Dirty Cpap Equipment is a Dead End Road

Taking ShortCuts on Cleaning Cpap Equipment doesn't pay. I have been neglecting cleaning My Cpap Equipment as scheduled and Now after two years of Cpap usage I an Finally paying for it. My schedule of cleaning was " When I felt like It ". Not Cool. I normally washed my Nasal Pillows once a Month and the same with the Humidifier tank. Well, I have been fighting a Sinus Condition for the past two weeks which developed into Bronchitis. I am about Well now Finally. I checked the Humidifier Tank today and there is Yellowish Slime all on the Inside. I know now that this contributed to the Sinus and Bronchitis Problems I have had. I will be dis-assemble the Humidifier tank weekly and clean it weekly from now on whether I think it needs it or not and wash the Nasal pillows weekly also. Just a Word to the Unwise---Clean, Clean, Clean your equipment ! Only Takes a few minutes of your Time. Cleanliness is Part of Cpap Therapy.

DannyP wrote:Taking ShortCuts on Cleaning Cpap Equipment doesn't pay. I have been neglecting cleaning My Cpap Equipment as scheduled and Now after two years of Cpap usage I an Finally paying for it. My schedule of cleaning was " When I felt like It ". Not Cool. I normally washed my Nasal Pillows once a Month and the same with the Humidifier tank. Well, I have been fighting a Sinus Condition for the past two weeks which developed into Bronchitis. I am about Well now Finally. I checked the Humidifier Tank today and there is Yellowish Slime all on the Inside. I know now that this contributed to the Sinus and Bronchitis Problems I have had. I will be dis-assemble the Humidifier tank weekly and clean it weekly from now on whether I think it needs it or not and wash the Nasal pillows weekly also. Just a Word to the Unwise---Clean, Clean, Clean your equipment ! Only Takes a few minutes of your Time. Cleanliness is Part of Cpap Therapy.

So what lab did use to compare the culture samples from your sinus to the HH slime? ... or do you have your own lab?

Nonetheless, not a good idea to carry out slime experiements with your HH.

I used to clean my HH every week but I have gotten lazy lately. As a result I started smelling a nasty stench (like bad breath) every time I put the mask on. When I took the humidifier tank apart to clean it I could feel a layer of slime on the inside of it. Yuck! I will not be lazy anymore. Fortunately I didn't get a sinus infection from it.

Anything that goes in my nose or my mouth (I use the CPAP Pro mask with a mouthpiece) gets washed every morning after use. It's part of my morning getting ready routine and takes me about seven minutes.

I don't think only a weekly cleaning on these parts would be in my best interest healthwise. Sticking nasal pillows back in my nose without cleaning them would be like reusing a Kleenex for a week to me. YMMV.

Lisa (Texan)

So uhhh ... we're not supposed to reuse a Kleenex for a week?

Are you using distilled water in the HH? Do you blow dry your hose every AM. Stagnant water in the hose will stink!

DreamStalker wrote:So uhhh ... we're not supposed to reuse a Kleenex for a week?

DreamStalker, if you must: You can reuse your Kleenex twice.....on time to fold and put in your pocket, a second time to clean your nose....but no more, pleazeeeeeeeeeeee .........actually I wouldn't think of drinking from the same glass or cup for repeated uses.....but that's just me, I like clean things around my face......have a friend who drinks from the same coffee with "coffee grease" build up...........but as for humidifiers....not so nice germies like warm moist enviroments.....

elg5cats

I use distilled water in the HH. Every morning, I remove hose and hang it up, empty humidifier and open it to dry and use a disinfecting wipe to clean mask. Every Saturday I wash the mask with soapy water and once a month I disinfect EVERYTHING in the sink with a hospital grade disinfectant solution (from cpap.com, smell VERY clean afterward). Like LoneStar said, it is part of getting ready and only takes a few minutes, including downloading smart card into the kitchen laptop (%*#@ Encore viewer will not work on the Vista 64 main PC, but that is another story).

Guest wrote:Are you using distilled water in the HH? Do you blow dry your hose every AM. Stagnant water in the hose will stink!

I don't blow dry my hose but I ALWAYS use distilled water. I'm pretty sure from the slime in the humidifier tank that it wasn't the hose stinking, although I washed that at the same time.

Well, I just finished cleaning the HH. Took it apart and was amazed at the Slime and Gunk inside. I washed it with Dish washing Liquid and rinsed it good and then sloshed Vinegar around in it and rinsed again. Hopefully, tonight will be a sign of Better days to come.

DreamStalker wrote:So uhhh ... we're not supposed to reuse a Kleenex for a week?

OMG DREAMSTALKER!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! You do not reuse a Kleenex for a week straight!!!!!! You only use it for 6 days, 23 hours and 58 minutes, then you are supposed to get a new one you goofball Chimp!!!!! EWWWWWWWW!!!!! I can't believe you use yours for a week before changing to a new one!!!!!

DannyP wrote:finished cleaning HH. Took Slime and Gunk inside. Hopefully, tonight will be a sign of Better days to come.

Danny, cheers to your clean HH. Hopefully, you will stay well....................now, DreamStalker, you need to follow DannyP's example............. get some new tissue and read the label "for one time use only"

elg5cats

Reading this......ran upstairs and open humidifier and found it bone dry with a little gummy residue in the bottom. Thoroughly cleaned it. Will try adding water tonight. (I run it in passover anyway.) The mask and hose next, although they have been cleaned twice in the past 2 weeks. I have nagging sinus with some blood and headache intermittently for several weeks. Also using the Nelimed sinus rinse for the first time, looking for relief. I liked the rinse much better than the pot which didn't work for me. The solution ran in and out of the same side of my nose with the pot.

The moral is keep it clean.

Georgio

preemiern wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:So uhhh ... we're not supposed to reuse a Kleenex for a week?

OMG DREAMSTALKER!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! You do not reuse a Kleenex for a week straight!!!!!! You only use it for 6 days, 23 hours and 58 minutes, then you are supposed to get a new one you goofball Chimp!!!!! EWWWWWWWW!!!!! I can't believe you use yours for a week before changing to a new one!!!!!

That's why I use a good quality paper towel like Bounty.....they're good for about a month and have an added benefit of toughening up your nose so your mask doesn't leave marks anymore

SeaPappy wrote:

preemiern wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:So uhhh ... we're not supposed to reuse a Kleenex for a week?

OMG DREAMSTALKER!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! You do not reuse a Kleenex for a week straight!!!!!! You only use it for 6 days, 23 hours and 58 minutes, then you are supposed to get a new one you goofball Chimp!!!!! EWWWWWWWW!!!!! I can't believe you use yours for a week before changing to a new one!!!!!

That's why I use a good quality paper towel like Bounty.....they're good for about a month and have an added benefit of toughening up your nose so your mask doesn't leave marks anymore