How often do people replace their cushions?

no_more_headaches wrote:So I know what the insurance schedule is to replace my cushion.......

It looks like at some folks have responded based on masks which do not have a cushion, so the survey is probably shot.

Anyway, I replace the cushion on my F&P HC 405 every 6 months.

Cheers,

Bill

I had to replace cushions/pillows as often as I could get them when I washed them every day (ResMed)
Now that I have slacked off (big time), and been using my Respironics mask instead, maybe 6 months to a cushion.
I don't know if it's the manufacturer or the (absence of) handling, or both, but that's how it works for me.

I used to replace mine on a regular basis about once a month. I got away from that and then realized the reason I was having more leaks and sleeping less with the mask was because the cushion was worn out. One night I woke up or should I say was awakened by my mask. I tried to adjust it and took it off and hung it up. After laying there for a minute I thought to myself no, I bet it's the cushion. I got up put a new cushion on and went to bed and slept great.

Their are some who can go what seems like forever with the same old cushion and some need new cushions on a regular basis.

archangle wrote:

Perrybucsdad wrote:I will take one off, clean it good, and place it in a zip lock bag and then use the other for a week.

It might be better to put them in a cloth or paper bag or paper towel and sit them somewhere clean and dry. A plastic bag might keep them a little more damp and dryness should help keep germs from growing on them.

Well, they are fully dry when I put them in there, but I also have two descants in the bad as well for added protection.

I only get about 2-3 weeks before mine start leaking. Because we could see the correlation between older pillows and greater leaks, my doctor said to replace them more frequently. Unfortunately, my DME takes forever to get them to me. I bought some off the Internet just to have extras.

I've tried washing them every day, not washing them every day, using Ayr, not using Ayr, avoiding face cream at night, and using the wipes someone mentioned from CVS. Nothing helps. The only thing I haven't tried is rotating them, so I will try that next.

I guess everything is different when you have to pay for things yourself. I have had my Resmed Mirage softgel nasal mask for 5 months now and not showing any problems. I am expecting it will last a year. I do wash it with plain soap every morning though.

replace the cushion when the tacky feel goes away. And the pillows when I start getting leaks at my nose.

I've only replaced my ComfortGel cushions when they get gooey or when i get a new mask. The older style ComfortGel masks had a bad design where the place the clip attaches would break, so I used to replace the whole mask once a year or so.

The CG cushions would eventually get darker and gooey on me and I'd replace them. This was probably between 6 months and a year. The newer CG Blue cushions seem to be a little more durable, but we'll see. Letting them sit unused for a week between washes seems to help a little, but, of course, this means they're only being used half the time.

The flaps sometimes crack in the hard plastic part that attaches to the frame. I will occasionally get a torn flap.

I haven't noticed increased leaks as the flap or cushion ages.

I rotate through two complete masks and wash one set each week in the dishwasher. I let the just cleaned mask dry out and sit unused for a week. I probably get two years on the two masks, so I guess that means 1 year per mask.