CPAP Cleaning

[vlad2075]

I was wondering if it is safe to clean the tubing, mask and humidifier tank with a little bit of hydrogen peroxiode? Obviously, I wouldn't use alcohol.

I usually use ordinary dish soap with hot water but sometimes I can smell the dishsoap at night during therapy.

Any suggestions?

[BlackSpinner]

Get some unscented soap.

What you are considering is over kill.

I have never washed a hose in 7 years of cpap therapy.
The humidifier gets washed once a moth, has vinegar therapy and is rinsed. Mask gets washed as needed. I use unscented hand soap.

[Okie bipap]

Just use the soap as you have been, but make sure you rinse everything very well. If you are rinsing well, you should not smell the soap.

[chunkyfrog]

I agree with both. Use lots of water.

[VinnieBarbarino]

Hydrogen peroxide doesn't sound like a very good idea. Just for reference, here is a table of materials compatibility with H2O2 at different concentrations:
http://www.ozoneservices.com/articles/004.htm
I would be most concerned about the possibility of neoprene and nitrile (artificial rubber) content in the hose.

I've been using Aldi's version of Johnson & Johnson head-to-toe (baby wash):
https://www.aldi.us/en/grocery-home/new ... baby-wash/
It has a very mild scent. Hope it's okay.

My DME vendor says use antibacterial soap but ResMed says not to. The U.S. FDA is banning triclosan anyway:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shot ... rial-soaps

[chunkyfrog]

Normal soap is capable of killing a reasonable amount of bacteria, WITHOUT introducing irritating
and possibly toxic vapors into the airway. It is this reason why the FDA has the ban.

[LSAT]

What bacteria?...the hose only contains the same air you breath in your home (filtered) and run over distilled water. I never clean my hose. Last replaced 6/15.

[SewTired]

My bro kept telling me he could smell Dawn dishwashing detergent despite using lots of water in the rinse. I shouldn't think that silicone would absorb such odors, and can only assume that it is some pocket within the stuff I am washing that isn't cleared entirely. I tried a final rinse using 1:10 lemon juice and water and he said it was fine. Vinegar worked the same. Same thing goes for the humidifier bin.

[chunkyfrog]

Some people's sensitivity to smell, and other sensations is beyond normal.
This is where we get wine tasters, chefs, and fragrance blenders.
It is also where we find people whose unnatural senses make them difficult to live with.
Sadly, this oversensitivity is not yet considered a disorder, in and of itself.
It is sometimes observed in the autism spectrum--who knows, it might pay to research why.

[yaconsult]

Hoses don't even need washing. All that goes through them is filtered room air. I just don't understand this cleaning compulsion many cpap users have. The more you mess with the hose, the faster it wears out.

[Goofproof]

Some people's sensitivity to smell, and other sensations is beyond normal.
This is where we get wine tasters, chefs, and fragrance blenders.
It is also where we find people whose unnatural senses make them difficult to live with.
Sadly, this oversensitivity is not yet considered a disorder, in and of itself.
It is sometimes observed in the autism spectrum--who knows, it might pay to research why.

You forgot Septic Pumpers. Jim

[palerider]

I was wondering if it is safe to clean the tubing, mask and humidifier tank with a little bit of hydrogen peroxiode?

safe as houses.

Obviously, I wouldn't use alcohol.

why not?

I usually use ordinary dish soap with hot water but sometimes I can smell the dishsoap at night during therapy.

Any suggestions?

unscented dish soap, I like dawn.

[exiii]

I'm susceptible to odors. Yeah, it's a rough life for those around me. But they're a bunch of smelly neanderthals, so screw them.

The cushion: I wash (almost) every day before I shower. Water alone is usually sufficient - run it under the shower head or sink. Honestly, for me, this is easier than dealing with baby wipes.

The tank: I think the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to empty and dry it daily. If I don't, I can smell it within a few days. And when you do wash, since 99.9% of the cleaning power comes from water alone; just a couple (2) drops of dish soap will do. Residual odor should be a non-issue at that concentration.

The hose: it amuses me that people will put 3 filters in line before their hoses (standard, hypoallergenic, and antibacterial) and then say that there is no need to wash the hose because it's just house air. If house air weren't a problem, why the extra filters? What do they use during the other 16 hours of each day? That seems to make an argument for periodic cleaning of the hose. I'll leave the frequency up to you though. I wash mine when I notice any odor - probably from the tank, but since the hose and mask are down-line from the tank, I wash those too. Frequency varies, and depends on my diligence in emptying/rinsing the tank.

YMMV

[palerider]

The cushion: I wash (almost) every day before I shower. Water alone is usually sufficient -

water doesn't wash away oil, like the oil from your skin.

The hose: it amuses me that people will put 3 filters in line before their hoses (standard, hypoallergenic, and antibacterial) and then say that there is no need to wash the hose because it's just house air. If house air weren't a problem, why the extra filters? What do they use during the other 16 hours of each day? That seems to make an argument for periodic cleaning of the hose.

well, that just signifies a lack of basic understanding of the concept.

allergens don't build up in the hose, allergens float in the air, filtering them out cuts down on the amount of allergic reactions while sleeping.

while one is awake, one can blow one's nose, take short acting antihistamines or decongestants, perform nasal irrigation, saline sprays, may things to alleviate the allergy reactions. all things that it's rather hard to do while trying to sleep.

[LSAT]

I'm susceptible to odors. Yeah, it's a rough life for those around me. But they're a bunch of smelly neanderthals, so screw them.

The cushion: I wash (almost) every day before I shower. Water alone is usually sufficient - run it under the shower head or sink. Honestly, for me, this is easier than dealing with baby wipes.

The tank: I think the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to empty and dry it daily. If I don't, I can smell it within a few days. And when you do wash, since 99.9% of the cleaning power comes from water alone; just a couple (2) drops of dish soap will do. Residual odor should be a non-issue at that concentration.

The hose: it amuses me that people will put 3 filters in line before their hoses (standard, hypoallergenic, and antibacterial) and then say that there is no need to wash the hose because it's just house air. If house air weren't a problem, why the extra filters? What do they use during the other 16 hours of each day? That seems to make an argument for periodic cleaning of the hose. I'll leave the frequency up to you though. I wash mine when I notice any odor - probably from the tank, but since the hose and mask are down-line from the tank, I wash those too. Frequency varies, and depends on my diligence in emptying/rinsing the tank.

YMMV

I'll bet you change the air in your tires every month too.