Weekly Mask Cleaning---OverKill ???

Wulfman wrote:
From WHAT? Bacteria and viruses are too large to be carried out of the humidifier with water vapor. The air going into the machine is filtered and whatever might be on the mask is from our own bodies.
You can get more germs from door handles and from the kitchen counter. (or anything else that someone has touched)

"That which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger."

Oh, and by the way.......hospitals are an excellent place to get staph infections, too.

Den

Wow....way to attack the new girl.

The way I see it, if there wasn't at least some issue with using a dirty mask, EVERY manufacturer wouldn't be out there telling us to clean them as frequently as they do. What could they gain by having us clean them frequently? It's not like they're trying to sell soap or water. In fact, if we didn't clean them at all, they'd be likely to sell us more masks. Maybe I'm being naive, but it just seems to me that there's probably some truth to it.

In the end, it's all up to what risk a person wants to take...
Mike

RafterRattler wrote:The way I see it, if there wasn't at least some issue with using a dirty mask, EVERY manufacturer wouldn't be out there telling us to clean them as frequently as they do. What could they gain by having us clean them frequently? It's not like they're trying to sell soap or water. In fact, if we didn't clean them at all, they'd be likely to sell us more masks. Maybe I'm being naive, but it just seems to me that there's probably some truth to it.

In the end, it's all up to what risk a person wants to take...
Mike

Mike,

It makes sense to say that it's about what level of risk we're willing to take. But the ulterior motive of mask manufacturers is that they have covered there a$$es for purposes of liability. That way, they can say "we suggest washing after every use in our manuals and brochures," if a law suit about about sanitation comes up in court later. In the end - once again - it's about money.

The mask feels better when it's clean - no doubt. If I had house staff to change my bed sheets every night, I'd probably do that too. But I don't. Just like I don't summer in Aspen or Christmas at the Greenbrier 'anymore'. I'm lazy enough that changing bed sheets once a week is the level of cleanliness I'm willing to deal with, and I tell myself I'm saving water and being 'green.' Along the same lines, maybe how often we wash our mask parts, hoses and humidifier tanks amounts to just how 'Monkish' we each of us are. In the course of sleep therapy, many of us started out by washing everything every morning, but find ourselves sacrificing that level of cleanliness out of sheer tedium after a few weeks, months, etc. Heck - I'm sure there are those of us out there who don't even change their bed sheets once a month. To my mind that's a level of 'cleanliness' I'm not comfortable with. Others are fine with it.

I do wash the pillows portion of my mask every morning. I don't wash my face before bedtime because I have very sensitive skin. I don't use soap on my face at all, though I tried to when I first got the cpap and it caused skin problems. I used the mildest possible soap (california baby soap for sensitive skin) on my face. I use a face wash in the morning on my face (cetaphil). I wash the pillows daily because I think they seal better when I wash them. I wash the mask occasionally. I do wash the foam filters with plain water every week. When I wasn't doing this, my white (fine) filters were getting much dirtier faster. I have allergies to dust, pollen, mold etc. I do clean the humidifier with vinegar every week. For a while I didn't but in the humid summers I think it's important since mold grows fast in my basement without the humidifier running all the time. I just want to avoid mold in general.

Being clean is simple common sense, and thus keeping our equipment clean is as well. However, being a major germophobe leaves the body with no way to resist or fight back when things do make it into your system, because it has not had a chance to build up resistances and antibodies and such. My mom was a nurse for 20 years and worked in every ward of a hospital. She followed procedure for sanitation at work but she let my sister and I go play outside and get dirty, didn't douse us with hand sanitizer every time we turned around, etc. We were taught to be clean but not "Monkish". You ever notice how, in movies with school-aged characters, there's usually some nerd with an inhaler who's always sniffling and on 15 different medications even though there's apparently nothing seriously wrong with him, and whenever his mother shows up she's babying him and fussing about him being sick and making sure he keeps perfectly clean? I wasn't that kid. I observe personal hygiene but I'm not going to be afraid of a germ or a spec of dirt on my skin, and I almost never get sick, never yet seriously so. I'll keep my equipment clean because it makes sense to do so and I'm not interested in growing live cultures in my humidifer, but I'm not going to obsessively do so every day in case something might show up. That's what the air intake filters and distilled water are for. **Disclaimer: this is my own opinion and an explanation of my beliefs on the subject, not an attempt to imply anything about any previous posters to the thread or to say everyone should agree with me . There is plenty of room in the world for more than one belief set, this is simply my way of seeing things.

How you choose to clean (or not clean) your equipment is up to you, and that's your prerogative as a human being with freedom of choice. I do recommend cleaning it before it starts turning colors and getting fuzzy, but each of us has the right to decide as we will and if someone gets sick because they were a little too reticent about cleaning their equipment, that's between them and their doctors and insurance, and we can only hope they'll learn from the experience and keep things cleaner. This isn't really the place for a crusade by either side of the fence.

DreamDiver wrote:But the ulterior motive of mask manufacturers is that they have covered there a$$es for purposes of liability. That way, they can say "we suggest washing after every use in our manuals and brochures," if a law suit about about sanitation comes up in court later. In the end - once again - it's about money.

so true!

RafterRattler wrote:

Wulfman wrote:
From WHAT? Bacteria and viruses are too large to be carried out of the humidifier with water vapor. The air going into the machine is filtered and whatever might be on the mask is from our own bodies.
You can get more germs from door handles and from the kitchen counter. (or anything else that someone has touched)

"That which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger."

Oh, and by the way.......hospitals are an excellent place to get staph infections, too.

Den

Wow....way to attack the new girl.

The way I see it, if there wasn't at least some issue with using a dirty mask, EVERY manufacturer wouldn't be out there telling us to clean them as frequently as they do. What could they gain by having us clean them frequently? It's not like they're trying to sell soap or water. In fact, if we didn't clean them at all, they'd be likely to sell us more masks. Maybe I'm being naive, but it just seems to me that there's probably some truth to it.

In the end, it's all up to what risk a person wants to take...
Mike

That was NOT an "attack"......it was a "question". Basically......"How do you infect yourself?" And then, how do you PROVE that whatever "infection" you got was from a CPAP machine and related equipment?.......especially when we're exposed to so many other forms of infections and ways to get infected.
If my wife (who works with the public, as I do) is coughed or sneezed on at work and catches a cold/flu and brings that home to me, how can I blame my CPAP equipment for that?
I clean my CPAP foam filter(s) every other weekend......THAT is one thing I'm pretty dutiful about. When I started this therapy, the morning after the first night, I dumped my humidifier water.......and wondered......"WHY did I just do that?" The water had only been in there a few hours and quite a bit of it was gone (I used heated humidity the first night or two) and I was just going to be adding to it. Seemed like a waste to me. The water is sterile (distilled) and there isn't any way "something" could grow in there in that short amount of time. I BREATHE dirtier air throughout the whole day than what I'm breathing at night.

And, as far as what I had to say about the bacteria and viruses........here's a link with a visual aid.

http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-dis ... humid9.htm

As far as my mask cleaning goes, I wash my face off each night before going to bed. I wipe the mask seal off with my hand. I don't use heated humidity so there's not a lot of moisture build-up on the seals and my face doesn't particularly sweat a lot during the night. But, I do have my own level of tolerance and "periodically" (every few months) I do wash my mask and headgear (and I have NEVER disassembled any of my masks).
Contrary to what DreamDiver wrote, I don't particularly like the feel of a "newly washed" mask on my face.

I have other things that I'd rather spend my time doing, than to be obsessively cleaning my mask and humidifier chamber.......which, by the way, I just add (distilled) water ever 3 or 4 nights and dump the remainder "a few times a year" and rinse with hot tap water, shake out and refill. It's never had soap in it, either and it looks like brand, spanking new. I've never taken my humidifier tank apart, either.

The more often you wash/scrub these things, the faster they wear out. I have over three years on my original UMFF and seals. Why they (masks/seals) have to be replaced by the insurance companies every few months is a waste of SOMEBODY'S premium dollars in my opinion.


Den

Ok Den- fair enough. Your first response just sounded kinda harsh. You know how it is with text...without the right smileys, it's sometimes hard to capture intent.

I guess I'm also a little more sensitive to this stuff because my uncle had some major problems with getting sick from not keeping his gear clean. Once his habits changed, his coughing, allergy reactions, etc. stopped. Again, I guess it all depends on the person and what risk they want to take. I suffer from frequent sinus issues, so I prefer to keep things clean to avoid taking chances. I also like the feeling of a squeaky clean, cool mask every night....but again, that's preference.

Mike

RafterRattler wrote:Ok Den- fair enough. Your first response just sounded kinda harsh. You know how it is with text...without the right smileys, it's sometimes hard to capture intent.

I guess I'm also a little more sensitive to this stuff because my uncle had some major problems with getting sick from not keeping his gear clean. Once his habits changed, his coughing, allergy reactions, etc. stopped. Again, I guess it all depends on the person and what risk they want to take. I suffer from frequent sinus issues, so I prefer to keep things clean to avoid taking chances. I also like the feeling of a squeaky clean, cool mask every night....but again, that's preference.

Mike

Is this better?

If you were to go to the Search function and search on "cleaning" (and mask and humidifier), you'd probably find way more reading than you wanted. These types of threads/subjects usually bring out wide diversity of opinions and techniques. It all boils down to what a person feels comfortable with. It's usually the new users who are questioning what they've read or have been told. For many of us who have been at it awhile, SOME of it can seem excessive and unnecessary. So, you get one person saying "this works for me" and another saying "this works for me" and then somebody jumps in to stir the pot with fearful warnings of worst-case-scenarios that are typically word-of-mouth and possibly unprovable.
Like I've said, if I were using a nasal pillows or prongs type of headgear, I'm sure I'd be washing it more often......but I'm not and never intend to go to those types of interfaces. To me, they're as contrary as a full face mask would be to a person who has feelings of claustrophobia. To each, his/her own.

Actually, in my first year of therapy, I had more coughing......found out it was the blood pressure medicine i was on. I had been started out on Lisinopril, but that stuff made my coughing horrible......was switched to Diovan and that was better, but still had to take a sip of Nyquil cough syrup each night before strapping my mask on. After about a year, I quit taking the BP meds as my pressure was "close enough".....for me.

Again.......each person has to be willing to experiment with the various settings and procedures to come up with what works best for them. All the rest of us can do is relate from our own personal experiences.

Take care.

Den

Wulfman wrote:It's usually the new users who are questioning what they've read or have been told.

Not me, man! I was here & reading for three weeks before I got my equipment. I've learned a LOT from you guys, and I'm proud to say I have "clean nasal pillows" very carefully entered in my appointment book.... for August 11, 2009!!!

(You're supposed to change bed sheets?)

Marsha

I do the same thing. I do not wash my stuff that much. And I have not had an issue. I just take a baby wipe and wipe the nasal pillows off to get any oils off that might irriate my skin. But other then last I might clean everything twice a month. I just always put fresh water in my humidifier. Making sure it is distilled and not tap and I have had no issues as well.

Wow all this for cleaning.

My doc told me to use wet wipes on the mask daily and wash out the hose every week or so, but said that I not to over do because the mask can be a bit fragile. Then I read that I should not use stuff with moisturisers. Then I read the recommended daily regimine. So of course I was getting confused and concerned.

You guys made me realise that there are a whole lot of ways to care for your stuff. I've been using the wipes and keeping the mask covered when not in use (I kept the casing that it came packaged with). I can't risk having dust gather on something that I have to put on my face and nose (asthama/allegies). It's only been a short time but it is working for me.

Well...call me a germ-o-phobe, but I wipe my mask every morning with Clorox wipes, and
wash mask, headband and hose weekly. For me, using a heated humidifier 'greets germs' so
its just a routine now, and thus far no problems.

I usually clean mine daily. I suppose it depends on the mask; mine is a marage activa. Once a week or so, everything gets a good cleaning.

Yes I believe cleaning the mask weekly can be a hassle. I generally clean as necessiary.

yorkiemum01 wrote:Well...call me a germ-o-phobe, but I wipe my mask every morning with Clorox wipes, and
wash mask, headband and hose weekly. For me, using a heated humidifier 'greets germs' so
its just a routine now, and thus far no problems.

Actually the clorox will cause the break down of the mask. At least that was what I was told. I was also told that baby wash is good to use to clean all your stuff with sense it is very gental for the mask. The clorox does not seem to irritate your skin at all? Sense it can seep into the plastic....But I have to use gental washes sense I have allergies to everything. Chemicals seem to kill me for some reason. LOL

DannyP wrote:I know many of you clean your Mask weekly But it might be overkill. I have been on cpap for almost a Year now and in the Beginning I would clean my Mask Daily then it got to be once weekly and for the past few months I haven't cleaned it at all but inspect it Daily when I get up for Crud and Foreign things growing in it. I use the Swift II nasal Pillows and the Swift LT nasal pillows. I would assume though that FF Mask and others that contact the Face more would need more Care and cleaning. This is Just my assumption on the Mask cleaning. I guess to each his own ! Maybe when and if I get a Cold I will clean more often.

What's in your nostrils (bacteria) could possibly be forced inside by the air flow. Do you think it's worth the chance of infection?

I just read an article from Journal of Opthamology that a patient got an eye infection from his cpap mask. I believe he inhaled bacteria or there was bacteria in the air that flowed into him. He lost vision due to that.

It's problably better to pick a day and clean your mask that day even if it doesn't look like it needs it. The alternative is to risk something similar to the above.

Personally, I think it would be better to be safe than regret it later.

Maybe you have just been fortunate up to now. It definetly isn't overkill to clean mask once a week.

Please think about it....

Anne