Just noticed black mold on my humidifier

Hi,

I'm just after some thoughts on removing black mold from inside a humidifier. I have a Resmed Auto set S9 with quattro full face mask. For the past three weeks I've been waking up with a sore throat, allergy like symptoms (red, itchy eyes and runny nose) and sometimes morning dizziness. I thought I had a virus but I've never had one last this long. Anyway, I noticed today that I have some hidden black mold on the underside of my plastic humidifier lid! Could that cause these symptoms? Also, does anyone know the best way to clean a humidifier tank of black mold spots? I always use diswashing detergent to clean my mask and tank but it doesn't seem to be cutting it. Thanks for any handy tips or advice.

Tom.

Is it on the tank or the humidifier itself?

If it's on the tank, it's not that expensive to buy a new one at cpap.com, our host, or elsewhere online. Be sure to get the dishwashable tank. I recommend a spare tank anyway. That way, if one breaks, you're OK. You can also clean one and let the other one sit dry for a while to keep germs down.

You can also replace some humidifier parts. A new hose might be a good idea.

If (and ONLY if) you have the S9 dishwashable tank, you can boil a big pot of water, turn the heat off, and drop the whole tank into the hot water until it cools. I wouldn't do it until I already had a replacement tank.

Be sure you have the dishwashable tank. The "standard" tank may melt in boiling water.

Be sure you know which tank you have. ResMed isn't big on labeling things. The dishwashable tank has a separate plastic baffle piece between the metal base and the plastic top, and usually says "Distilled water only" inscribed on the top, but it's hard to see.

Throw the water chamber away. Pop the lid off the humidifier and clean the outlet port with a mild bleach or anti-mold cleaner.

And remember those spores came in via the air intake, they didn't magically sprout out of nothing.

In order to get black mold into your tank it had to be in the air of the room. And in order for it to be in the air of the room it had to be in the building.

If it is just on the tank, then replace the tank. You can't really get mold out of plastic very well (some would choose to ignore this advice-their option). If its in the humidifier, then you need to not only replace the tank, but use a disinfectant to eliminate any mold in the humidifier unit (carefully). Our sponsor has a 2 oz. size bottle of the disinfectant which is plenty and it works well.

SewTired wrote:If it is just on the tank, then replace the tank. You can't really get mold out of plastic very well (some would choose to ignore this advice-their option). If its in the humidifier, then you need to not only replace the tank, but use a disinfectant to eliminate any mold in the humidifier unit (carefully). Our sponsor has a 2 oz. size bottle of the disinfectant which is plenty and it works well.

bleach is cheaper and works better.

and "get mold out of plastic" ... please provide credible sources for your opinion.

Try cheap vodka

palerider wrote:

SewTired wrote:If it is just on the tank, then replace the tank. You can't really get mold out of plastic very well (some would choose to ignore this advice-their option). If its in the humidifier, then you need to not only replace the tank, but use a disinfectant to eliminate any mold in the humidifier unit (carefully). Our sponsor has a 2 oz. size bottle of the disinfectant which is plenty and it works well.

bleach is cheaper and works better.

and "get mold out of plastic" ... please provide credible sources for your opinion.

Bleach does not work better at eliminating mold according to OSHA and any number of other sources as well as my own personal experience. The only advantage of bleach is that it is cheap and breaks down into non-toxic ingredients once dried. You can look for that data yourself. If the OP wants cheap and only somewhat effective, baking soda, rinsed, then followed by bleach is more or less effective on black mold. Don't forget to clean the hose and the mask.

As to getting mold out of plastic, the source for that is the Chicago Board of Health. I was told that black mold gets into crevices and actually creates more as a means of sustaining itself. It's very difficult to get it out. We had to throw out a lot of my elderly relative's things due to these concerns. It was the Home Health that told us of the problem - Chicago BOH confirmed it. There are many different types of plastics - black mold will grow on some but not others.

If the silicone flip lid seal is stained from the mold, cpap.com has it for sale for under 8 bucks.
Plus shipping.

Firstly I'd probably buy a new one, after figuring out how the mold got there in the first place. It may be more expensive but any possible health issues could easily be more expensive and inconvenient.
If you don't want to buy a new one I'd give it a thorough washing with some antibacterial dish soap to remove the black spores you can see. Then I would go with a disinfectant. Bleach will kill 99.9%, vinegar would probably be around 80%. Personally i use the control III disinfectant/germicide that i purchase from cpap.com when ever I purchase a mask (it normally qualifies me for free shipping).

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Contro ... eaner.html

Its maybe over kill but I use it after getting over a cold/flu/virus. I'll also use it maybe once every 3 months for maintenance but i suppose i could go with something cheaper like vinegar for that.
Also note, you shouldn't mix Control III with bleach. Bad idea.

SewTired wrote: I was told

"I was told" is not a credible source.

SewTired wrote:There are many different types of plastics - black mold will grow on some but not others.

so, your comment is effectively meaningless.

palerider wrote:

SewTired wrote: I was told

"I was told" is not a credible source.

SewTired wrote:There are many different types of plastics - black mold will grow on some but not others.

so, your comment is effectively meaningless.

Not true. The OP is notified that there are difficulties with removing black mold. Argue with yourself, I've other things to do.

SewTired wrote:

palerider wrote:

SewTired wrote: I was told

"I was told" is not a credible source.

SewTired wrote:There are many different types of plastics - black mold will grow on some but not others.

so, your comment is effectively meaningless.

Not true. The OP is notified that there are difficulties with removing black mold. Argue with yourself, I've other things to do.

cite credible sources, or be prepared to have your offhand comments challenged.

words of the day ... credible & source

If you drop the part into boiling water, and leave it long enough for the heat to penetrate into the entire part, all the mold will die. Even if it's seeped into the plastic (or metal) and is completely sealed in, it will die and won't regrow. The fact that heat will penetrate anything, given enough time, is one of the reasons why heat sterilization is sort of the gold standard.

That assumes that all forms of mold are killed by temperature of close to 212°F or 100°C. From a short Google search, it seems that molds die well below this temperature. Note that some bacteria and other organisms may not die at boiling temperatures.

Of course, if the part melts, throw it away, problem solved.