Just washed new mask--why is it all cloudy now?

I just washed my new mask in Cetaphil which is supposed to be the gentlest soap around,and now the rubber is cloudy on the pillows and mouthpiece. I have really sensitive skin and Cetaphil is one of the only soaps that doesn't irritate me. (Even Dove makes me uncomfortable.) Did I just ruin my mask, and/or should I not use Cetaphil anymore?

Here are Cetaphil's ingredients (I hope it's not from the alchohol):
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben.

Hello, if I were to bet it was the Alcohol. That would cloud up the silicone. I dough that you messed it up just doing it once but I would not press your luck.
don

Cetaphil's ingredients :
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben.

All of these ingredients, except for the water, are bad for skin and the environment. You might want to try something like Aubrey Organics Herbal liquid everyday bath soap. There are no toxic ingredients in it. No parabens, no alcohols, no propylene glycol (this is something I use in painting-why would you want that on your face or your mask?) Please consider the Aubrey Organics herbal liquid bath soap or even Avalon Organics facial cleaners. Cetaphil is something I wouldn't even wash my car tires with. It's too toxic for anything, especially skin. I think it's made by a big drug company and they have the money to push their products. There are better alternatives, especially for skin care. One thing to try for mask cleaning is Seventh Generations free and clear dishwashing soap. It's mild and doesn't have anything toxic in it. Publix supermarkets now carry it, so you don't even have to go to a health food store. I hope you don't mind my opinion on Cetaphil, but I've had very sensitive skin all my life and since I found Aubrey Organics Herbal Liquid soap I haven't had any of the itchy tight feelings in my skin (like what chemicals do to my skin) and I have face skin that is baby soft. I also use the Aubrey Organics Herbal Liquid soap for cleaning out cosmetic brushes, washing my hair, used to use it on my dogs, and it makes a great bath gel or bubble bath. It doesn't leave residue like most soaps. I've been using it since the early 1980's and never have had a problem with it. (Vitacost.com has the best deal on a 16 ounce bottle of it!)
I apologize for the commercial, but I'm trying to save someone the agony I went through trying to find something that wouldn't make my skin hurt. And you can even wash you mask with it, I promise it won't hurt anything!

Karla

It may just be that the cushion has "absorbed" some of the water and other chemicals. Let it sit for a while a couple of hours) and see if it clears itself up. May be a temporary thing.

Hi there--I only use Dr. Bronner's Liquid pure Castile soap in Peppermint for my masks, tube etc. I have used it for almost 2 years and have never had a problem., You can get it at Trader Joe's, or Hi Health places---it is worth the extra money to keep your mask clean and preserved. Good Luck!
Carrie

Most nights, I use baby shampoo to clean the mask and remove any of my skin oil from the mask. Soap the plastic bits, rub and rinse.

Once a week, wash everything and rinse immediately with dish soap. The once-a-week cleaning with dish soap also includes brushing (old stiff toothbrush with a dab of soap on it) the hard plastic parts. Also, Inspecting and cleaning the humidifier tank for scale and or anything else in it. Finally, look over the machine for any damage and look over the air filter.

Once or every-other week a soak the mask in (white) vinegar.

I've been doing this for over 10,000 hours by my machine hour meter.

I was having issues with itching and then I would scratch sores. The itching was intense and all over my body. I went to a day spa to get some advice on what maybe causing it as I had went to the doctor and she was stumped and I didn't want to pay to go to a dermatologist (the only one in town doesn't have a good reputation for one). They thought it was due to the parabens in many of the lotions, soaps, etc. The way I understood it -- it helps keep the other ingredients fresh longer. Now I watch labels and do not buy anything with one of the paraben family in it. Itching has stopped and not returned (been 2 years now). So I am reasoning it could be the parabens.

I use baby shampoo and it makes the gel part start to turn cloudy after the first use. Don't know what else can fix that but it still works. Besides i can get a new gel piece every month with my insurance if necessary.

It could be the result of the water being hard, and not much to do with the soap.

I have tried:
Baby shampoo
Ecover dish washing solution
Dr. Bonner liquid castile soap (lavender)
They all leave a cloudy residue.

As a matter of fact, the water where I live is so hard the even a simple rinse with water may leave white droplet marks.

Sometimes I get the imprsession that Fussing around with the water temprature may help some -

Things also get be better if you do the last rinses (short soak?) in vinegar to water (1 part vinegar to 3 -9 parts water) and then distilled water.

O.

Gently rub the surfaces with your finger before you remove it completely from whatever solution you use. And, the idea of scrubbing with a brush is something I wouldn't consider.

I've found the two least intrusive approaches wrt to residue are baby shampoo and/or 10 minute soak of 3-to-1 mix of water and vinegar. I usually do just the latter. But you may want to do both to help clear this fog (shampoo followed by vinegar). Both leave a slight odor. The shampoo may last 2-3 days and the vinegar about a day but the steady flow of air generally overwhelms it so you don't smell anything when CPAP is running for even those days.

I've used a supposedly additive free soap products because I thought it would be even better than baby shampoo and found it to be one of the worst for clouding.

I also think in general too much soap makes the problem worse as the different chemicals want to come out of solution and coat your mask. I think its standard practice these days, no matter how natural or unnatural a soap is, to add moisturizers. If what you're getting is a cloudy film (it smears when you touch it), I'd be inclined to believe its the moisturizers.

Anyway if you've used this product before without any negative skin reactions, I doubt your face will fall off if you used the mask now. So that is something I wouldn't worry about at the moment.