SoClean Question

[Pugsy]

I have to admit it does make the mask smell a little better.

I will share a little story....there is a RT at the DME place that I use that also uses cpap and when I was last in the office to pick up something he and I talked a little about the SoClean ($299 at that DME office). He wanted my thoughts on it and I gave him my thoughts which aren't very positive. Mainly the fact that I have no proof that anything is even sanitized or that it ever needed to be sanitized in the first place (any germs or bugs that get on my stuff come from me anyway and I will be putting those germs right back on the mask once it touches my face) and any slobber, snot, gunk on the mask has to be manually removed anyway.
To me there is a difference between sanitize and clean. You can nuke the snot, slobber, gunk on your equipment but that doesn't remove the gunk. To clean something I happen to think along the lines of removing something. Now someone else might have a different definition I suppose.

He agreed with me in that respect but he said he used one mainly because he liked the smell when he first puts the mask on that he gets with using the SoClean. I had a laugh with him and told him I use a drop of essential oil on a cotton ball next to the air intake to get an aroma that pleases me and it costs a whole lot less than the SoClean.
He also probably didn't have to pay the full $299 since he works there but we didn't get into that discussion.

My thoughts on the SoClean won't ever change. For me...I see nothing positive in it to make me want to spend the money on it.
The only time I might consider it is if my own personal health situation ever changes and my auto immune system gets compromised for some reason so that nuking even my own germs/bugs might be beneficial to my health. While I am still unsure it actually nukes anything...if my immune system was in trouble I would be willing to take any and all extra precautions to help it out.

Now if someone else wants to spend money on it and they feel better about using it for whatever reason they might have...and they sleep better even if it's a placebo...then it's their money and anything that lets us sleep better is fair game in my book.
It's not my job to tell people what to do with their money....so I won't do it. I express my personal opinion about why I don't see the need for it and let them decide what they want to spend their money on. I have a lot of other stuff in my life that I don't necessarily "need" it but I "want" it and that's good enough reason to get it IMHO.
If someone else wants to "want" the SoClean...hey, it's their money and they get to spend it however they want to.
But need...I have my doubts as to actual need for the SoClean. I feel like if something like that was really needed the machine/equipment suppliers would jump on the band wagon and come up with something besides soap and water to clean their stuff.

[Goofproof]

I have one that a relative bought for me. I don't think it changes anything as far as sanitation, but I have to admit it does make the mask smell a little better.

FWIW: I wash out my mask/hose in the shower and hang them to dry where there is ventilation. I sometimes put them into the SoClean when I go upstairs to change out of work clothes in the afternoons. I like the smell after it's run thru the cleaning machine, but I probably wouldn't buy one myself (I don't even know how much they cost).

About $300.00 SmackRoos on the side of your head, Plus tax and maybe shipping and handling. The Good Side, a few people that work on getting the product to you, might get a small paycheck, some of them may pay taxes in the U.S.,... Of Course, you will have less Germ Laden Money to spread around. The best use for the product would be to De-Germ any Money you have left in it, that is IF it can really Kill A Germ. Jim

[palerider]

I have one that a relative bought for me. I don't think it changes anything as far as sanitation, but I have to admit it does make the mask smell a little better.

FWIW: I wash out my mask/hose in the shower and hang them to dry where there is ventilation. I sometimes put them into the SoClean when I go upstairs to change out of work clothes in the afternoons. I like the smell after it's run thru the cleaning machine, but I probably wouldn't buy one myself (I don't even know how much they cost).

that "smell" is ozone, and it's harmful to your lungs.

[HoseCrusher]

Sanitizing using gas involves three components. You need a concentration of the gas to be in contact with the surface you want to sanitize for a period of time long enough to do the job. With gas the other element is the humidity in the area.

Tests are run in a laboratory to determine the correct concentration, time, and humidity needed to eliminate the various "germs" that you are interested in.

Here is a discussion of this process...

https://www.ozonesolutions.com/info/ozo ... sanitation

It appears that SoClean generates about 25 ppm Ozone and has a contact time of around 120 minutes.

https://www.soclean.com/soclean-faq/

The standard practice is to clean first to eliminate all the larger "dirt" and then sanitize. SoClean seems to acknowledge that cleaning is necessary but doesn't seem to think that the cleaning is needed every night. Their concentrations and contact time are within reason for killing some "germs" but if you don't clean first you are simply sanitizing the outside edge of the bio film formed by the various bacteria.

The body has a remarkable immune system. We have "living germs" that have the possibility of doing far more damage that any "CPAP germs." The reason we are not sick daily is that our immune system fights off these intruders.

If your immune system is compromised the SoClean offers a solution, however it is far from the best solution.

The bottom line is that when it comes to "CPAP germs" for most of us cleaning using soap and water when needed may be more effective than sanitizing by itself.

[Cpapian]

Somewhat related........Recently I read an article about a study where there was found a correlation between childhood obesity at 2? 3? and the amount of sanitizers the parents used in the household. The families using more sanitizers had more obese children.

I believe it was in B.C. where they are tracking a large group of individuals. The children in question were observed at 2? 3? Months and then again at 2? 3? years.

Obviously it's not a specific study or a double blind study, just a curious finding; noting also that correlation is not necessarily causation.

[Goofproof]

Somewhat related........Recently I read an article about a study where there was found a correlation between childhood obesity at 2? 3? and the amount of sanitizers the parents used in the household. The families using more sanitizers had more obese children.

I believe it was in B.C. where they are tracking a large group of individuals. The children in question were observed at 2? 3? Months and then again at 2? 3? years.

Obviously it's not a specific study or a double blind study, just a curious finding; noting also that correlation is not necessarily causation.

Oh No! Please don't say you found out where DH lives and been going thru his trash reading it! Jim

[chunkyfrog]

DH does not "do" trash;
he HOARDS it.

[Cpapian]

DH does not "do" trash;
he HOARDS it.
[/qzuote]

I don't know why you guys are so hard on dh. I always thought dh was an employee of cpap.com sharing the news from the
Optional newsbanner

[palerider]

DH does not "do" trash;
he HOARDS it.

I don't know why you guys are so hard on dh. I always thought dh was an employee of cpap.com sharing the news from the
Optional newsbanner

No, DH is someone who has little understanding of anything cpap related, but never lets that stop him from posting copious amounts of oftentimes misleading or harmful crap.

And that misleading, wrong, and occasionally harmful crap is why we're "so hard" on him.

[chunkyfrog]

It may not be his intent, but some of his posts can be DANGEROUS.
Politeness has not worked--this is what is left.
@cpapian, your kindness is commendable, but protecting people from
outdated/ incorrect "advice" is more important to some of us.

[prodigyplace]

It may not be his intent, but some of his posts can be DANGEROUS.
Politeness has not worked--this is what is left.
@cpapian, your kindness is commendable, but protecting people from
outdated/ incorrect "advice" is more important to some of us.

Agreed!

In my experience, employees of CPAP.com are much more knowledgeable.

I have D.H. on my foe list to hide most of his bad advice. It makes this forum experience much more enjoyable.

[Midwest_non_sleeper]

Sometimes, the unenlightened refuse to listen to reason.
Take a clue from Al-Anon, and stand clear.
Do not let their foolishness suck you in.
We cannot save everybody.
Say a prayer and move on.

People oftentimes refuse to listen to reason because they have been subverted and convinced that something works. It's a philosophical thing, and at the societal geopolitical level, can be referred to as demoralization.

Unfortunately, profit margins can and do create a situation in which is can be lucrative and downright advantageous to think of clever ways to separate some people from their money. If you were to go out and find reviews on the SoClean, they would likely be more than 50% positive. Why? Because the people that believe in them and then subsequently review them have been so thoroughly subverted in their belief that they now live in a vacuum concerning the item. No amount of studies or personal experience will change their mind, unless it is studies and experience that cast the item in a favorable light. People enjoy seeking out information that confirms their beliefs, regardless if the information is truthful or not.

[Midwest_non_sleeper]

It may not be his intent, but some of his posts can be DANGEROUS.
Politeness has not worked--this is what is left.
@cpapian, your kindness is commendable, but protecting people from
outdated/ incorrect "advice" is more important to some of us.

Agreed!

In my experience, employees of CPAP.com are much more knowledgeable.

I have D.H. on my foe list to hide most of his bad advice. It makes this forum experience much more enjoyable.

I have no one on my foe list, because in the end, known bad information can be just as useful as good information. There isn't always a clear demarcation line between good and bad advice, especially when you only have one side or the other. Therefore, I prefer to see ALL of the advice and then follow up on that. "What NOT to do" is just as informative in many instances as "What to do" is.

[chunkyfrog]

Unfortunately, many people tend to stop reading too soon,
and stop thinking even sooner.

[Midwest_non_sleeper]

Unfortunately, many people tend to stop reading too soon,
and stop thinking even sooner.

As a public servant, I know this all too well. People stop reading and thinking too soon, but they can never manage to bring themselves to stop talking soon enough.