Humidifiers and masks

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Fri May 06, 2005 10:16 pm

How often do you clean your humidifier and face mask? Do you use plain soap or vinegar?

I am thinking of trying the new ConfortCurve. Has anyone used this mask? It seems like most people use the Activa. I was considering the Breeze Pillow after everyone said the Mirage wistled. Then I read the stuff about the confort curve cliaming the pillows actually hurt the nose. Do they hurt the nose?

MoSleep · Post by **MoSleep** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:19 pm

I was told by my DME that a daily wash with mild soap and water was a good idea. Then once a week use white vinegar.
I have used the comfort curve a couple of nights so I am no authority. I do like it better than the full face. I sometimes like to read before falling to sleep also enjoy reading over the posts here, and I wear glasses. So the full face is out of the question for that. After reading the posts here about adjusting the comfort curve, I had very little trouble with adjusting it. The cheek pads for me are comfortable. I really like it.
Good luck with it.

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Sat May 07, 2005 1:25 am

Wow thanks. I will try the comfort curve.

I was just curious about the cleaning the humidifier. There is always water left in the tank, and I bet everytime I disassemble it, it may weaken the seal. I was wondering if anyone left the water in overnight. I use purified water and doubt it would contaminate that quickly.

I was talking to a friend that said he cleaned the mask once a week. Heck, I bet the mask would get contaminated quicker than the water in the tank. I wonder??

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sat May 07, 2005 7:15 am

I was told to wash out the humidifier, the hose and the filters once a week and to wipe the mask out with a warm damp rag daily. Maybe I should read the directions that came with the mask. I would think doing this daily would destroy the seals.

loonlvr · Post by **loonlvr** » Sat May 07, 2005 7:22 am

I use to use tap water but the deposits built up and I would fill the chamber with vinegar and soak. Now I use distilled water and rinse with soapy water every 3-4 days. I NEVER take my chamber apart. Think that would hurt seal and eventually crack the plastic..This is on a Remstart Auto.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat May 07, 2005 9:10 am

I never take the humidifier water chamber off. Nor do I dump the water out of it. I just keep adding distilled water as needed. I think the more we take things apart (humidifiers, masks, hoses) to clean them, the more wear and tear on the connections.

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Sat May 07, 2005 11:01 am

Maybe I will be less diligent in cleaning. I will probably take the humidifier off once a week and clean the mask at the same time.

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Sat May 07, 2005 11:55 am

Yea, the manufacturers tell you to clean everything daily, but I agree it will likely wear out faster. I'm sure that's why Respironcs ships a spare air input seal for the water tank. I'm going with a rinse and quick wash using baby shampoo every 3 to 5 days. Their concern is the warm moist environment is conducive to the growth of many things and they worry someone may get a sinus infection as a result. I would think someone prone to sinus infections would want to follow a more frequent cleaning routine.

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BigHeart · Post by **BigHeart** » Sat May 07, 2005 1:19 pm

I wash my nasal pillows daily, but that's not too hard. I use only distilled water in my humidifier. I empty it every day and then run it for about 15 minutes to dry everything out good, because I'm very sensitive to mold and I don't want to grow anything. I wash my other interface parts when I get around to it, which isn't very often. When I first started, I washed my hoses out every couple of weeks, but it was a hassel and seemed unnecessary. I do wash and change the air filters at least every couple of weeks.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Sat May 07, 2005 1:44 pm

I also use distilled water in my humidifier, and have yet to crack it open or clean it in a year and it looks pristine. I do swish around and empty any left over water.

I clean the interfaces (whichever I am using at the time) daily, first spraying with dilute vinegar, then rinsing and then washing with dilute non-scented castille soap, without taking the mask apart usually. I never use the same mask two nights in a row so it dries out well where they hang over a heater register.

I do clean the foam air filter about once a week.

I haven't been cleaning the heated hose often, since it doesn't get moisture in it, only filtered air flows through it, and it doesn't get "back wash" from breathing. Every once in awhile I will give it the same treatment that I mentioned for the masks and just plug it into the bathroom faucet to flush it.

Thats what I do now anyway. Its worked well for a year and a half, so far.

JerryR · Post by **JerryR** » Wed May 11, 2005 11:20 am

rested gal wrote:I never take the humidifier water chamber off. Nor do I dump the water out of it. I just keep adding distilled water as needed. I think the more we take things apart (humidifiers, masks, hoses) to clean them, the more wear and tear on the connections.

How I agree with that RG! I took my Activa completely apart one time to clean. Re-assembling it properly to working order was NOT fun! I now heed your advice and simply remove the straps and wash the whole thing completely assembled.

53now · Post by **53now** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:52 pm

"After 5 years" I have stuck to my routine.......which is...

1. Wash the mask (cushion) every night (Ivory bar soap)
2. I wash the hoses and the water chamber once every 2 months (Ivory soap here too) Lather up hands in a sink of warm water...pour soapy water into water chamber and hoses....rinse in the bath tub...hang on the shower curtain rod to dry.

Rich

Niteair · Post by **Niteair** » Thu May 12, 2005 4:46 am

I clean my mask daily, disassembled, empty and rinse out the humidifier, and make sure that I always separate the humidifier from the machine immediately after shutting down, so that there is no chance of water vapor from the heated water getting back into the machine.