How often to wash everything???

I use an Activa mask - I wash the silicone seal part about once/twice a week depending on seal. If I start having seal problems I wash it. I use a solution of vinegar, dish soap and water. I swish for about 30 seconds then soak for about 2 hours. Rinse and let dry. If, like yesterday, I forget to dry it in time I end up with the fragrance of Oil and Vinegar salad dressing for about the first 30 seconds or minute of my usage - even with the purSleep oils. After that short time, the oils take over.

Hose - wash the hose??? I did twice when I first started, but haven't bothered since and have had no problems.

I found that dismantling the humidifier tank (Respironics M-Series) and re-assembling a few times caused it to leak. I stopped washing it out and only refill each night with distilled water as needed. Since I haven't washed it, I've had no issues nor has it leaked. I intend to change over to the HC-150 as soon as I get off my hind side and build a shelf for my table.....But why rush?? I've only had the HC-150 for a bit over a year..........

cheers
goose

JoyD. wrote:Well, having been a microbiologist part of my working life, I cleaned everything "by the book" at first -- and shuttered when I read how lax some members were with their cleaning routine, bordering on "none".

Now, after 5 months, I've joined their ranks

Joy

Welcome to the dark side!

At first it simply seems too dirty to be any good for you, then after awhile, it gets as comfortable as sleeping on last month's pillowcase.

"Less time cleaning, more time sleeping!" That's my motto.

I rinse out my humidifier tank whenever I notice dog hair floating in it from my Shih Tzu I still don't know how the fur gets in there though!!...otherwise, I don't do much with cleaning all the equipment. I do wipe down my mask every night before bed as I get a better seal. I never have washed my hose...I just throw out and use a new one every few months. I have not had any more sinus or bronchial issues than what I normally get, so I figure all must be well
Cindy

The first two weeks or so, I washed and disinfected every part of the mask/hose/humidifier system every night. But after studying other peoples' habits, here is what I have settled down to:

Mask: Seal and nasal pillows (which come off mask as an assembly on the hybrid mask) get cleaned every day. I am using mild dish soap, and occasionally, Dawn when the silicone starts to whiten too much. I need to be this 'religious' about cleaning the seals because I make a lot of oil. The oil eventually ruins the face-seal by nights' end.

When I used the Quattro mask, I had to frequently clean the mask in the middle of the night to keep a reliable seal.

I wash the body of the mask with hot water only daily, because its easy to do while cleaning the seal. I wash it more thoroughly only if needed, which is not often.

Hose: I clean with dish soap and rinse once a week or so. Its been easier since I move3d to a six foot hose, but the data is suggesting that my therapy is not suffering from using a 12 foot hose, so I will probably go back to the longer hose.

Humidifier: I disassemble and rinse out daily. Even with distilled water and a good filter, the humidifier acts like a water filter, and picks up crud. So by rinsing one a day, there is no buildup. I also will wash the tank if needed.

Machine filters: Foam filter does not pick up much dust, even in the dusty area I live. (I rarely dust, and the house stays reasonably clean. The dust seems to only show up where the wind can get in.) It gets rinsed out once every ten days or so. So far, no sign of filter degradation. (We use similar filters in electronic equipment at the TV station.) No animal hair so fari, either cat hair, or hair I pick up from from the zoo critters next door. The fine filter has been changed once, after about 40 days. It showed little signs of picking up dust. But the filter is so fine that I am sure it was more clogged than it appeared.

The best tip I received here was from elader. Wash the face and wash the mask (using wipes is not as effective). This gets rid of facial oils and allows a nice vacuum seal for the mask. I have noticed significantly less leakage and a better night's sleep when I do this. Having said that, I am extremely lazy and often just wipe the mask and don't wash my face. I am just too tired at bedtime to do the above. Once a month I run very hot tap water through my hose and let it hang dry. Its doesn't dry completely but I use it anyway. I use only distilled water. I don't dump the unused water, I just refill the chamber each night. My humidifer is set at 2, so I use only about 40% of the fill line. Once a month or so I clean the humidifier water chamber.

For those of you using the Headrest mask, are you just popping off the rubber part and washing that?

And when you wash the hose, are you just putting a little soapy water into the hose and swishing it around, and then rinsing it out?

I'm just trying to be better about cleaning everything and setting up a schedule to stay on top of it all...