disinfecting a mask

[5aces]

Your question was illuminated when I read 16 yr. old Jett Travolta,son of John Travolta,had passed away earlier this week.

Preston has said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. She blamed household cleaners and fertilizers."I was obsessive about his space being cleaned. We constantly had the carpets cleaned"

In particular with carpet cleaning,entire ecosystems that live in the carpet are disturbed.Mold and bacteria are dispersed into the air during the process.
It is recommended that no one enter a freshly cleaned carpeted room for four hours.

Unfortunately:(if you like moisture)

These bacterial / viral filters utilize a nonconductive, naturally hydrophobic filter media that offers excellent filtration with low resistance to gas flow.
Place between the mask and hose, or machine and hose. Do not use with humidification, the moisture will not pass through.

[RipVW]

I use Control III as well! A great product, in my view!

[Linus]

I have an ozone infuser that saturates water with Ozone. Ozone is a disinfectant. Once per week I fill a container with this solution and drop the mask and humidifier tank into it for 15 minutes (time that it takes for Ozone to break down). I also run some of the solution into the hose and swish it around. I figure this is better than Bleach or soap.

Take it for what it is worth...
I only worry about the Ozone attacking the mask.

[5aces]

Thanks for the ozone reminder.I have an Ozonator from a Royal Spa Hot Tub that I once owned.

Plugs into regular houshold current and produced ozone to keep the outdoor hot tub clean.Chlorine shock granules were still required but at a the low rate of 25-50g as needed.

Just have to dig it out of the garage,I know it's in there somewhere...

Ozone Generator
What is a Ozone Generator?
- 3,125 time faster than chlorine
- 50% stronger than chlorine
- Does not change PH
- Bi product of ozonation is oxygen (that we breathe)
- No taste or Smell
- Will not: burn your nose, irritate/dry out your skin/ears
- Reduces chemical bills through reduced need for chlorine

Ozone or o3 its chemicals name is a naturally occurring element in the outer atmosphere. Ozone is one of the most effective sanitizer on the planet killing contaminates like bacteria, virus, cysts.

As far as degrading plastics:
Ozone is an unstable gas and readily reacts with organic substances. It sanitizes by interacting with microbial membranes and denaturating metabolic enzymes.

Ozone will also attack microbial biofilms and degrade them much as it would any other polysaccharide. Upon release of its oxidizing potential, ozone reverts back to oxygen from which it was generated.

Application of ozone does not leave a chemical residual, and under ambient conditions, it has a half-life of 10 to 20 minutes. Thus, ozone must be electrically generated on-demand and cannot be stored for later use.
There ya go,it should work really nicely!

[rogier40]

Regarding Lysol use...

I use it to get a level of disinfection that I can trust. A 1% solution can easily be prepared with one ounce in one gallon
of water. (This concentration is recommended by Lysol). I store it in a plastic jug, and this amount can last for several cleaning periods. It is used on/in the hose, humidifier tank, sponge filter, and the hard plastic parts of the mask. Soak or set for 15 min. and rinse thoroughly. CAUTION!: Do not apply to soft rubber or silicon cushions or pads. The agents are
difficult to release from these materials - it is possible to get a chemical burn sensation upon next wearing. (Lesson learned).

I have been using this for several weeks, and have not observed any damage or deterioration of any components. There is a slight residual odor which I can tolerate, but is not noticable by the second nights use. It works for me, but may not be for everyone.

[nomad]

Would spraying your equipment down with regular Lysol aerosol spray do the same thing? I did this once, followed immediately by a good cleaning with dish soap and warm water. I wasn't sure if it may be harmful or not, so I haven't done it since.

[Babette]

Just an update - I did the Controll III soak, and then rinsed in hot tap water, and THEN I put the cannulas and hoses to my Nasal Aire II into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. That should kill ANYTHING! Didn't appear to hurt anything, and DID appear to soften the side hoses a little bit. I know some folks complain that the side hoses harden over time.

BTW, I did NOT do this with the main hose. I don't recommend boiling the main hose. All the parts of the NAII mask itself appear to be boiling-tolerant, however.

Cheers,
B.

[gailandartie]

Does the Control III solution leave an odor? If so, how strong, and what type of smell?

Thanks,
Gail

[Babette]

Not that I have noticed. I don't smell anything when I sniff the bottle or when it's made up.

Cheers,
B.

[RachelM]

I talked with my DME about disinfecting methods. The Control III is a very effective product. The DME is mandated by law to use similar products on any mask used or tried on previously. Such products disinfect thoroughly, but can affect the appearance of the mask parts. I should have but didn't ask if it affects also the integrity of the silicone.

[Fredman]

I talked with my DME about disinfecting methods. The Control III is a very effective product. The DME is mandated by law to use similar products on any mask used or tried on previously. Such products disinfect thoroughly, but can affect the appearance of the mask parts. I should have but didn't ask if it affects also the integrity of the silicone.

I can bet our bottom dollar and cpap.com that it is okay for the silicone. The product is desgined to clean masks and hoses. I have been reading about folks using bleach and other substances.

Control III and mild soap (without any of that anti-bacterial stuff) are the recommended ways to clean. I guess a dilute solution of vinegar will work, but that is acid and I am not sure about that and if there is any interaction between acetic acid (vinegar) and silicone.

Good ol soap and water or Control III is the way to go!