cleaning the equipment

[xglitterkissedx]

i am horrible, i rarely do. i have cleaned my equipment maybe 4 times in 3 months....what am in for?

[bdp522]

Masks should be cleaned daily, it helps you get a batter seal. I wash the hose and humidifier tank monthly, many don't ever clean them. Be sure to use only distilled water in the HH tank.

Brenda

[drummergirl410]

My cleaning schedule, per the DME, goes as follows:

Mask - I rinse every morning after use, I wrap it in a paper towel, reattach to machine, let machine run a minute or two to help dry it off; Once weekly (usually Saturday), I take the mask apart, soak in warm water with baby shampoo for about fifteen minutes, rinse, let dry, reassemble.
Humidifier tank- I empty it first thing in the morning and put fresh distilled water in right before bed; soak in a 1:10 solution of white vinegar/water for about thirty minutes weekly on Saturday.
Hose - clean as needed; haven't had to yet
Filter - I was told to wash it and rinse it weekly by the RT, but found out later that the filters for my machine aren't washable, just disposable. Was told by the RT to call for a new one when needed. Haven't had to yet either.

So far I haven't found this to be too taxing. I'd wash the mask more thoroughly every day but I just don't have the time. So far, rinsing it every morning seems to work. I'm ready to clean it though when it's time. It definitely feels better freshly cleaned.

[Sergey45]

i am horrible, i rarely do. i have cleaned my equipment maybe 4 times in 3 months....what am in for?

I am washing my mask daily. I am examining all of the filters monthly and I am changing them if they don’t look clean.

[msheda]

I use the Citrus II wipes on the masks every morning, with a more through cleaning on Saturday, wash the washable filter every 2 weeks, and replace the fine filter then as well. (probably overkill on the fine filter, but it does make a difference with my allergies. It's amazing what breathing 8 hours of filtered air does for one's sinuses)

As for the HH tank, I just refill it every night, and clean it on satuday.

On a note to the more inventive for the truly paranoid. How about a connection that has a screen on it that fits into the hose, and over the air output of the machine ? That way it can air dry and not allow any critters or bugs to crawl up it. while that hasn't been a problem yet, I do have an overactive imagination.

[SleepGuy]

i am horrible, i rarely do. i have cleaned my equipment maybe 4 times in 3 months....what am in for?

I am VERY lazy when it comes to cleaning. Let me put it this way: you've been cleaning your more often than I do.

I have noticed no adverse effects though I would recommend cleaning more often!

[Daddysaur]

I have an inline filter after the machine and no humidifier so the hose stays dry and clean. I wash the "pillows" once a week and just rinse the hose when I remember to. A rare event. If you are using the humidifier, or live in a humid area, more washing is the norm. I also use baby shampoo to clean the mask and straps.
A few thousand years ago general cleaning was rare. 500 years ago European people bathed "when they were born and when they got married". Normal immune systems will handle more dirt than anyone allows to collect these days.

[Snoredog]

i am horrible, i rarely do. i have cleaned my equipment maybe 4 times in 3 months....what am in for?

fungus amungus, worse than that flesh eating disease or a staff infection...

either that or it builds up your immune system and does nothing

I clean my mask about every other night and that is all I clean, haven't ever washed a hose in over 6 years with this therapy, I only rinse out the humidifier tank and never take it apart.

I usually don't keep a machine very long before buying a new one, so I never use the hose that comes with the machine, I keep it in the same bag unopened, when I sell that machine I sell it with the new hose. I did screw up once and rinse out one of my hoses with a water hose out in the yard, that was because I was experimenting with finding a remote vacuum hose for my Makita Random Orbit sander (for refinishing cabinets inside the house) and a CPAP hose fits the end of the Makita sander port perfectly if you remove the dust bag. However, I found that a Campbell Hausfield HVLP spray hose was more heavy duty than a CPAP hose and it was longer so I opted for that. But I'm still using that same CPAP hose, I like it because the ends are silicone rubber and it is so old it is really flexible, they don't make them like that any more.

[Pam]

I (or should my wonderful husband) cleans my mask, hose, and humidifier daily. It only takes a couple minutes a day. I'm sure we all have that amount of time to spend on killing the dead skin cells and bacteria off our equipment.

Even if you are super busy person, do you watch TV, read, etc.? Your health is why we do this, so why not do it the best all the way around.

With my immune system nothing else would be acceptable.

Just got the disinfectant from cpap so will be using that two times a week for the mask and hose.

Distilled water is so inexpensive there is no reason not to start with fresh daily. Plus water can get contaminated even putting fresh water over the old water, so be safe and start fresh each day.

Pam

[birdshell]

Here is my regime, from a previous thread titled, "One Woman's Cleaning Routines"

viewtopic.php?t=11445

Just as someone else said, this topic has been raised before. A search may turn up something else for you.

Here is my cleaning regime:

Daily: wash the nasal pillows portion with a drop or two of Ivory unscented dish soap and rinse in hot water. Rub the silicone portions that touch the nose with the fingers and soapy water. Having rinsed very well under the running hot water, I shake it out so there are very few tiny water droplets and allow to air dry. (Unless I don't wash it until right before bed; then it is just a little more humidification.)

Every 2-3 days or so: Empty the distilled water, use the yellow washing plug to shake hot, soapy water in the humidifier tank--and rinse the tank well in hot water, using the same plug. Then I drain out as much water as possible and allow it to air dry. I then fill it with distilled water.

Note: The ResMed manual tells the user to use a pure soap such as Dove. Well, Dove is mild but has 1/4 moisturizer AND only the Sensitive Skin variety is truly fragrance free. The unscented type contains a masking fragrance--which is still a fragrance.

Weekly: Please note that this weekly routine takes only about 15 minutes of my involvement, in three approximately 5 minute intervals. I fill the container and shake it to be sure the solutions and rinse water get into every nook and cranny.

5-7 Minutes: Take the hose off the machine, detach the humidifier cover and seal, remove the humidifier tank, and the mask/interface tubes. I put all into a large plastic container with a water-tight lid. I put one pump of the unscented Ivory into the hose and fill the container with the hose from the water faucet and soak it all in the soapy water while filling, until the container is filled enough to cover the equipment. Then I put the top on, shake everything well, and rub the nasal pillows/interface. I fill the container again with hot water and cover; then I shake it again to be sure all is rinsed well.

3-5 Minutes: I then soak it all in the covered plastic container for one-half hour using 1 part vinegar to 10 parts of water. This was the information given to me by my RT for cleaning. I make sure that the air is out of the hoses and they are filled with the solution.


5 Minutes:I then rinse everything by filling the container again via the hose with hot water. I shake it all as dry as possible (using my best mercury thermometer shake), hang up the hose over the shower head, and allow everything else to air dry in the container and on its cover.

In the evening: I fill the humidifier with distilled water, reassemble everything, and sleep.

As far as straps/headgear, I have only washed mine every couple of weeks as it seems to need it. I wash with the dish detergent, rinse thoroughly, and blot with towels. Then I hang it up with a fan running on it, and it is dry by night.

The only real time required of me is the filling and shaking. Soaking in the vinegar and water is passive, and using the plastic container with the cover off for air drying ensures that it is as clean as the CPAP equipment.

Since I have the same machine, only a different headgear and interface, this should be pretty close to meeting your needs. Welcome to the Hose Head Help Forum!