand for when I need it.

Dale

[Fredman]

I just bought some Control III awaiting for delivery. It is concentrated and I guess it will go a long way so it's very economical.

I know that in previuos posts we have had a lot of folks debating if you need to clean or even disinfect masks, hoses, humidifiers...all I know that if I don't clean the humidifier tank (even using distilled water) and clean the hose at least bi weekly, I start to get congested in my chest. When I clean both the humidifier and the hose the congestion immediately disappears after the first night of sleeping with clean equipment.....sooo I have bought the disinfectant, I believe that there are many good and bad germs living in my system and I would prefer to do without the bad ones!

I also like to use the CPAP wipes to clean my mask. I have a very oily complexion and after a night's use the mask is oily (yuck ) so I have to clean the mask daily to ensure that the mask seals nicely.

[ErnieH]

Thanks for the information I'm going to order some.

Ernie

[GaryGarland]

I may be wrong, but i thought you couldn't catch your own cold or virus - that your antibodies learn the unique signature of the thing, defeat it, and then you're immune to that particular strain for life. That said, i have Control III at home and i can't wait to try it on my new used mask!

[Fredman]

I may be wrong, but i thought you couldn't catch your own cold or virus - that your antibodies learn the unique signature of the thing, defeat it, and then you're immune to that particular strain for life. That said, i have Control III at home and i can't wait to try it on my new used mask!

Yeah you are probably right. But as those viruses die and decompose others grow on them and mutate so the unique signature of what once was from you is now something new. Hey I am no scientist, it just seems to make sense that it is good idea to clean your mask and hose.

[elader]

Well I am a scientist and you can't catch the same cold virus twice. The reason you get more than one cold is that they are constatly mutating out there as they pass from person to person and there are always new ones.

If you have a cold it's caused by a virus. Technically a virus isnt alive unless it's inside a cell, so there is nothing to 'die' and it can't grow and mutate. You CAN most certainly catch the same bacteria twice (e.g. salmonella, giardia, e coli, etc) - so I would say it can't hurt to wash your stuff after being all slimy with a cold.

[Fredman]

Well I am a scientist and you can't catch the same cold virus twice. The reason you get more than one cold is that they are constatly mutating out there as they pass from person to person and there are always new ones.

If you have a cold it's caused by a virus. Technically a virus isnt alive unless it's inside a cell, so there is nothing to 'die' and it can't grow and mutate. You CAN most certainly catch the same bacteria twice (e.g. salmonella, giardia, e coli, etc) - so I would say it can't hurt to wash your stuff after being all slimy with a cold.

Thanks! See I learn something new everyday.

[john_dozer]

Over time you're mask and other components will collect debris. The more debris, the more likely something might be able to find a home. Especially legionaries disease which occasionally forms in humid ventilation systems of buildings and a CPAP machine in a mini humid ventilation system if there ever was one.

And people can technically re-catch the same disease if there was enough elapsed time which is why there are vaccine booster shots. They can also re-catch diseases that aren't easily accessed by the immune system. This definitely include the inside of the digestive tract. I think it also includes the sinuses and maybe to some degree some parts of the respiratory tract.

[Babette]

I may be wrong, but i thought you couldn't catch your own cold or virus - that your antibodies learn the unique signature of the thing, defeat it, and then you're immune to that particular strain for life. That said, i have Control III at home and i can't wait to try it on my new used mask!

Ya' know, this makes perfect sense to me. So why am I supposed to throw away my toothbrush everytime I get a cold?

Now I have to worry about the Vast Toothbrush Manufacturers Conspiracy?
Babs

[Babette]

Ooo, I thought of something else. Do you think the Controll III could be used on my toothbrush?

BTW, I haven't used it yet. I just bought it a few minutes ago. I've been doing just fine since I started with vinegar and water soaks, but I decided I needed to try to Control III. If for nothing else than for the NAII Test Drive masks.

Cheers,
B.

[ErnieH]

I'm glad I brought up this subject, because I've learned alot. I did order the Control III and the wipes. Thanks for all the information and eye openers. There's alot of smart people on this forum.

Thanks Again,
Ernie

[ycartf]

This is just my two cents' worth, but Lysol wipes (I use Citrus) are ideal and are my first choice for touch-up (or daily) disinfecting of your mask. I have learned how to manipulate and run them around and under all the seals and edges of my mask (and the other surfaces). After I use one on the mask, and it is still saturated with Lysol solution, I fold it in half, bunch it up, and "fish" it through my hose - pulling it slower for better disinfection, faster if I have done it really recently. I say "fish" it because it is actually a length of 30lb fishing line (which is non-porous and easy to stay clean) with a lasso/loop on one end and about a one ounce weight on the other end - that I drop into one end and pull through with my hose wrapped around my shoulders in the "drying off your back" position.

I have (as a sideline job in my Haz-Mat Tech capacity) helped in the remediation of mold growth in homes / schools / businesses on several occasions .... and Lysol is the first choice for mitigation of mold growth. When we clean something with Lysol solution we know it is mold-free and we don't even have to worry about drying it a lot afterward because the Lysol in the solution will not foster mold growth (and it leaves a nice clean residual smell - faint - in your mask and tubing). I do not know about the cost of these solution or wipes (Control III?) but I know that with me being able to obtain these wipes at Wal-Mart and their very low cost (wife and I keep an eye out for specials on them in two packs or something anytime in that aisle and buy them before I "need" them), coupled with the effectiveness of Lysol, it is a no-brainer for me.

And yes, for anyone thinking, "is that all he ever cleans," I do take my mask all apart about once a month and soak it (and my hose/HH lid/seal) in a storage tub I use to carry it around in, usually just using dishwashing liquid and hot water, then rinse it in the same tub and let dry. I am thinking of using Lysol (in concentrate) for that too - just have not gotten around to getting any yet.

[ErnieH]

That's a great idea using the Lysol Wipes! Thursday I went in for my six month checkup. I told the lady I bought the Control III to disinfect the hose and mask. She told me that before she came to work there, she worked at the hospital and their procedure for cleaning masks was to soak them in 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water for fifteen minuets. She said the Control III is good, but the vinegar and water is just as good, if not better and a lot less expensive.

Thanks for the info,
Ernie

[AuntieNae]

I am curious about the toothbrush question ..