Cleaning hoses with fleece covers?

Hi everyone -- I'm sure the answer to this is here somewhere but I couldn't find it searching. I just got a fleece cover for my hose and it is really nice. Only after I put it on I wondered how I would clean my hose every day now that there is a fleece cover on it? Do you remove the fleece cover and put it back on every single day?? I can't quite figure out what to do...

As an aside, I still have not had one night's sleep with my mask. I try every night, but just lay there awake -- I get out of bed, come back....eventually, I just give up and sleep without it. I'm trying to find the "Zen of the Mask" via Carbon Man, but haven't found the sweet spot yet. I'm getting depressed wondering if I will ever sleep again.

Thanks again - in advance - for any help!
Lisa...

psychomamma wrote: ......... Only after I put it on I wondered how I would clean my hose every day now that there is a fleece cover on it? .......

Why clean the hose? It is most likely already cleaner than the water you will rinse it out with. I haven't cleaned my hose in over a year. Not even last week when I took the fleece cover off and washed the cover.

I haven't cleaned my hose since I put the cover on it. Though at some point I should probably wash the cover.....though don't know if that'll lead to cleaning the hose (since it takes forever to dry out and its not like it get's dirty...)

I take my hose out of the cover and clean the hose and cover, separetley, every week. I kinda wrap my CPAP chores into my other household duties that I normall do on the weekends. ie Cleaning/Changing the filter, cleaning headgear, etc.

I don't know if you know this or not, but wrapping one of the rubber connectors in cling wrap before you put on/take off the cover makes things a WHOLE lot easer.

ok, thanks guys! Yes, the instructions said to put a wrapper over the end to make it easier....

My instruction book says to clean your hose EVERY DAY!! I THOUGHT that was kind of extreme!! Glad to hear you all don't it every day....

Lisa...

psychomamma wrote:My instruction book says to clean your hose EVERY DAY!!

I think they say that to cover their own backsides. They don't want to run the chance you live in a very hot and humid area and your hose starts to grow things in a couple days.

We live in a dry area (Los Angeles), so I like to clean my hose and head gear maybe once a month. I clean my nasal pillows almost every day, and it seems to work well for me.

I run hot water through it, then I run some Listerine through it, and rinse with hot water

I just put my covered hose on the faucet and run water and baby soap through then hang to dry hanging straight down for faster drying . Put a hair scrungee or simular object around one end and hook over nail or hook on wall. I also found I sleep better with nasel mask, as I have tried Swift Lt with lously results for comfort I recently tried Opus 360 with better breathing very comfortable but waking up several times during night despite good readings.ood luck on your quest it is obtainable don't quit

I clean the hose itself every week with warm soapy water, then hang it using a clothespin, outside on my porch on a clothesline, out of the direct sunlight. My DME recommends getting a new hose every month as the old ones can have germs/mold/ etc in them with the moist warm environment. Especially important if you have had a cold or illness as you wouldn't want to re-breathe the same germs over again! The hose cover, I clean as needed - seems monthly has been more then enough. I just wash it in with the rest of my mask parts and hang to dry outside.

i put mine in the dishwasher about once every month. top rack.

I originally cleaned and disinfected my hose every day. That lasted about 10 days. Now, I am cleaning it about once a week. It does seem to make a difference, as if I let it go too long, I notice a funny smell at 'pressure-up'.

I use two six foot hoses connected together. I clean them as a unit. They have the felt covers, which are hard to put back on if you remove them. I use the extra long hose as it prevents me from yanking the machine off the table it sits on. The six feet on the mask end is the extra-supple Respironics hose, and it seems to make a big difference in how comfortable dealing with the hose is. The hose now tends to lay on top of me in a loop that automatically adjusts to my moving around. It also does not pull on the mask unless the loop gets too short. I sometimes catch myself unconsciously snuggling the hose because it is so soft and flexible. Only problem is the IntelliPAP machine does not have a setting for a 12 foot hose, and I am beginning to wonder if it is performing suboptimally as a result. I am going to experimentally try just using a 6 foot hose to see if this might be the case. Have to rearrange the bedroom to allow for this though.

Before cleaning, I slide the felt cover back about 18 inches or so on the supple end, so it won't get wet.

To clean, I initially used a funnel stuck firmly into the end of the hose so it would seal. I do this on the supple end of the hose. I form a loop in the hose such that the loop is above the top of the funnel. I hold both the loop and the funnel with one hand, which is easier done than described. I pour in soapy water until the loop is full up into the funnel. This ensures that soapy water has contacted the entire inside of the hose, up into the connector. Then, I slowly raise the funnel end until I have a 'slug' of soapy water in the hose. I then slowly work the slug of soapy water through the hose until it has contacted all the length of the hose. It is then dumped into the sink.

To rinse, I discovered that the aerator on my faucet is very nearly the diameter of a hose connector. So, I slip the hose end over the aerator, and turn on the water. I turn it on slowly to avoid a pressure buildup. After the hose is thoroughly rinsed, I shut off the water, and make sure as much of the hose is below the sink as practical. I then remove the end from the aerator. Some water will squirt out. But it won't be much if most of the hose is below the sink. Holding both ends of the hose above the sink, I then raise the middle portion and let the water run out.

I would repeat this entire process for the disinfectant, waiting ten minutes between wetting and rinse. But I quickly discovered this is 'make-work'.

I have since simplified the procedure and have obtained better results. First, I drip a few drops of dish detergent into the end of the hose, taking care that the drops are in a few inches. I then hold the hose up to the aerator, and fill a foot or two of the hose with water. I then close the end of the hose with a finger, and gently shake this water back and forth to pick up all of the dish detergent. I then work it through the rest of the hose as described above. I then rinse the hose as described above. I now have the whole hose cleaning ritual down to about 3 minutes, and the felt cover stays dry.

I store my hose hanging over a door, using the doorknob to keep the hose at an angle, to keep the ends off the floor (and away from the cats!). One half goes on each side of the door, with the connector approximately on top of the door. I plan to eventually put something like a hose storage holder high upon the wall to hold the hose when not in use. (I live alone, so I don't worry about the bathroom door being closed when I relieve myself! Or, what things look like!) The hose is stored here at all times when not in use, to help it dry out quickly.

I have toyed with the idea of building a hose cleaning fixture, but with the new procedure, it is not as big a deal as it once was.

You've got your answers on the hose but I'd like to address the sleeplessness. (I'll probably get my head chopped off). Have you considered some sort of temporary sleep aid, either OTC or RX for awhile until you're adjusted? I'm not an advocate of unnecessary medication but sometimes it's needed. Just a thought. Dori