Have you been able to remove smoke odour from a CPAP?

For many of you its smoking odors, but for me it is man-made "scents", perfumes, colognes, air fresheners, various cleanser products, etc. I dread getting in an elevator, too many people seem to take a bath in their cologne! I'd die if I had to sit thru a high mass at Christmas, Easter, etc. All that flapping smelly steam or smoke .... arggggghhhhh! I didn't make it thru the one and only one I went to!!! I'd be very careful of using ANY scented products to try to clean that smoke smell out. You may end up trading one problem for another.

I have come across two products: Vamoose and Chlorine Dioxide. Here is the response from the Vamoose folks and my original inquiry:

Original Message to Vamoose:

I recently purchased a used CPAP machine that had 18 hours of time on the clock. Unfortunately, I had to purchase a used one to save money. End result? The CPAP machine has cigarette smoke odour.

So, many of us have been on a quest to find a product or means for a solution and have come across YOU!

My question to you is simply this... will your product Vamoose (unscented) interact with and remove the cigarette smoke odour from my CPAP machine and in doing so do you know if it will leave any OTHER residue or residuals that I would not wish to breathe?

I have two options here (one or both):

1. Spray Vamoose into the air intake of the CPAP and let it do its job; then run the CPAP with nothing on the output for a day or two straight to get rid of anything remaining; or
2. Disassemble the CPAP machine and spray the motor, the motor plastic tub/housing and any foam dampening material along with the case itself with Vamoose and then wipe everything down the next day with a simple Citris disinfectant cleaning wipe to remove the remainder.

After which I would reattach a new output hose and mask and humidifier permitting the CPAP machine to blow plain room air into my nose and lungs WITHOUT THE STINK OF CIGARETTE ODOR to prevent my sleep apnea.

Have you had any experience with CPAP machines or the like; does Vamoose have or produce andy chemicals that I would not want to breathe in directly? Will it rid the stink? This would most assuredly be a huge breakthrough for hundreds if not thousands of CPAP and oxygen concentrator users in North America. I look forward with great anticipation to your response.

Sincerely,

Murray Lampert
Richmond Hill, Ontario/ Buffalo, NY

Here is the response from the folks at Vamoose:

Hello Murray:

Vamoose will work to eliminate the cigarette odor and can be sued as you describe. It may take both options to eliminate the odor completely. We do sell product to companies that rent or lease a variety of breathing machines which may come back smelling like cigarette smoke. The process that's been described to me is almost word for word what you plan to do. It is important to let the product work for twenty-four hours, then rinse off thoroughly with warm water and allow to air dry; repeat if necessary. Just to be safe, before using the machine, make sure that there is no evidence of any product remaining in the breathing apparatus, then use for a short period of time in order to detect any chemical smell before using during overnight periods.

Best regards,
Stephen
512-784-4024


I am wondering if it would be appropriate at this point to ask him for a reference to a CPAP supplier/rental firm before actually going ahead and trying the stuff. Suggestions? I will post the response from the Chlorine Dioxide folks when received.

Has anyone tried this product already?

Chlorine Dioxide is a very powerful chlorine compound that is used for disinfection, including municipal water supplies. It wouldn't leave anything toxic behind if it is rinsed thoroughly -- and you can smell it if it isn't rinsed thoroughly. If there is any lingering chlorine odor, it can be removed with a solution of sodium thiosulfate, which can be purchased as liquid aquarium dechlorinator at any pet shop.

bearded_two wrote:Chlorine Dioxide is a very powerful chlorine compound that is used for disinfection, including municipal water supplies. It wouldn't leave anything toxic behind if it is rinsed thoroughly -- and you can smell it if it isn't rinsed thoroughly. If there is any lingering chlorine odor, it can be removed with a solution of sodium thiosulfate, which can be purchased as liquid aquarium dechlorinator at any pet shop.

I would be grateful if you could take a peek at their website at
http://www.biocidesystems.com

and have a look at the description of how their product actually works. They are suggesting that their product will eat up the odours and then dissipate in the air I think. I would like to find out and have already asked for a hazardous material information sheet from them as well as a reference.

I am thinking I am going to get a sample from both outfits, try them out and then report back. The way I see it - the odours are caused by nicotine and tar residues on surfaces and the more porous the surface the more difficult the removal process. The ResMed motor looks like it would be almost impossible to get at with a brush and solvent/soap in any event without ruining it; it is a two stage blower motor apparently (to keep things as quiet as possible) with many fine crevices.

I keep asking myself how I managed to buy a used machine with only 18 hours on it from a non smoking home and missed that it had cigarette smoke odour. Doh. The small print. Always read the small print.

Hey this may turn into a business opportunity for me. Cleaning smokey machines.

Go figure.

Oh great bearded one.... one more question I beg:

They also suggest using their product in used cars that have been owned by smokers - I believe you leave the bucket in the car for a period of time and then remove it and air the car out. There are a bunch of testimonials on the website as to how well the product worked.... one from a fellow who bought his dream car and didn't want to return it because it took five years to find... or he drove it around smokey for five years despite having the seats recovered, the carpet replaced, etc., and their product removed the stink in one weekend. I presume that the fellow should still be alive or they would have pulled the testimonial.

Jeez. I am such a worry wort. Anyone want to buy a ResMed S8 Autoset II with 4i humidifier cheap? I'll just go out and buy a new one. Odourless. This is a great deal for smokers! Hello? Calling all smokers. Good deal here. I will even throw in a ResMed card reader (I have a spare) with software.

So... oh yes.... the question. You seem to be chemically inclined so my question is, assuming that I do all of this and then remove the final residue with that aquarium stuff, avoid growing gills, is there anything terribly harmful left to make me shrivel?

What I don't undestand is if someone is as allergic/ can not stand the odor of cigarettes why in the world would you purchase a machine or any supplies for that matter from an auction site. I know you said it was to save money -- but yet you have bid on multiple machines so if money was a factor it would appear to me that you wouldn't be bidding on multiple machines for this very reason.

Awhile back I was watching an Autoset II from a seller named sammyc that had very low hours on it. He stated that the machine was from a non-smoking household but the machine did have a smell of cigarettes. I emailed him about it and he was very forthcoming with the requested information I needed in order to make an informed decision to bid.

I know if the smoke bothered me that bad I wouldn't take a chance on buying used, especially from an auction site where I couldn't look and smell the unit.

I maybe interested if it is cheap. I wouldn't worry about the smoke odor as I said hubby smokes.

If you are serious shoot me a p.m. with the price.

I had the same thing happen with an apap I purchased through an auction. I used febreze. But it take 3 treatments for smoke.

That product looks interesting, and could work. The patent they use is for a "Device for producing an aqueous chlorine dioxide solution" and describes something that reacts liquid water with two substances to produce a solution of chlorine dioxide in water. Chlorine dioxide has to be in the presence of water vapor in order for it to "work" as an oxidizer, so it has all of the needed parts. Their ad copy is very heavy on testimonials and the wonders of chlorine dioxide, but it is a bit vague about how it actually works; there is a step missing between generating an aqueous chlorine dioxide solution (which I gleaned form their patent application) and producing a chlorine dioxide vapor. They do have an EPA registration, so it appears that that it actually does produce something that requires registration, probably chlorine dioxide vapor.

I would try it if the price is reasonable.

I have a friend in the Filtration industry that says he is working on impregnating carbons in various filters and asked me if I had issues with smoke, perfume or other type odors while using my CPAP. I said I did not personally but would ask around. is this something that would be beneficial to anyone - basically it would be an ultra fine filter marketed as an odor guard ultra fine - the carbon would be encapsulated and bonded to the ultra fine which would filter out a large amount of odorous particles. Please let me know.

I would think since CPAPs are a medical device and this filter would be used in the CPAP that there is a strong possibility that the filter would have to go thru the FDA approval process - which "ain't" cheap by any means. It might be worth checking into to make sure one has the wherewithall to do so or the backing to support submitting to the approval process should it be necessary. I wish your friend good luck and success!

The least invasive method is Titrator's. A Sharper Image Ionic Breeze is a useful tool for this kind of endeavor. Just remove and toss the filter. Point the breeze at your machine's intake for a few hours and presto - clean smelling machine. Remember to put on a new set of filters when you're finished.

Chlorine products are hell on plastics and cause deterioration and outgassing of things like BPA. This is probably NOT a good idea, regardless of whether it gets rid of the smell, you're only hastening the degradation of the plastics in your machine. They aren't made to take that kind of punishment.

The Simple Green might work if you don't have access to an ionizer, or any similar nontoxic biodegradable anionic surfactant. Try to find one with no smell, as Slinky suggests.

I happen to have a friend who has an ionizer and must may try it, but not for cigarette smoke. For the smell of the detergents I have been using to clean the darned thing.

As a matter of interest, sammyc suggested the unit I bought had only 8 hours on it so I figured 'how bad could the cigarette smell be?'. There was none. What he must have been smelling was the smell of new plastic. I got lucky.

On the other hand I am unable to find an odourless cleaner asides from the Green II wipes that I use to clean the mask every morning. I still wash the whole shebang (mask, tank, hose) every weekend and the remaining smell lingers for two days. This week we tried leaving it running for the evening and that didn't make a lick of difference.

I think I may try that ionizer and fresh air and let the machine run for a few hours to see what happens. And if I can find a smokey machine I may try tearing it down and using the ionizer on it as well. It is almost impossible to get the smokey out of the foam parts though so the motor housing is going to have to get replaced on any smokey machines that use them.

Will keep you posted.... this is indeed an issue that needs resolving. The least little smell of smoke and I would not be able to use the machine at all.

For odorless cleaning, you might want to try a 50:50 white vinegar/water followed by rinsing with a baking soda and water solution, then rinse in plain water.

I recently bought a used Autoset II that was advertised as having 23 hours from a smoking household. They also disclosed that there was an odor of smoke. I was of the same mind in terms of "how bad could it be?" Well it was pretty noticeable and bad enough that I wanted to do something about it. I did have some degree of success.

What I did was, put the unit in a closed space. I used a large storage tub that I could close up. I put a bowl of baking soda in the tub as well as some ground up charcoal in some additional bowls. I placed a small fan to circulate the air inside the tub. I then left the CPAP running for about 10 hours with no mask or hose connected.

Doing this I was able to get the odor to what I consider an acceptable level. I'm now using the machine full time and if I really think about it I can detect a slight odor of smoke, but for me it's not bad enough that it's any kind of problem.

This would be worth a shot if you want to try to save a few bucks, but for some it might be a bit too much work.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.