Learned a Lesson From Cleaning Tube

[archangle]

this is MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, after all. And that brings words like "sterilized" and "biohazard" to mind.

So, do you sterilize or even wash your toothbush very often, or does it sit somewhere in the bathroom, out in the open, damp, with food residue and bacteria on it? Then do you rub it over your gums, scratching and grinding stuff into the mucous membranes the next day?

[ems]

this is MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, after all. And that brings words like "sterilized" and "biohazard" to mind.

So, do you sterilize or even wash your toothbush very often, or does it sit somewhere in the bathroom, out in the open, damp, with food residue and bacteria on it? Then do you rub it over your gums, scratching and grinding stuff into the mucous membranes the next day?

Ain't that the truth! I thought I was going to have lunch - not!

[palerider]

We see these how to clean your "stuff" all the time. Personally, I'm in the blue moon group using baby wipes on the mask every other night or so - this after being a crazed clean freak in the beginning.

We should have a stickie that says: To Clean or Not Clean - so that new people can refer to that thread.

I clean based on how grody is looks, ie, if it don't look grody, I don't clean it.

when I got my first blower back in naugh nine, I read all the stuff from the bacteriophobes and even washed out the used hose that came with my dohicker.... and practically boiled the used mask that I got with my used machine..

and after doing that a couple times, though "right, I must be going crazy". and that was pretty much that.

I recently got a new hose after 5 years, not because the old one was dirty... but because the ends had gotten limp, kept falling off my mask, and the ridges in the hose were causing resonances. I cleaned the old hose exactly zero more times in those years.

I do use one of the round AB filters to help with allergies, and replace that when it starts looking icky.

[Setj]

archangle wrote: So, do you sterilize or even wash your toothbush very often, or does it sit somewhere in the bathroom, out in the open, damp, with food residue and bacteria on it? Then do you rub it over your gums, scratching and grinding stuff into the mucous membranes the next day?

Toothpaste is primarily surfactants. When surfactants touch bacteria cells, the surface tension of the cells is lowered immediately and the cells explode rendering them dead and harmless.

Tatooed: It's frustrating to see people tell newbies (like me) that it's wrong to wash hoses, masks, etc based on the schedule the DME or doctor gave out when we were overloaded with new problems, equipment and info, suggesting because what they ("experienced" users) do is the only way to do it "right".

When I was a newbie, it was a relief to hear members tell me I did not have to stick to that damn cleaning schedule the DME gave me. Took away some frustration.

[palerider]

archangle wrote: So, do you sterilize or even wash your toothbush very often, or does it sit somewhere in the bathroom, out in the open, damp, with food residue and bacteria on it? Then do you rub it over your gums, scratching and grinding stuff into the mucous membranes the next day?

Toothpaste is primarily surfactants. When surfactants touch bacteria cells, the surface tension of the cells is lowered immediately and the cells explode rendering them dead and harmless.

if your hypothesis is accurate, then why is there toothpaste with antibacterial additives? wouldn't you just need a little skin irritatant (which is what lauryl sulfates are) in there for foamyness so you can "see it's working"?

[Sheffey]

^ It's not his hypothesis - it's hard science. Liquid surfactant will kill any bacteria cell it touches.

Most toothpastes contain sodium lauryl sulfate or related surfactants. Maybe some don't contain surfactants, but you would have to ask someone besides me. I can imagine there is stuff available for the "natural-is-best" (It's not.) crowd. Does it kill all bacteria quickly like surfactants do? I doubt it.

As far as "why is there toothpaste with antibacterial additives?" Because people will pay for it and buy if they see it on the label. But I believe there is some evidence it helps prevent gum disease.

We try to buy soaps for bath and hands without anti-bacterial agents. Hard to find.

[Sheffey]

Oh, returning to OP, I don't clean my CPAP hoses.

[palerider]

^ It's not his hypothesis - it's hard science. Liquid surfactant will kill any bacteria cell it touches.

so, all I need to do is shampoo my countertops and everything else, (because most shampoos have sodium laurel sulfates) and they'll be bacteria free?

[Tatooed Lady]

My truck is actually a cleaner environment than home. Four large, active and shedding dogs there, just me and my mess here. Less concern on pulling loose hair off the mask before use.

As far as sterilizing because it's medical equipment, I didn't mean I shoot for that. But when you see or hear the word "hospital" or "medical supplies", one of your first thoughts is probably something to do with it being clean.

Interesting how opinionated we all are on this thread...good deal.

[Sheffey]

shampoo my countertops

If you can get the shampoo to all the bacteria. As some are finding out too late, granite countertops, for instance, are porous and bacteria can seep in and be hard to get to.

[Setj]

^ It's not his hypothesis - it's hard science. Liquid surfactant will kill any bacteria cell it touches.

so, all I need to do is shampoo my countertops and everything else, (because most shampoos have sodium laurel sulfates) and they'll be bacteria free?

It's like all the advice given here. You can read it, but in the end you need to make your own decisions.

[Madalot]

I haven't read all the posts, but getting back to the OP's original comments...

I have two sets of hoses & filters and I rotate them between washings. I have gone to an every two week schedule for washing my mask, hose & filters (I have 2 filters to wash). My mask is dried and ready for use, but I hang the hose to dry and let the filters dry out before putting them away until the next washing.