CPAPtalk.com

Don't use a heated hose any longer, haven't cleaned a hose in 9 years. When they no longer grip on to the mask, I switch them around and then just replace them.

18 years using CPAP and I never cleaned the inside of a hose. Have been using the current hose for 20 months without cleaning. The one before that was about four years.

As well as I remember it has been about four years since I had a mild cold and I haven't had any other infections.

If you clean the inside of a hose ...

... well, nevermind, just seems silly.

I have never had a heated hose, but my regular slimline hose is about 15 months old and has been rinsed ...maybe twice in that time.

40 Winks wrote:I found this thread by looking for a longer brush for my Resmed ClimateLineAir hose with the 90 degree bend. With the 90 degree bend I can only get the brush in from one end and its not long enough, maybe the smaller diameter brush would make it past the bend?

Apparently, those recommending not to clean your hose know better than the manufacturer. I've always cleaned my hose with a brush and have never damaged it.

The filters on a CPAP machine filter out what exactly? Highly unlikely its mold spores. If you get moisture in the hose there is a chance of mold growing, please clean it properly.

Both Resmed or Resprionics recommend soaking your hose. They say nothing about using a brush. Unless your hose is growing algae, has deposits, or maybe dust environment, a simple washing now then is enough. As to manufacturer recommendations, remember they can be sued so their recommendations tend to be overkill. If you choose not to clean your equipment regularly, that is your choice and I think those posters should just state that it is their choice. I wouldn't recommend it to newbies.

People have strong feelings about this--it's come up before. when I first started my sleep doc said that warm water in a tank is a perfect environment for growing stuff. My old machine didn't have an hygrometer built in and so I would always have some amount of water in the hose in the morning. As a germophobe, I bought a So Clean machine and love it. I also wash the hose occasionally.

Now that my new humidifier has a hygrometer, I wake up to a dry hose. This may be a game changer. (I dry out the cpap tub daily).

I somehow doubt that my sleep doc and Cpap.com are in the pockets of the liquid detergent-industrial complex. I can't see why they recommend washing for no reason--although I can see why So Clean would benefit. O.K. cpap.com makes a few bucks selling brushes.

without the So clean, I would sometimes get a funny smell in my tubing. time to wash it.