CPAPtalk.com

bdp522 wrote:Jeff, from what I've read any cleansing wipe the doesn't contain alcohol or lotion(moisturizer) should work fine. You are mostly trying to clean off any dirt or facial oils that may compromise the seal.

Brenda

Thanks, Brenda, that's good to know!

We are not supposed to be hanging our hoses in the bathroom, that's a no no.

I don't worry about the droplets in the hose after cleaning, they go away after the next night's use.


Marie, 3 years on cpap

I use the wipes on my mask daily. ABOUT once a week I clean the mask, make an endless loop out of the hose and swish warm water and Dawn dishwashing detergent thru it and then soak both in a mixture of white vinegar and water for a few minutes. Then just hook up the hose and allow the blower to dry them out.

krousseau wrote:Tie a weight that will fit through the hose to one end of a long string (longer than the hose)-to the other end tie some strips of a lint free synthetic/disposable type washcloth. Drop the weight through the hose and pull the strips through the tube.

For the obsessive person, the type of apparatus described above can be purchased at any good music store. Just ask for a trombone snake, and a trombone swab.

A bit of soapy water, and the snake will agitate any particulate free from the internal surface of the hose. Rinse. Then the swab will completely dry the inside. A dry clean surface is a hostile environment to any bacteria.

If the music store clerk asks what you're doing with said equipment, just reply with this wonderful line from "National Lampoon's: Christmas Vacation"--"Bend over and I'll show you."

Ah but the above homemade item is a lot cheaper than the trombone cleaner.

If I'm worried about something-the best thing to do is take some action that is effective in eliminating the worry. That is not OCD and it is not helpful to label a person with a concern as being OC. If I have to repeat the action 15 times before I can use the hose-that might be OCD! Or it might just be the newness of having OSA and the feelings of vulnerability that it can bring on.

So lets just contribute some effective actions to take.

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Been on CPAP for over 20 years. Probably been through 5 or 6 hoses in that span of time. I have never washed any of the hoses or masks. Just occasionally wipe off the masks if they seem to get oily. I rinse out the humidifier chamber once a month. Seeing how there are so many nooks and crannies in the masks, and there really is no way to make sure you are getting all the soap rinsed out of everything, I would rather not use any kind of soap, I don't want to inhale any residue. I have suffered no ill effects with this kind of practice.

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leaveye wrote:

krousseau wrote:Tie a weight that will fit through the hose to one end of a long string (longer than the hose)-to the other end tie some strips of a lint free synthetic/disposable type washcloth. Drop the weight through the hose and pull the strips through the tube.

For the obsessive person, the type of apparatus described above can be purchased at any good music store. Just ask for a trombone snake, and a trombone swab.

A bit of soapy water, and the snake will agitate any particulate free from the internal surface of the hose. Rinse. Then the swab will completely dry the inside. A dry clean surface is a hostile environment to any bacteria.

These methods seem like a lot of unnecessary trouble, at least to me. And, I am pretty careful about cleanliness.

There is one thing about which I wonder: What about the idea that air drying dishes in a drainer leaves them more germ free than using a dish towel to dry them?

I personally wash my equipment once every week to 10 days with dishwashing liquid that is totally free of any additives, rinse well, and soak in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 10 parts of water for 1/2 hour. Then, after rinsing with the hottest tap water available, I shake off any water I can. This leaves the equipment much drier than one might think.

I do shake out the hose and hang it to dry, but quite often I am doing this only a few hours before sleeping. I just use the damp hose, figuring that the water is simply pre-dispersed humidity ready to be infused into the pressured air flowing through. Another fact that might be interesting to you all: my RT is an xPAP user and does the same thing, which is where I first heard of the idea.

Now, some fun:

Click Here for a Thread on How NOT to Clean a Hose

Best wishes,

Karen

My hose never gets dry by being hung, so I always plug it into my machine and set the humidifer to preheat (warm, in ResMed nomenclature). When the humidifier is warm, the machine always blows a very small amount of air through the system and that dries the hose right quick.

Here's my details, dunno how I got unlogged.

mth712 wrote:I bet that smells good Dan

It doesn't smell like anything. Get over it newbe. Give me a break.

krousseau wrote:Ah but the above homemade item is a lot cheaper than the trombone cleaner.

If I'm worried about something-the best thing to do is take some action that is effective in eliminating the worry. That is not OCD and it is not helpful to label a person with a concern as being OC. If I have to repeat the action 15 times before I can use the hose-that might be OCD! Or it might just be the newness of having OSA and the feelings of vulnerability that it can bring on.

So lets just contribute some effective actions to take.

Please forgive me if I left the impression that I was issuing a OCD diagnosis. I was merely trying to add a bit of humor.

As far as contributing effective actions to take, I was simply pointing out that such an apparatus was readily available in a fully functioning form, sans the arts and crafts. I don't use one (I don't bother cleaning my hose), but they are available. Isn't that the idea of this forum? To disseminate as much information as possible to allow people the freedom to manage their care--up to and including the interior of their hose? Please, explain to me how I wasn't contributing effective actions to take, and try to filter out the opinion and maintain some objectivity.

Thank you for reminding me why I've been a member of this valuable forum for over a year, yet rarely participate. How can a member simultaneously share ideas while being attacked for having them?

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I rinse all my hoses in rubbing alcohol and rinse again with hot water and just fling it around so all the water droplets fling out and I'm good to go ...and I'm still here to talk about it...so it must be OK
I have some great "over the head in a circle" moves for the hose. I fling it around fast and hard. Darn thing is almost dry when I put it back together.