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I live in a moister area with lots of mold and mildew available..."wash" the hoses (and washable mask parts and humidifier tank, too). Also have a CPAP dryer that blows air at a particular temperature through the 6' hose and dries it out after washing. I'm another one that only uses distilled water in the humidifier tank, and empty the tank every morning so that it is dry for most of the day, and then I put in enough water for the night in the evening. The hose and nasal pillows are dried out every day by the S9 when it does its gentle air flow after use in the morning.

Works for me. I have found visible mold/mildew on the top pieces of the openable humidifier tank that I use, so part of my washing is to use a soft brush on the tank parts to take care of that problem.

I love living by the ocean, but it does have tradeoffs *smile*. The stuff that I do takes little time, but it makes me feel better about what I'm breathing through for 1/3 of my life (if all goes well *smile*).

I have two hoses and I wash one of them as you do and I hang it to dry for 2 weeks in the laundry room. Then I wash the other one and repeat. I don't go inside the hose with anything. I replace one every 3 months (per Medicare allowance). See below the type of hose that I use. NO CLIMATE LINE.

I do the same with the humidifier chambers. Using two and let one dry for a week. No bacteria grow on dry items. This is the wooden butcher block rule.

All great advice and thank you.
I rewashed the hoses and up them straight up and down and it worked!!

Thanks TODZO! That was it and you nailed it!
I really loved all your responses and it was appreciated. I also have a climate line that I do love but hooking up the oxegyn is a tad different.

I wish the hell someone would make/create and sell a different connector that goes out he back but then "stands up" (the plastic connector)
anyway, I am now looking into all the "comfort" items that one can purchase.

Thanks once again...hose problem was corrected.

Attach your hose and turn on your machine...It will be dry in 10 minutes!

Your therapist didn't tell you this?

Raphaella wrote:Hyperlexis, could not agree with you more-cleanliness is very important.

I agree that cleanliness is important.

But cleaning things that are not dirty does not improve cleanliness.

Whatever kind of cleaner you use, hook the hose up to the kitchen faucet and run hot tap water through it for a minute or so when finished. Wash out whatever soap or cleaner residue is in the tube. My hose fits over the end of the faucet, but I had to change the aerator on the end of faucet.

Distilled water probably isn't necessary. You're going to be drinking tap water anyway, or eating with utensils washed in it. Distilled water is good in the humidifier because as the water evaporates, whatever crud is in the water gets concentrated as the water evaporates. If you do want to use distilled, you could use it after a hot water sink rinse.

If you use the CPAP to dry the hose, empty the water tank and turn off the heat first.

I have my old CPAP that I use just for hose drying.

I agree drying isn't very helpful unless you have more than one hose and let the dried hose sit unused and dry for a week or so.

Hear is a link to some informative reading on killing mold that I thought you might find interesting. Bleach (while it can work) may not be the best choice for trying to kill mold. You might read up a little more on the Grapefruit Seed Extract as it has several beneficial uses. Also the Tea Tree Oil, Hydrogen Peroxide, Vinegar and Baking Soda will do the job as well and a lot safer to use.

http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html

jdm2857 wrote:

Raphaella wrote:Hyperlexis, could not agree with you more-cleanliness is very important.

I agree that cleanliness is important.

But cleaning things that are not dirty does not improve cleanliness.

My toilet looks clean, but I wouldn't want to serve dinner on it.

Take an unwashed hose down to a lab, have them swab out the inside and do a culture and then report back on how "clean" that hose actually is.

Just because something looks clean to the naked eye, doesn't mean it actually is. Esp some skanky hose left unwashed to 'preserve' it longer than a year..... Preserve an $8 piece of plastic, hmmmm.....

woodworkerjunkie wrote:Hear is a link to some informative reading on killing mold that I thought you might find interesting. Bleach (while it can work) may not be the best choice for trying to kill mold. You might read up a little more on the Grapefruit Seed Extract as it has several beneficial uses. Also the Tea Tree Oil, Hydrogen Peroxide, Vinegar and Baking Soda will do the job as well and a lot safer to use.

http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html

It would be interesting to know if washing in highly concentrated salt water would be better for the plastic, but still kill off any harmful organisms? The manufacturers generally say no bleach. Otherwise one may have to consider the medical grade disinfectants used in sleep labs? It has to be tough living in more tropical areas prone to mildew if it starts building up in the wet CPAP gear.

I have had my c-pap machine for 4 years and have only replaced the hose once. Just because....I do change the masks because they tend to loose their seal and always use the highest humidity. I change the filters when they are dirty. So,I never have washed the hoses. Why? They never appear to be wet. I have a lower immunity due to RA and I rarely get any kind of upper respiratory infections. I worked in a medical field where we used similar hoses and only changed them for a new patient. Can't see wasting the money and adding to the landfill.

I would no more want to dry out my hose than I would my trachea.
Moist is good.