CPAPtalk.com

Moondawg wrote:I guess it's a habit I developed in another life. I take care of my stuff. So I clean my hose, humidifier chamber, and FFM every day. Yep, every day. Clean the little sponge filter once a week, disinfect the hose with 1P vinegar 3P water every week.

Also make the bed every day, polish my shoes at least once a week, fold my underwear & T shirts, roll my socks and change my engine oil every three thousand miles. Yes, I am married. It's just how I roll.

Ya gotta let go of rolling the socks man! A friend and I were at a laundry mat and I showed her how everything had to be rolled in the military, and told her how we bought "big underwear" because it could be rolled to display standards, but we didn't wear it. What was the point in that again?

STL Mark wrote:I need to do better at cleaning my items more often.

Agree, same here.

When I do clean my mask & hose though, I've never noticed any visual mold, mildew, or grime otherwise but am sure that doesn't justify skipping weeks without cleaning.

I'm 3+ months in and have yet to clean my humidifier. I use strictly distilled water and the tank looks like new. I average topping it off about every 3rd night.

I have cleaned the foam (larger) filter I think twice by running it under warm/hot water then squeezing it out and letting it air dry.

I have not cleaned or replaced the (smaller) white flat filter and just the other day on inspection, I noticed it is starting to get a dark (blackish) area in the center of it. Time to replace it I wonder?

I clean my mask, hose and humidifier tank weekly and wipe down with an antiseptic wipe made for breathing equipment daily to get the gunk off it all. In actual fact, I not only clean with soapy water and rinse (odorless soap) but I also soak in Control III antiseptic at the same time to disinfect. It is cheap and works well.

Further revelation is that I only clean my masks and hoses about once a month. I have 5 of my mask and 5 hoses and rotate through them weekly. I actually clean when I get the urge but maintaining a rotation of 5 makes life a lot simpler for me and when purchased online... the 5 masks cost only about the same as 2 masks purchased from a DME.

I use the Quattro full face mask and have just replaced the pillows (flexible rubber stuff) for the first time since starting this adventure three years ago.

Cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to your lungs. Trust me.

My humidifier chamber starts to smell moldy within a couple days so that's how often I clean it. I never clean the hose, but I don't use the humidifier much so the hose rarely gets wet. I'm mostly using it as an unheated passover. I have to clean the mask daily due to facial oils getting on it otherwise it won't stick to my face and will leak all night. I clean the filters in the machine when I remember, which is rarely. I should do that more often since it's so dusty in here.

nobody wrote:My humidifier chamber starts to smell moldy within a couple days so that's how often I clean it. I never clean the hose, but I don't use the humidifier much so the hose rarely gets wet. I'm mostly using it as an unheated passover. I have to clean the mask daily due to facial oils getting on it otherwise it won't stick to my face and will leak all night. I clean the filters in the machine when I remember, which is rarely. I should do that more often since it's so dusty in here.

I too need to practice better hygiene when it comes to the hose and mask. I am a nurse and I know what lurks inside hoses and masks. Remember viruses and bacteria are invisible. No need to see mold or gunk before you clean.

During an illness you continue to re-breathe some of the bacteria/virus and the particles can also cling to the material, even when it is dry (cold and flu season), I use a solution of 10% bleach and water, or chlorhexidine if I have it. Warm/hot water, dish soap (yes I use Dawn because it has triclosan which is an anti-bacterial) or you can use baby shampoo, anything to cut the oils and 1:10 ratio of bleach to water. Soak 20-30 minutes, rinse, hang to dry, or if your in a rush to go to bed you can use a hair dryer on low warm to dry the hose and the inside of the mask/headgear. Also, stay away from isopropyl alcohol, sometimes the alcohol can penetrate the material and give off fumes causing irritation or allergic reaction in the airways.

Yes, I know what the manufacturer recommends, they are trying to protect the silicone, I'm trying to protect my health and yours.

Also distilled water is only aseptic (sterile) while it's inside the original sealed container. Once it is poured into a humidifier it is no longer sterile, so be cautious about leaving the water over a long period of time, especially if ill. Also, soak the humidifier container in same disinfecting solution. No one wants to risk a lung or sinus infection due to lack of hygiene.

If not using distilled water, using only tap water PLEASE! at least boil the water, cover and let cool, or place tap water in a clear glass jar w/lid and leave in the sun during the day. UV kills everything. The development of bacterial infections may cause Legionnaires’ disease. Respiratory care devices such as humidifiers and nebulizers used with contaminated tap water may contain Legionella. Using sterile water is very important, especially when using respiratory care devices.

It takes only one mistake by our municipal water systems to create havoc in our community. Don't be a statistic.

Happy breathing!

Honestly, I think your post is over the top and actually kinda fear mongering. There is no need for all that unless you have some sort of compromised immune system or are sick or something. I have been using the CPAP every night for nearly 5 years and have yet to get any infections from it. I clean the humidifier with a soft toothbrush and dr. bronner's soap every couple days. I used to do it a lot less but pink slime got in there. Still didn't get any infection from that, but it was gross so now I clean it more often to keep that from happening. I wash the mask with the same soap. I don't do any bleaching or any of that other stuff. I don't even take the mask apart. I just wash the cushion and rinse the inside of the mask with hot water then dry with a clean towel and go to bed. I get a new cushion about every 6 months and an entire new mask every year. I use filtered tap water in the humidifier and have been doing so for...a while. It works out just fine for me.

By the way, the silicone is important to the function of the mask, so it is important to protect it.

Merely my opinion and suggestions mixed in with facts...it's one of those "take or leave it" scenarios. Whatever works for you is great! Keep doing it. The main thing is that we all keep breathing...right?

ciao

loquascious wrote:Also distilled water is only aseptic (sterile) while it's inside the original sealed container.

Distilled water isn't even aseptic or sterile in the container, because the equipment used to process it is not designed to keep it sterile. That's assuming you buy "grocery store" distilled water, not pharmaceutical grade "sterile" distilled water.

However, in the container or in the water tank, certain nutrients are very low, so germs can't multiply much in distilled water. In particular there's very little usable nitrogen compounds to make protein from, plus very little food.