Face grease

I know we talk alot about cleaning, but is there a good way to make the silicone of your cushion like new again? I have very greasy skin and within a couple of days my cushion is so coated that it doesnt stick and leaks. This is despite daily warm water cleaning. Is there a particular soap or product that will help keep it sticky and new?

The manufacturer of my mask recommends a 15-1 mix of warm water and antiseptic mouth wash for mask cleaning with a maximum immersion time of 10 minutes followed by a thorough rinse in warm water. That should be safe for your mask.

BTW, avoid any product containing alcohol.

With a high level of facial oil, you should adopt a regimen of carefully cleaning your face just before bed time. A mild soap such as Johnson's Baby Shampoo might be a good choice.

The use of a mask liner may also be helpful in keeping skin oils off of your mask.

I use Dawn dish soap and so do a lot of other forum members. Remember the ad, it's tough on grease.

BOILING!!! Works great for Quattro Cushions. They come out like new.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95665&p=889667&hili ... ng#p889667

Vinegar mixed in with hot water for first soak followed by a soak in hot water with a cap of J&J baby shampoo.

-tino

Thanks all. I have both Dawn dish soap and JJ baby shampoo so I'll give those a try.

Boiling- is there a method for doing this safely? I would be worried about deforming the cushion.

Mask liners- such a thing exists???

Pad-A-Cheek and Quietus Liners are two companies.
See also Remzzz from our hosts.
There are others.

Padacheek multiple use liners...months and months of use from just one
http://www.padacheek.com/PAC_Maskliners.html

Remzzzs liners...designed for single use but some people get more than 1 night
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/remzzz ... iners.html full face
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/remzzz ... iners.html nasal
This forum member works for Remzzs and if you will contact her she will send you a sample package to try, just tell her which one you want
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=62662

I have never seen a manufacturer's recommendation for the use of dish detergents on CPAP masks.
All I've seen is for mild soap.

alpha752 wrote:Thanks all. I have both Dawn dish soap and JJ baby shampoo so I'll give those a try.

Boiling- is there a method for doing this safely? I would be worried about deforming the cushion.

Mask liners- such a thing exists???

Boiling has been discussed many times on this board. I put some distilled waster in a small sauce pan along with a tsp, baking soda. When the water is near boiling carefully place the cushion in the pan. I found that boiling for 2-3 minutes was plenty. The foam that is formed may be from the oils on the mask. Carefully remove the cushion from the pot and rinse. (I rinse in tap water). Let the cushion air dry. It will be crystal clear and will fit like new. I have been rotating the same 2 cushions for about 15 months. Try it on one of your old cushions to satisfy yourself that it works.

I find Palmolive "Pure + Clear" works well.

http://www.colgate.com/app/Palmolive/US ... ingLiquids

It is listed as having "No unnecessary chemicals". It does have a very light fragrance - but does not stay on the mask for long. I've also seen Joy recommended (by the VA clinic) but it has more fragrances in it. I agree that Dawn has better oil removing qualities (surfactants) but also contains more fragrances in my opinion.

I used to soak the silicone pad from my Mirage Quattro/ Amara Gel masks for an extended period with the Palmolive. But found it just lets the facial oils redeposit as the detergent solution cools.

So now I rinse the mask in warm water first to get any oil loosened then drop it in a small stainless steel bowl with the Palmolive and a little warmer water. I then rub the outer and inner surfaces so no facial oils stay on that will encourage leaks.

Then I rinse again with warm water and put on a clean paper towel to air dry. Seems to work best for me.
The silicone is free of oil and is "grabby" where the outer and inner silicone surfaces meet so it won't slide so easily and leak (my pressure is 15)

I've bought the Pure+Clear at both Walmart and Target. Price for a small bottle is less than $2.00. Lasts a long time. Large bottles about $3.60

Target (Up+up brand) baby wipes. The blue label ones have no fragrance and no alcohol. Wipe down nightly the parts that touch skin.

Do a complete wash every week. Boil as necessary.

I use baby shampoo on my Quattro FX every morning. Then a hot wash cloth on my face before bed.

Every now and then I will boil the cushion with the baking soda to make it look new. Note if you skimp on the baking soda it does not remove the cloudiness - which I assume is shampoo residue.

Most of us have found a routine that works for us. But what works for me might not work for you.

I wipe our masks & seals down daily with the Target (Up&Up) Baby Wipes (sensitive). On mine, I also spray with Contour Products CPAP Mask Cleaner before the baby wipe (my husband's mask leaks with the spray, mine doesn't). So, he gets just the baby wipe daily.

Once a week, I soak everything in Baby Shampoo (I use Lavender because we both like the scent). I let everything soak for 15-20 minutes, then rinse well in tap water. I used to use Dawn Direct Foam, which was great at getting rid of the grease, but a lot of people said they were concerned about it being too harsh. I used Palmolive originally, but had a horrible problem with leaks. I was advised by an RT that they don't recommend Palmolive because they tend to have lotions that leave a film on masks. There may be certain Palmolives that don't have the lotion, but I couldn't say one way or the other.

For me, I clean my face nightly with a high-end moistened facial cloth (I use Olay Regenerist), then give my face a good dousing with a toner (again Olay). No moisturizers at night. I save all my moisturizing for during the day.

My husband takes a shower in the evening, but beyond that, he doesn't do anything special for his face.

I have extremely oily skin, especially on my nose area. I hardly ever even clean the pillows. At first I was very good about washing my face and pillows. I check my leaks and hardly have any. Maybe the oils make a seal for the Pilairo?