Cleaning CPAP equipment

Every day is not an option. How often do you guys really clean these things, tubing etc. ?

If you use the search feature you will find tons of information...Here's one post that will keep you busy for a while...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2482&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=cleaning

Well, I was sort of looking for:
Mask = daily
Hose = weekly
Machine = monthly

Not folks life history. . . .

I am very meticulous about cleaning, my hose is cleaned every night with Filtered, Pressured, Humidified air all night long … Mask too … but I take an extra step with the mask, it is also cleaned with unpressurized, unfiltered, room air all day long while it lays on the table next to my bed.

Cleaning schedule is a very personal thing. Some people never clean and others clean daily. When I first started, my DME said she cleans hers and her husband's weekly and wiped the mask with a damp cloth every morning. I have adopted a schedule where I wash the mask every week, the water reservoir every two weeks, and the hose every four weeks. The main reason I wash th e hose is to check for leaks. That is how I found a leak in my first hose. Since I am asthmatic and have severe allergies, I change the filter every two weeks.

OlManRivah wrote:Well, I was sort of looking for:
Mask = daily
Hose = weekly
Machine = monthly

Not folks life history. . . .

ah, too lazy to read for yourself, want the answers handed to you on a silver platter.

unfortunately, the last lazy person *stole* the silver platter when they were given the answers.

OlManRivah wrote:Well, I was sort of looking for:
Mask = daily
Hose = weekly
Machine = monthly

Not folks life history. . . .

There is no way to clean the machine unless you take it apart. All that goes through the hose is moist filtered air....it rarely needs cleaning. Mask can be cleaned periodically. Depending on the mask, it can be wiped daily with a CPAP wipe or non-alcoholic baby wipes. All this information was in the web site I gave you. Often other people's experience/history is helpful to newcomers.

nasal pillows -- wipe down daily (plain water or saline); once weekly with soap and water
water reservoir - once weekly with soap and water (probably overkill)
hoses - nah; maybe once in a while

I prefer alcohol wipes, I think they clean the skin oils better.

I tend to mimic grayghost's schedule which means I don't do much very often.

I have found that the water chamber need for cleaning seems to vary a bit with the brand.
When using the PR S1 Respironics machine I could go a lot longer before things started to maybe look yucky.
With the ResMed I try to clean the water chamber about once a month mainly because it tends to develop that thin biofilm along the bottom and while I don't really think it is all that harmful I really don't want to give it a chance. I am also wondering if the humidifier setting is making some sort of impact on the biofilm. My settings are for maximum humidity delivery and I am unwilling to experiment with less just to see if it takes longer for the biofilm to develop.

Masks...how often is going to also depend on which mask and facial oils. A full face mask cushion which has a lot of area that needs to touch the skin is probably going to have more facial oils hanging around to mess with the seal so they probably are going to need more cleaning more often than my little nasal pillows which have very little skin contact and I have very little facial oils presence where the nasal pillows touch my nostrils.
I do try to wash the nasal pillows at the same time as the water chamber though...just for general principle. I rarely look at them at any other time.
I have never used a full face mask for any length of time to be able to evaluate a cleaning schedule need.

Hose...can't remember the last time I washed a hose...heated or otherwise.

so the short version
mask (nasal pillows which I use)...about once a month they get a good bath...nothing in between
water chamber (which is the only part of the machine I do anything with)...around once a month give or take a few days.
hose...since I can't remember...obviously I don't do anything with it. Right now still using a ResMed heated hose with probably well over 7 K hours on it. I have used a cover on it to protect it from kitty claws most of the time but not all the time. Probably would be a good idea for me to actually wash it and check for leaks though.

my only "thing" about cleaning is the nasal pillows; they stick up my nose and so it would gross me out if I didn't wipe them down daily/clean them with soap and water weekly.

Violet West wrote:my only "thing" about cleaning is the nasal pillows; they stick up my nose and so it would gross me out if I didn't wipe them down daily/clean them with soap and water weekly.

I hear you.
Everyone has their own "gross level" at which they feel the need to do something.
My thoughts about my "gross level" are that the nasal pillows don't actually touch anything inside my nostrils except maybe some little hairs. Now if I had bad allergies or a cold where I had some nasal drainage happening then my "gross level" would be a lot lower and I would do something daily while the drainage was going on.

Now remember I am coming up on my 7 year anniversary using this stuff...my "gross level" now is a lot higher than it was the first year I was doing this stuff when I was religiously fanatic about my cleaning routine which over time has evolved into a "non cleaning routine".

Each to their own and whatever allows a person to sleep without worrying about whatever routine they have chosen is what I suggest a person do. Whatever floats your boat to speak.

When in doubt a person can always follow the directions that came with their equipment.
A bit of overkill IMHO but if that eases a person's mind then go for it.

+100, Pugsy.
Most of us have good immunity, so a bit of laziness is no biggie.
It might even help healthy immunity keep "tuned".

and, your point is well taken about the time frame - I'm only 2 months in.

Violet West wrote:and, your point is well taken about the time frame - I'm only 2 months in.

At 2 months in I was washing EVERYTHING daily. Around 6 to 8 months in I started getting lazy and my routine gradually lessened to what it is (or isn't) now.
Do what eases your mind though. Not what someone else may or may not do. It's your mind that is the most important.

chunkyfrog wrote:Most of us have good immunity, so a bit of laziness is no biggie.
It might even help healthy immunity keep "tuned".

Point well made and I didn't cover the immunity thing.
If someone has immune suppression issues for some reason then I most certainly would advocate a more rigid cleaning schedule. I am generally healthy except for some arthritis issues. My immune system works well and I think it has been probably 2 years now that I haven't even had so much as a cold. I don't work out in the public to get exposed to stuff and usually only get sick if hubby brings a bug home and I get exposed before I realize he is sick. So my exposure risk to the various bugs out there is minimal.
If I had small children in the household or was still working with sick people then I most certainly would probably go about things a little differently just to cover all potential bases. It hurts nothing at all to do the extra cleaning if a person wants or feels the need to go that route.