PLEASE HELP! can't get vinegar smell out

For those that use baby shampoo (I switched to it after the posts saying that Dawn detergent might break down the silicone seal).

I found Johnson's Baby Shampoo in a Lavender scent. It's VERY mildly scented and both my husband and I find it refreshing that first night after our weekly washing of everything.

I was okay with the regular scented baby shampoo, but I really like the lavender a lot.

I will soak mine in 3 to 1 water and vinegar for at least 15 minutes (frequently I'll forget for an hour or two) then hand wash in baby shampoo, leave to dry for the day. I have a spare set of everything, so will just put the next set on my machine and put the freshly washed set in the drawer. I have never had a vinegar smell aftrerwards........I only wash my hose every couple of months as its covered with a hose cosy and kept hooked up to the machine, I have a little hose sock I made out of a mesh "delicates" bag I keep on the open end of the hose when not in use. (helps to let air in the hose to keep it dry and keeps the little crawly critters out )

Could it be better to use citric acid to descale and clean the chamber? If any scent lingers, it's a much more plesant one

Fortunatly my water is so soft that mild dishwashing fluid is more than enough to clean my chamber.

If you use your machine to dry your hose, don't forget to put a towel under it. I agree with madalot, I love the scent of baby shampoo. I'll have to give the lavender scented one a try. Has anyone tried stringing a lint free towel through the hose to dry it faster?

Vinegar smell, always reminds me of dyeing Easter eggs.

When I do my thorough cleaning of the equipment (usually on a two week schedule), I always use the vinegar first, and then use baby shampoo last. I also enjoy the smell of the baby shampoo (like some of the other posters) that remains on the cleaned equipment for that first post-cleaning use! Maybe I have just been lucky, but I have never had the smell of the vinegar left on the equipment after cleaning with the baby shampoo. I do use a good squirt of baby shampoo in the large bowl I clean my equipment in, so perhaps the smell is stronger because of that and it over powers any residual vinegar smell).

Since I currently only have the one 8 ft hose (my preferred length for my set-up; sure wish my DME would provide this size so I would not have to buy out of pocket ), I let the hose dry until using it that evening. One tip I heard here to possibly speed up your drying time (for those of you who are not using multiple hoses with the added convenience of extended drying times), before hanging the hose up to dry take the hose (outside only ) and hold it by one end and swing really fast (like you would do to swing a rope to 'lasso' something) and then switch hose ends and do it again. It is surprising how much H2O/moisture comes out of the hose. I find that most times the hose is completely dry by the time I hook it up to the machine that night (though, I do realize it depends on your current temperature and humidity where you are).

John

Pap365 wrote:If you use your machine to dry your hose, don't forget to put a towel under it. I agree with madalot, I love the scent of baby shampoo. I'll have to give the lavender scented one a try. Has anyone tried stringing a lint free towel through the hose to dry it faster?

We use two sets of hoses & filters, allowing one to air dry for a week. We have 3 hoses (2 machine hoses and one humidifier hose). We hang the wet ones over a door in our bedroom/bathroom area and leave them. On wash day, we grab the dry ones and put them on the machines when the dirty ones are taken off for their "bath" --

The only thing that we dry and reuse immediately are the masks.

2 B Sleeping Soundly wrote:Since I currently only have the one 8 ft hose (my preferred length for my set-up; sure wish my DME would provide this size so I would not have to buy out of pocket ), I let the hose dry until using it that evening. One tip I heard here to possibly speed up your drying time (for those of you who are not using multiple hoses with the added convenience of extended drying times), before hanging the hose up to dry take the hose (outside only ) and hold it by one end and swing really fast (like you would do to swing a rope to 'lasso' something) and then switch hose ends and do it again. It is surprising how much H2O/moisture comes out of the hose. I find that most times the hose is completely dry by the time I hook it up to the machine that night (though, I do realize it depends on your current temperature and humidity where you are).

John

John...when i first start this journey I tried to dry my hose that way........in my living room....now have a nice gouge in the wall for everyone to see Too bad it wasn't my hose with the soft connector...had to be the one with the hard connector of course. Never dried either hose that way again.................
Nan

nanwilson wrote:

2 B Sleeping Soundly wrote:Since I currently only have the one 8 ft hose (my preferred length for my set-up; sure wish my DME would provide this size so I would not have to buy out of pocket ), I let the hose dry until using it that evening. One tip I heard here to possibly speed up your drying time (for those of you who are not using multiple hoses with the added convenience of extended drying times), before hanging the hose up to dry take the hose (outside only ) and hold it by one end and swing really fast (like you would do to swing a rope to 'lasso' something) and then switch hose ends and do it again. It is surprising how much H2O/moisture comes out of the hose. I find that most times the hose is completely dry by the time I hook it up to the machine that night (though, I do realize it depends on your current temperature and humidity where you are).

John

John...when i first start this journey I tried to dry my hose that way........in my living room....now have a nice gouge in the wall for everyone to see Too bad it wasn't my hose with the soft connector...had to be the one with the hard connector of course. Never dried either hose that way again.................
Nan

Nan,

I actually had a mishap as well while drying the hose that way, but instead of hitting a wall in my living room, I hit, well... 'down south of the border' and my face went for a minute or so. Let's just say I am a lot more careful these days when I dry my hose

John

that's hilarious john
will have to try that next time!!

For what it's worth (probably not much)...I have not cleaned my hose in 3 years, because it passes the same air I would have breathed without it. I use the cheapest baby wipes available to "clean" my full face mask seal every 3 to 5 days. I urge you all not to lose too much very precious sleep on breathing cleaner air than your cat or dog does. I don't have an opinion on humidifier cleanliness, as I discovered that I did as well without it as I did with it (better, actually). I just want to say that if you don't like the vinegar smell...Well, don't use it!

Try a dishwasher on everything but any foam or cloth parts.

Rinse thoroughly, then put the hose on the kitchen faucet and run lots of hot water through it.

For me...I am quite satisfied with a hot as I can stand soapy wash and rinse for my gear when I get in a mood to clean it.
Nasal pillows maybe once a week brief wash and rinse in my hands or maybe a quick soak in really hot water.
When I first started therapy I had a much more rigid cleaning schedule....didn't take long for that to get old real fast.

LOL as that is exactly what I do.

49er

Twirling seems like something less gentle than some hoses might need.
I don't trust anyone to make them very durable.

chunkyfrog wrote:Twirling seems like something less gentle than some hoses might need.
I don't trust anyone to make them very durable.

Hey, at this stage of my life, twirling of the PAP hose seems to be the only entertainment skill I have left... well, at least my dog thinks so and I value her opinion very much .