Just noticed black mold on my humidifier

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.

Black mold is more difficult to clean and kill.
Antibacterial what so ever is for bacteria not fungi.
A cold/flu/virus is viral again forget about viruses.

Your main concern should be to kill it and certainly to remove (kill) the source. see black spinner.

In the lab we use an autoclave to kill fungal spores. (120°C, pressure high enough that water does not boil, for about 1 h)
For difficult fungal spores we do 2 cycle of autoclave, the first cycle will induce germination of the spore, leave it at room temp over night and re-autoclave to kill the germinated fungi.

You do not need an autoclave, a pressure cooker will do just fine.
Make sure the plastic of the water container can support such high temperatures.

Important is to get the spores to germinate as then they are much easier to kill.
I would suggest to put the water tank into boiling water in a pressure cooker close it and keep cooking for 20 minutes that should be long enough to wake up spores for germination. Then leave the tank at room temp for one night, allow germination to take place. Then repeat the procedure.

If you have black mold in the CPAP I would ask for help from the manufacturer. As last resources I would remove the filter, some how plug the end of the hose so that the air is blown through slowly, hope that can be done, then boil water separately and send the steam through the machine for about 20 min. Ask the manufacturer if that can be done. let it stand over night and repeat it.

This sad bleach is working fine for many molds. It is only problematic for some spores as they are very resistant to all sorts of harsh environment.

You may want to contact a mold specialist to eradicate the mold in the house.

Temperature alone is not the gold standard for sterilization. High temperature, high pressure steam is. Think autoclave.

WickedLoki wrote:Temperature alone is not the gold standard for sterilization. High temperature, high pressure steam is. Think autoclave.

the reason that autoclaves operate under pressure is that you can't reach sufficient temperatures (max of 212f, lower above sealevel) without it.

No, no, no, y'all have it all wrong. Autoclaving alone doesn't get rid of pyrogens, and FDA guidance in recent years has emphasized that fact.

You need more than just an autoclave. Here's the ticket:

Get yourself some Bacardi 151 (the stuff that has the stainless steel flame arrestor on the neck of the bottle).
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/bacard ... rum/125906
And a bottle of cheap vodka, because the expensive stuff is not worth the price difference.
And a bottle of any old orange juice.

• Go out into the back yard with your humidifier reservoir and place it on your barbecue grill.
• Dribble a few ounces of Bacardi 151 into the reservoir.
• Find a comfortable chair and mix some cheap vodka with orange juice.
• Light the vapors coming out of the reservoir.
• Sit down and enjoy the vodka/orange juice.
• When the flames die down, the black mold will be dead.

Then go inside, get online and order a washable reservoir from our hosts, CPAP.com.
You'll feel better about life, in general, and how to eradicate black mold, in particular!

Life is good!

Slartybartfast wrote:Get yourself some Bacardi 151 (the stuff that has the stainless steel flame arrestor on the neck of the bottle).
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/bacard ... rum/125906

can I use everclear instead,

I don't have any 151, but i do have a handle of everclear in the pantry, (used part of it to make lemoncello a while back)