Mask cushions

[ephraimh]

How do you clean them and how often do they last?

I have two ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face masks, medium. My skin is naturally oily. The cushion gets yucky overnight, so, every morning I rub the cushion gently with a cotton ball that I've dipped in rubbing alcohol. I do not detach it from the mask. I wear the mask for two nights and then my wife soaks it overnight in the sink in warm water with a little Ivory soap in it. I start using the other mask the night that the first one gets an overnight soak. She does not detach the cushion from the mask.

It seems to work, but I'm concerned that the alcohol swabbing might be causing the cushion to wear out too quickly.

Ideas? Thanks

[bdp522]

I wouldn't use alcohol on the mask. It is very drying and will most likely shorten the life span of the cushion.I use dawn dish washing liquid to clean my mask, then a soak of 1:3 white vinegar and water(5 mins is good) to be sure there is no soap or skin oil residues left. Then I rinse well, shake hard, and it's good for that night.
For quick daily cleaning you can use special wipes made for this purpose like these;
https://www.cpap.com/simple-find-cpap-p ... wipes.html

or...I use these;
http://www.amazon.com/Antiseptic-Cleans ... 987&sr=8-1

Brenda

[AuntieNae]

Alcohol is too drying ..

I use the citrus mask wipes. I cut the wipes in half and use one for 2 days .. storing the other half inside the lid.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/beaumo ... eaner.html

My DME sells the same wipes, 2 for $20.

AuntieNae

[feeling_better]

I use the SwiftLT. The nose cushions are fairly easy to take out. I have a simple daily routine: a drop of baby shampoo in a small plastic container in the bathroom, fill with tap water, drop the cushion in there. Take out, rinse and put it back in the headgear at some point during the day, often just before going to bed. This cushion has worked without any observable deterioration for over 6 months now, this could last for ever BTW, baby shampoo ingredients are less harsh to human skin and plastics

[OldLincoln]

If you, like me, have VERY oily skin, I suggest you cut to the chase and use liquid dish soap (any brand) and wash the cushion twice every day. Additionally just before bed wash your face with same. I know it may be harsh for the face but I'm an old guy and not to worried about how pretty my skin is. More important to me is I can keep a mask sealed all night on most nights.

How to wash it? I just rub the seal between my fingers with the detergent. As for the detergent, I use a foamy bottle with about 2 inches of detergent and the rest water. I saw a detergent foamy bottle on the shelf in Target the other day. Guess they finally caught on.

[Catnap]

I use the citrus wipes on mine, and the DME (who is also a hose-head himself) told me there is something in them that sort of conditions the silicone, making the cushion last longer (haven't had my mask long enough to draw any kind of conclusion on this myself). I do the same thing as Auntie, cutting the wipe in half and tucking the unused half back into the container under the snap lid to stay moist (when I'm feeling really broke, I cut them in thirds, LOL!) Once every couple weeks I scrub the mask in the sink with a rough washcloth and Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap. I started using the soap based on Babette's comment that it made the mask smell minty, and I've continued to use it not only for that but because I love the way it rinses off so thoroughly (by the way, the minty smell is almost unperceptible except while I'm actually washing the mask, so no worries about some overwhelming, perfumey smell).