CPAPtalk.com

Every mention of cleaning routines, techniques and products on this forum will end in a verbal brawl. It's a given.

tmiker wrote:Every mention of cleaning routines, techniques and products on this forum will end in a verbal brawl. It's a given.

Thanks for the clue. Wish I'd known that before, so that I could have posted my question in a font that only other Hurricane users could read.

Grouch wrote: Now I don't claim to be an expert on CPAP cleaning, but I do have a degree in microbiology. I've seen some really ugly equipment contamination during my stint at a hospital and it scared me. I'm probably a big chicken, but I don't want anything growing on stuff that I'm going to breathe through. Maybe it's overkill, but I'm OK with that.

So, yeah, I want my tubing to get dry for a while, even though I'm going to make it wet again soon.

Not interested in a rabid debate but seeing you have a degree in Microbiology I do have a question. Have you seen any discussions (or studies) saying that in todays mostly sterile world - where our kids do not go outside and eat dirt any more and are using hand sanitizer along with antiseptic wipes and antibiotics - could this be why our bodies no longer fight off germs?

Just curious. I don't routinely clean or sterilize my cpap equipment but have noticed that since starting cpap I have fewer colds and when I do they do not last as long.

See "Deadliest Enemy: Our war against killer germs" for a recent book. Sounds like your immune system is stronger.

Grouch wrote:Hand sanitizers do have a purpose and they do stop the spread of germs,

So does hand washing and so far I have been good with that and so I avoid a the sanitizers (they do dry out my skin).

Grouch wrote:It's not so much that our bodies don't fight the germs, but the germs have become more resistant.

That seems to contradict this...

Grouch wrote: I remember reading an article that proposed that kids kept in a somewhat germ free environment don't develop as robust an immune system and tend to get more allergies.

I don't lead a sterile lifestyle and recently found out that I am allergic to dust and using cpap has lead to that discovery as it filters out most of the impurities in the room air. Newbies may notice their nose runs when the take the cpap off- that was how I found out. Keeping in mind that I still do NOT clean my mask, hose, or chamber tho I do use distilled water in it.

I do think that leaving the cpap open to dry in room air also allows for many things to enter and grow that wouldn't otherwise get in. So if you must clean yea a dryer will likely help but will it allow other things to enter and grow?

But as you say YMMV.

Grouch wrote:

tmiker wrote:Every mention of cleaning routines, techniques and products on this forum will end in a verbal brawl. It's a given.

Thanks for the clue. Wish I'd known that before, so that I could have posted my question in a font that only other Hurricane users could read.

"Politicians Font" A foul wind that blows no good, but keeps blowing. Jim

Take into account, using a blower to dry with without proper filtration on the blower/dryer, takes the same crap you breath daily and forces it into you cleaned XPAP stuff. Check out your home cooling fan blades.

Guest wrote:

Grouch wrote:Hand sanitizers do have a purpose and they do stop the spread of germs,

So does hand washing and so far I have been good with that and so I avoid a the sanitizers (they do dry out my skin).

Grouch wrote:It's not so much that our bodies don't fight the germs, but the germs have become more resistant.

That seems to contradict this...

Grouch wrote: I remember reading an article that proposed that kids kept in a somewhat germ free environment don't develop as robust an immune system and tend to get more allergies.

I don't lead a sterile lifestyle and recently found out that I am allergic to dust and using cpap has lead to that discovery as it filters out most of the impurities in the room air. Newbies may notice their nose runs when the take the cpap off- that was how I found out. Keeping in mind that I still do NOT clean my mask, hose, or chamber tho I do use distilled water in it.

I do think that leaving the cpap open to dry in room air also allows for many things to enter and grow that wouldn't otherwise get in. So if you must clean yea a dryer will likely help but will it allow other things to enter and grow?

But as you say YMMV.

I'm really sorry I started this thread. I'm getting pounded for every thing I say and I'm trying really hard not to be confrontational, so this will be my last post on it.

Re: bacterial resistance vs. human immune systems. Two totally different species and actions, so not really contradictory. But if you feel it is, fine.

Re: Dessication (air drying) is germicidal. See the Textbook of Bacteriology page 155, You can see it on Amazon. Again, I won't argue the point if you feel that bacteriologists have it wrong.

The dryer has a filter just like our CPAP machines, so the air entering is no more toxic than what's coming out of our CPAP machines. If you have the machine and yours doesn't have a filter, then maybe you should contact the manufacturer. It should have a filter.

I asked a simple question to begin with and I really had or have no intention to try to talk anyone here into using this machine. It's something that makes sense for ME. I will enjoy it. It will make things easier for ME. You don't have to use it. No one else on this forum has to use it.

You may think me incredibly stupid, colossally ignorant, a total idiot for using it, but that's MY choice. I shouldn't have to defend that. And I won't. Case closed on my end. Let the name calling on me begin. Have fun. I won't participate.

However, you guys won't drive me from the forum. It's a great source of information for me. If you see me on other threads, please just ignore me. You already know I'm an idiot.

So basically, you bought a machine to blow air thru your XPAP hose that has filtered air blown thru it by your XPAP, that gets dirty by having filtered air blown thru it by your XPAP, so it needs to be cleaned! Talk about circular logic! Or maybe Rube Goldberg! Jim

Guest wrote:Not interested in a rabid debate but seeing you have a degree in Microbiology I do have a question.

Grouch wrote:I'm really sorry I started this thread. I'm getting pounded for every thing I say and I'm trying really hard not to be confrontational, so this will be my last post on it.

Re: bacterial resistance vs. human immune systems. Two totally different species and actions, so not really contradictory. But if you feel it is, fine.

Re: Dessication (air drying) is germicidal. See the Textbook of Bacteriology page 155, You can see it on Amazon. Again, I won't argue the point if you feel that bacteriologists have it wrong.

I can't speak for anyone else here but I can assure I was simply trying to have a discussion with you. I don't have your training and was trying to get your thoughts on my thoughts. Were my thoughts really that mean? Did they come across as confrontational or argumentative?

Any thread that even remotely mentions cleaning or anything having to do with cleaning will evoke all kinds of remarks, but mostly derogatory if your cleaning philosophy is not the same as theirs. Steps taken in cleaning and/or drying are very subjective and everyone has an opinion, and every one thinks any opinion other their own stinks. I think everyone will find the level of cleanliness they are comfortable with. I don't clean as much as when I first started, but my wife and I are comfortable with the level of cleaning I do. If we weren't, we would either do more or less cleaning.

Absolutely agree with all of that and esp this...

Okie bipap wrote: I think everyone will find the level of cleanliness they are comfortable with. I don't clean as much as when I first started, but my wife and I are comfortable with the level of cleaning I do. If we weren't, we would either do more or less cleaning.

Sorry it evokes such emotions.

Don't be sorry you started this thread.
Along with "cleaning", it's probably one of the most discussed subjects on the forum. And, they usually go together.
We all have our thresholds of what we feel comfortable with or what we consider essential or wasting time.
Bottom line is do what you feel comfort with.

search.php?keywords=drying

search.php?keywords=cleaning

viewtopic.php?p=567264#p567264


Den

.