THE HOSE - TO DISINFECT OR NOT TO DISINFECT ?

Hi - I'm using CPAP now for 10months and the hose developed tears.(washed in baby shampoo and disinfected with Milton x one a week - hung up on washing line (not too long) to dry. I replaced the hose and the selling agent told me NOT to wash or disinfect the hose because it is only air that goes through the hose ! (I think what I did wrong was to hang the hose on the washing line)
Okay - my question. Is she right? I don't want to do something stupid and need to buy a hose again. The hose is very pricy. And what about germs ? ? ? I'll appreciate it very much if I can get the right procedure to keep the hose clean. THANX

Personally, I really don't see a compelling reason to regularly wash the hose... because it is only air/humidity passing through it.

If the hose starts to get funky inside (mold & mushrooms growing ) then it be time to toss it out and purchase a new hose.

Of course, all of us have our opinions about equipment cleaning, whether it be masks, humidifiers, hoses . . . I am one who likes to clean my hose every couple of weeks, when I change the fine filter and wash the foam filter for my machine. It's not the air going through the hose that worries me, it's that humidity/condensation, which in a warm environment inside the hose might be a host for some kind of mold/midew/bacteria. So, I choose to clean mine. But, I certainly hear from others who do not, and haven't heard of any problems/infections . . . so, my preference might well just be a symptom of my sometimes "OCD" when it comes to cleanliness of my CPAP equipment.

Why don't you just wash it with mild dishwashing soap and rinse it. You can then use white vinegar and water to disinfect it. that was recommended to me and it works fine. I don't do the washing and disinfecting very often. I think next time I'll mix up a solution and just pour it through the hose.

I have used my original hose since starting in August of 2007. Never been washed. I do have a spare in case I need it but it is put up and there when and if I need it.

Letting any cpap equipment dry outside, where it may be exposed to the sun's rays is not recommended. It should all be air dried, out of sunlight. Hoses take quite a while to dry so I have 2. One is always clean and ready.

I don't wash the hose very often, maybe every couple of weeks and when I do I use Classic Ivory Dishwashing Liquid. It's been 7 years and I still have my original hose aound here somewhere. I have switched to the Respironics Performance White hose and use the same procedure. I've had these 2 for over a year now. I expect a long life from them unless the cats should become interested in them!

newname wrote:Why don't you just wash it with mild dishwashing soap and rinse it. You can then use white vinegar and water to disinfect it. that was recommended to me and it works fine. I don't do the washing and disinfecting very often. I think next time I'll mix up a solution and just pour it through the hose.

I like your thoughts here. A little bit of simple prevention is better then an infection. If you use a heated or unheated xPAP humidifier you are setting up a good breading ground for bacteria in the hoes--remember "life happens" and that includes bacteria. Cleaning/disinfecting it from time to time reduces the potential for "something" to set up residence in the hose--with a direct path into your lungs

Marietjie wrote:Hi - I'm using CPAP now for 10months and the hose developed tears.(washed in baby shampoo and disinfected with Milton x one a week - hung up on washing line (not too long) to dry. I replaced the hose and the selling agent told me NOT to wash or disinfect the hose because it is only air that goes through the hose ! (I think what I did wrong was to hang the hose on the washing line)
Okay - my question. Is she right? I don't want to do something stupid and need to buy a hose again. The hose is very pricy. And what about germs ? ? ? I'll appreciate it very much if I can get the right procedure to keep the hose clean. THANX

Your "selling agent" wasn't giving you a line of BS in this instance. Come the middle of May, I will have used the very same hose every night for the last four years.....and have never washed/cleaned it. In fact, the only time it gets detached from the humidifier is when I refill it. I have a good number of extras in various lengths, but have never used any of them. They're not expensive, (only about $10 - $15 for 6' - 10' lengths from CPAP.COM) but I have no need to replace or rotate any yet. Same thing with my mask.....same one for the same amount of time.

Germs? What "germs"? By using tap water in cleaning this stuff and hanging it in the open to dry, you're exposing them to more "germs" than by leaving it attached to the humidifier (with distilled water in it) You can't infect or reinfect yourself. And, any "germs" which MAY be in the humidifier are too large to be carried out of the humidifier by water vapor.

Den

I'm with Den on that.

I would normally be inclined to agree with the 'cleaning the hose isn't necessary' sentiment. Except when I first started CPAP as the cold weather moved in and before I started turning up the heat on my humidifier, I could see my breath condense in my mask. Except it wasn't just my mask. I could see my breath condense into the last 6" of my hose. I concluded that at least a small portion of my breath goes down into the hose.

And I've had at least two respiratory infections since I started CPAP. So I find it quite possible I'm breathing all sorts of germs into the hose.

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The complication of cleaning the hose is that you can't air dry it. Myself, I have a dumb CPAP that's an insurance rental. So I used about 10-15 minutes of it every 2 weeks to dry the hose out after cleaning it. Is that an abuse? Idk. If it spares me from a lung infection and a doctor's visit every now and then, it will likely pay for the wear and tear.

The DME said to wash weekly with one part vinegar and three parts water. But based on other responses here, it sounds like it's too often and it is a pain.

rested gal wrote:I'm with Den on that.

I bow to the wisdom of Rested Gal. I will not be cleaning my hose any more.

I don't wash mine , either. I used to, but it made too much moisture when I did. It caused more leaks and more mold.
I still have yet to hear of anyone wiho got an infection from an un-washed hose, and I've been around here for a while...
Best,
Lee Lee

Just for the record---I don't wash mine , either. I used to, when I first started.

Carrie

I'm not a clean freak, but I do wash the hose. Maybe 10 days-2 weeks. Sometimes I just rinse it out in between washings and hang it over the shower pipe. I do believe that I've got germs blowing back into that hose. Just like you have to dump your toothbrush after you've had a cold, to me just feel better about it.