How do you clean your Sleepweaver Elan?

[DenG]

The manufacturer says hand wash only, but a couple of retail sites say it's ok to machine wash on gentle cycle.

I'd prefer to machine wash the mask and headgear and don't see why a cold water wash on gentle cycle would be any different than hand washing.

I had also read somewhere (can't find it now) that you shouldn't use soaps that contain an antibacterial like Triclosan.
Every soap I own, including dish soap, is antibacterial.
I haven't yet checked the Tide HE that I use in my machine - I hope it's not antibacterial.

If I have to hand wash, I'll have to pick up some kind of mild, non-antibacterial soap - I know Ivory makes non-antibacterial soap, but I'm not sure that stuff is exactly mild.

Anyway, just looking for some advice from others that use the Sleepweaver cloth masks.
This thing has to last me another 2 months before my insurance will pay for a replacement, so I don't want to ruin it.

Thanks in advance.

[DJD52]

Try hand washing it in Woolite or something like Tide free n clear. A friend in this group who uses and loves the Elan always uses woolite and has good luck with that.
It's worth hand washing, it dries really fast. Good luck!

[DenG]

I'll be honest, I was really hoping someone would tell me it's ok to machine wash...

Sorry to bump my own thread, but any Sleepweaver users care to chime in?

(I'm off to buy some Woolite, I guess.)

[chunkyfrog]

I use All Free and Clear. Note: never use baby shampoo on a cloth mask)
Some washing machines have a hand wash cycle, but I wouldn't trust it.
It only takes a few seconds to wash by hand, then I brush my teeth.

[DenG]

Thanks.

I bought some Woolite.
Still thinking about putting the mask and headgear in the machine.
It's a front-loader, which has no agitator, so is much gentler than a top loader.

The real reason I'm so resistant to hand washing is that first I'd have to clean my sink! lol

But cleaning the sink and hand washing the mask are on my to-do list for tomorrow.
Whether or not I actually do it has a lot to do with how well the mask performs tonight.

Chunkyfrog - some of your (and Stormynights') posts on the Elan, and how to make it work, really helped me to stick with the mask.
It was leaking like a sieve and giving me a sore under my nose and feeling like it was shifting my teeth, so I ordered a Wisp to try as a replacement.
The Wisp gave me a pressure sore on my nose and was uncomfortable as hell.
Then I came here, searched for "Sleepweaver" and "Elan" and found a lot of great info.
Now I'm properly "riding" the Elan.

I wear it very loose, and I still have to fiddle with it a lot to get a good seal.
But I've found that, if I spring a small leak in the middle of the night, most times I can just twitch my nose (like on Bewitched) or move my head around on the pillow to shift the head-gear and the leak stops.

It's definitely still keeping me from getting an uninterrupted night's sleep, but I'm getting the hang of it.

As a side-sleeper who buries my nose in the pillow, I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with a rigid mask.

There seem to be a few people here who use the Sleepweaver masks - is there one central thread about using them?

[chunkyfrog]

If I were to wash my cushion in the washer, I would use a front-loader, but I would also put it inside a lingerie bag to prevent damage.
http://www.amazon.com/Mesh-Lingerie-Del ... B0001E83AE
((I have also seen them at dollar stores.))
I would either wash it alone or only with soft things with NO HOOKS or zippers. Good luck!
Edit: Truth be told, I think it's easier and quicker to hand wash it.

[Stormynights]

Why not wash it in a bowl and then wash the bowl in the dishwasher? It took a lot of work but I am liking the SW Anew now. I took it with me to the hospital and I never washed it until I got back home. I know it sounds gross but I wasn't able to wash my mask. SW masks work better for me after they have been washed a few times. They need to get softened up a little. I don't wash them daily after getting them broken in but 10 days was over kill.

[DenG]

Great idea, Stormy.
But I really should clean my sink, lol.

[chunkyfrog]

I like to use a small container in the sink when the sink isn't freshly washed.
Something like a bowl will do, or a medium size Rubbermaid container.
I rinse and dry the container afterward and put the lid back on so it will be clean for next time.
I have a container dedicated for mask washing, and I take it along if I take the elan on a trip.
As for drying the cushion, I roll it in a hand towel, and squeeze.
Then I hang it somewhere clean and high. (I like a magnet on the front of the fridge)
For last minute cleaning, a hairdryer on low can finish the drying in a couple of minutes.

[hoggerjo]

I have two Sleepweaver Advance masks, and wash them about once a week. I remove the headgear from the mask, and place the mask in a small lingerie bag, then into my front-loading washing machine on the hand wash cycle, with a mild, scent-free detergent. I don't wash the headgear as often. I have had no problems using this method for about three months now. In fact, the masks seem to fit and seal better after having been washed a few times.

[chunkyfrog]

I had no idea how gentle a front loader was to fabric until I cut off a pair of jeans,
the ran them through the wash to fringe the bottom.
I had to cut and pull the fringe by hand--the washer didn't do anything but make them cleaner.

[DenG]

I put the head gear and mask, still attached to each other, in the washer this morning - hand wash cycle with a bit of Woolite.

I'll hang them to dry in the small room where my boiler/hot water heater is - always makes short work of drying fabrics.

I really think the hand wash cycle in my front loader would be more gentle than actual hand washing - I would rub and squeeze and wring it out, but the washer just tumbles and lightly spins it - but maybe I'll pick up a lingerie bag just to be safe.

Leaving them attached may or may not have been a bad idea, but I'm just hoping I won't have to fuss with the straps on the head gear tonight.

edit: BTW - I did remove the plastic elbow, of course - that I'll wash by hand.