Cleaning CPAP Equipment

[scottphillips915]

Good afternoon,
Does anyone recommend a particular CPAP cleaning device over hand washing? There are so many different cleaners out there it is really difficult to discern if any are worth the money or not.

Thanks!
Scott.

[MikeekiM]

I'll give you the answer that I got when I asked a similar question when I first started...

"Clean? You must be a noobie!"

LOL... Okay, on a serious note, I clean my equipment once a week using just dish soap and warm water. I wash the cushions and top off my water tank daily.

A friend of mine has a daughter who has been on CPAP since early childhood, and they dump all of her CPAP parts in a bucket of water/vinegar every week.

I do not know anyone (personally) who has purchased any special equipment to clean their CPAP machine or parts.

[Pugsy]

No. We don't recommend any of those machines and in fact some manufacturers will void your warranty if you use one.
See this
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer- ... a-approved

Use soap and water if you feel you must clean something because it is dirty.
When all else fails and you just have to clean....follow manufacturer's directions.

Those fancy gadgets don't clean away snot, dirt, grime, facial oils, etc. They maybe (if you believe their ads) nuke it so the germs get killed but the dirt and other stuff is still there.

[scottphillips915]

Thank you both for the information! I really appreciate you both taking the time to reply.

Have a great day.
Scott.

[MikeekiM]

I've been doing a little Googling and searching on this site on this cleaning topic (going down the rabbit hole so to speak) and it sounds like a lot of folks are saying that the more you handle/wash your CPAP/APAP supplies, the faster they wear out and need replacing. That seems to make some sense.

I aggressively wash my cushion every morning with dish soap to eliminate facial oils and now I am re-assessing whether I should just gently wipe the cushion with an alcohol wipe. I hate creating unnecessary waste, but one could argue that running water and dish soap aren't also wasting resources.

Gently wiping my cushions with a wipe may prolong the life of them.

I am also swapping between two different masks these days (not a cleaning issue, but somewhat relevant to my response/post). By switching masks regularly, I notice the it is a LOT easier to get them on and off of the rubber tipped end of the tube. In fact, it's starting to feel "loose" (but in fact, should hold the connection in place just fine). I think I need to settle on a mask so that I don't put so much wear on the tube connector.

[ozij]

I aggressively wash my cushion every morning with dish soap to eliminate facial oils and now I am re-assessing whether I should just gently wipe the cushion with an alcohol wipe. I hate creating unnecessary waste, but one could argue that running water and dish soap aren't also wasting resources.

Gently wiping my cushions with a wipe may prolong the life of them.

I vaguely remember mask instructions saying not to use alcohol - check yours.
ResMed recommends "mild or hypoallergenic soap or baby shampoo" for their F30. That's been a rarther standard recommendation through the years.

[MikeekiM]

Yeah, I was thinking about that. I was also considering baby wipes or flushable personal wipes.

And by the way, I know that this has been discussed in previous threads, and I did search and got some guidance there as well. But since this fresh posting gave me the opportunity to mention it...I decided to mention it. Thanks for putting up with the redundant conversation!

[zonker]

I aggressively wash my cushion every morning with dish soap to eliminate facial oils and now I am re-assessing whether I should just gently wipe the cushion with an alcohol wipe. I hate creating unnecessary waste, but one could argue that running water and dish soap aren't also wasting resources.

Gently wiping my cushions with a wipe may prolong the life of them.

I vaguely remember mask instructions saying not to use alcohol - check yours.
ResMed recommends "mild or hypoallergenic soap or baby shampoo" for their F30. That's been a rarther standard recommendation through the years.

i use a generic baby wipe on my p10 every morning and also on my nose. i tear the baby wipe in two so that it stretches even further.

[chunkyfrog]

Life is short.
Cleanliness is reasonable, but mostly when rational.
(As opposed to "godly"--that's a dirty lie)
Try not to be unduly influenced by desperate (greedy) salesmen.
Especially those willing to invent scripture for profit.

[Conrad]

Life is short.
Cleanliness is reasonable, but mostly when rational.
(As opposed to "godly"--that's a dirty lie)
Try not to be unduly influenced by desperate (greedy) salesmen.
Especially those willing to invent scripture for profit.

Perhaps I missed it but exactly where in this thread did anyone mention something about a salesman attempting to influence anyone? And where did said salesman invent scripture for profit?

Are you reading the same thread as the rest of the folks here?

[chunkyfrog]

You just don't see the whole picture.
Put together the incessant propaganda we've been fed since birth,
along with the imagery in ads (soap commercials/visual manipulation)
Not all lies are SPOKEN.
But it is all intentional; and uses our biases against us.
Marketing is a science--with no conscience.

[Craig H]

Once or twice a week I will rinse mask, tank and head gear under cold tap, simple wash in a mild detergent and then soak in a baby bottle cleaning solution for 10 minutes. (MILTONS)

Air dry and ..sleep on...

I drain the tank every morning and let it air dry on the towel rail (heated)

[zonker]

Once or twice a week I will rinse mask, tank and head gear under cold tap, simple wash in a mild detergent and then soak in a baby bottle cleaning solution for 10 minutes. (MILTONS)

Air dry and ..sleep on...

I drain the tank every morning and let it air dry on the towel rail (heated)

why?

also what is meant by "MILTONS"?

[Conrad]

You just don't see the whole picture.
Put together the incessant propaganda we've been fed since birth,
along with the imagery in ads (soap commercials/visual manipulation)
Not all lies are SPOKEN.
But it is all intentional; and uses our biases against us.
Marketing is a science--with no conscience.

We've been fed incessant propaganda since birth? Do we need to go on a diet? It seems that some people have been gorging themselves, while others, not so much.

Perhaps you're in need of a new tinfoil hat, or an adjustment to the hat you're currently wearing. Maybe even a whole-body suit, just to make sure...

Or maybe you need to do as we did and have a metal roof installed on your house. Keeps the aliens and the government from reading my mind, from above at least.

You'll still need to wear that tinfoil hat if they try to read your mind from a different angle instead of from directly above. Be ready!

[MikeekiM]

Once or twice a week I will rinse mask, tank and head gear under cold tap, simple wash in a mild detergent and then soak in a baby bottle cleaning solution for 10 minutes. (MILTONS)

Air dry and ..sleep on...

I drain the tank every morning and let it air dry on the towel rail (heated)

why?

also what is meant by "MILTONS"?

I don't know about other makes/models, but I just checked the AirSense 11 manual and they do recommend daily emptying, drying and filling of the humidifier tank. I don't do that though. I just top it off each morning. But I do wash it once a week or so.