Cleaning CPAP Equipment

[clb]

I have allergies and have to clean everything everyday. Still doesn't help.

[Drowsy Dancer]

Is this the oldest living thread on this forum?

I wonder if rested gal is still emptying out her humidifier once a year or so. I dump the empty water out of mine every morning but it seems like a waste of good distilled water. Maybe every other day...and I start sliding ever so gently down the slippery slope...

DD

[ShotzyNurse]

Just a note on not cleaning daily and not taking the mask apart to clean it. As a nurse who sees far too much pneumonia in CPAP users, I highly recommend taking the mask apart for cleaning, as per manufacturer's instructions. Staph lives on our skin and the buildup on respiratory equipment provides a medium for colonization, particularly in the creases and folds of masks. Please take the time for proper disinfection so as not to permanently damage lung tissue. (I have the same problem with my husband not wanting to clean his mask and humidifier daily; therefore, the task is delegated to me. Better that than a single hospitalization for pneumonia.) Live well, laugh often, love much!

[Nollie]

You've hit the ball out the park! Icnredible!

[CeeJay]

Regarding whether to use Distilled or Tap water in your CPAP chamber.... I read somewhere that this fellow died from using tap water, from a disease that is uncommon and hard to diagnose. Now that I write it, it sounds even to me like an Urban Legend. However, the instructions specify Distilled Water, and tap water CAN harbor bacteria, even when chlorinated. Just check with your local Department of Natural Resources Drinking Water Compliance officer to find out how many bacterial violations occur in your state and where. States are required to publish this information annually, just as cities must publish their Consumer Confidence Reports annually.

[ameriken]

Regarding whether to use Distilled or Tap water in your CPAP chamber.... I read somewhere that this fellow died from using tap water, from a disease that is uncommon and hard to diagnose. Now that I write it, it sounds even to me like an Urban Legend. However, the instructions specify Distilled Water, and tap water CAN harbor bacteria, even when chlorinated. Just check with your local Department of Natural Resources Drinking Water Compliance officer to find out how many bacterial violations occur in your state and where. States are required to publish this information annually, just as cities must publish their Consumer Confidence Reports annually.

Urban Legend? Not so fast....I believe one of these folks died from using tap water:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67351&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... ba#p626739

[Alshain]

Regarding whether to use Distilled or Tap water in your CPAP chamber.... I read somewhere that this fellow died from using tap water, from a disease that is uncommon and hard to diagnose. Now that I write it, it sounds even to me like an Urban Legend. However, the instructions specify Distilled Water, and tap water CAN harbor bacteria, even when chlorinated. Just check with your local Department of Natural Resources Drinking Water Compliance officer to find out how many bacterial violations occur in your state and where. States are required to publish this information annually, just as cities must publish their Consumer Confidence Reports annually.

Urban Legend? Not so fast....I believe one of these folks died from using tap water:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67351&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... ba#p626739

Long Live the Thread!

Anyway, yes this is true, but keep in mind only ~120 cases of this disease have been reported in 50 years since it was discovered and only 1 from tap water.... ever. It's incredibly unlikely to occur even if you used lake water (not that I am under any circumstance recommending that). Naegleria fowleri requires stagnant water, and typically won't grow in large lakes at all because most lakes are fed by rivers and streams and the water flows around too much, even in drought. Most infections occur from swimming in small ponds that do not have a water source feeding them other than rain. The fact that the one incident was traced back to the house's pipes was just an incredible fluke (and his area was probably under boil water notice to begin with).

Never the less, using Distilled water is best to avoid all bacteria, not just Naegleria fowleri.

[chunkyfrog]

Of course, if you drink from an uncovered rain barrel--who knows?

[rested gal]

Is this the oldest living thread on this forum?

I wonder if rested gal is still emptying out her humidifier once a year or so. I dump the empty water out of mine every morning but it seems like a waste of good distilled water. Maybe every other day...and I start sliding ever so gently down the slippery slope...

DD

Since this thread got bumped up recently, I'll catch up on DD's question that I didn't notice back in March...

My answer is "Yep, that's still my routine -- once or twice a year."
viewtopic.php?p=140614#p140614

[ozze_dollar]

Wash my softgel cushion with plain soap every day,Wash the humidifier tank once a week,never wash the mask,wash tube once a month or less.Must buy some filters.

[Hose Head by Night]

Washing has so many variables for each CPAP user.

1. Amount of nasal drip one has
2. Nasal hair touching pillows
3. Allergies
4. How clean the environment is around the unit
5. Does the unit sit in 70 degree controlled air condidtioned house or subjected to the temp of the day
6.If you sneeze into the unit
7. When it starts looking gray inside the mask
8. Body sweat
9. Use of make-up
10. Acne
11. If you blow your nose before use everynight
12. Use of humidification

There really isn't a standard wash answer. But the thing is that it DOES need to be cleaned at some interval.

My 2 cents worth.

[sleeping in Des Moines]

I noticed some people in this blog are not using distilled water in their humidifier chambers. Did anyone read the news report on MSN about the people who DIED from using neti pots? They were rinsing their sinuses with tap water.

The primary reason the manufacturer states specifically to use distilled water is because distilled water is sterile. We want sterile moisture going into our sinuses and lungs while we sleep. A humidifier is a great incubator for bacteria, fungi, and odd assortments of pathogens. Please heed your doctor and abide by the manufacturer's directions.

Distilled water is 88 cents per gallon in Des Moines, and can last a good week to 10 days. I change my water daily. I use the vinegar solution (1 part vinegar + 3 parts distilled water) to clean my humidifier periodically. I change the filter monthly. Change the hose monthly. I figure my health is worth a dollar here or there.

Haven't gotten sick yet. Love having a good night's sleep.

[archangle]

I noticed some people in this blog are not using distilled water in their humidifier chambers. Did anyone read the news report on MSN about the people who DIED from using neti pots? They were rinsing their sinuses with tap water.

The primary reason the manufacturer states specifically to use distilled water is because distilled water is sterile. We want sterile moisture going into our sinuses and lungs while we sleep. A humidifier is a great incubator for bacteria, fungi, and odd assortments of pathogens. Please heed your doctor and abide by the manufacturer's directions.

Distilled water is 88 cents per gallon in Des Moines, and can last a good week to 10 days. I change my water daily. I use the vinegar solution (1 part vinegar + 3 parts distilled water) to clean my humidifier periodically. I change the filter monthly. Change the hose monthly. I figure my health is worth a dollar here or there.

Haven't gotten sick yet. Love having a good night's sleep.

Distilled water is not necessarily sterile. Even if all germs are killed or removed at some point in the process, the processing equipment is not kept sterile. It will probably have a lot less germs than other kinds of water, though. It's also a lot harder for germs to grow in, because there are few minerals and nutrients that the germs need to reproduce.

I use distilled water and suggest others do so if they can.

Outside the US, distilled water is not easily available. CPAPers use tap water and don't seem to have problems. In theory, germs in the water will be left behind when the water evaporates. It's more important to change the water nightly if you don't use distilled.

[portiemom]

While I do agree that cpap equipment cleaning is a personal preference and personal need, I must say that if some germ or bacteria is living on my face, or in my nose, or in my respiratory system, then it will probably attack me regardless of how often I clean my cpap stuff, and for how long I soak it in gentle baby shampoo. That said, I rinse my mask without taking it apart every couple of days in a warm sink with pear soap. Heated hose, distilled water in heated humidifier no, not yet anyway too soon to think about it. To each his/her own, I'm just sayin

[chunkyfrog]

When I followed the manufacturer's guidelines for cleaning (Resmed Micro and Swift FX),
the silicone parts had a VERY SHORT life span.
My silicone lasts a lot longer now that I have gotten lazier--just saying.