Cleaning Mask, Hose and Humidifier

[janeysmom]

I would like to hear how others clean their masks and hose. Also I want to hear also how often you clean your mask, hose and humidifier. Right now I clean them in soapy dishwater once per week. This was at the suggestion of my RT. I think by hearing how others have done it, the newbies can start caring well for their machines early on!

Thanks! Katie

[6PtStar]

I don't do a lot of cleaning. I clean my hose about every 6 months using Johnsons Baby Shampo and water. I do use 2 hoses at a time and alternate each night while I hang the other one to dry. I use distilled water in my humidifier and top it off every other day. I will dump the water and rinse it monthly. Maybe every 2 or 3 months I will wash it with Johnsons Baby Shampo and water. My mask I will wipe with Citris wipes every morning. I will wash it in the Johnsons Baby Shampoo once a month and do a Vineger and water (3 to 1) every 2 months. I do wash the sponge filter every week and change the fine white filter once a month.

JMHO not much will grow in distilled water and air is all that goes through the hose.

Jerry

[JoyD.]

Hi Janeysmom,

If you do a search on "cleaning" you should have a LOT to read This is one of the common questions when one begins CPAP.

I'm probably not the only one who has done an "about face" since the early days on CPAP therapy. At first I cleaned/washed EVERYTHING religiously . . . I was a microbiologist at one time in my life so that was par for the course

Now, after a year, what do I do? Each morning I wash my nasal pillow in my hand under running warm water & a little Ivory liquid. I change the white disposable filter monthly, and try to wash my grey foam filter every couple weeks (that way, my white filters don't get as dirty). Oh yes, I wash my humidifier maybe once every 3 or 4 months. THAT"S IT . I keep a larger size sports water bottle with push in spout filled with distilled water to "top off" the the level in the humidifier each night.

I use a Heated Hose (from Australia - very popular with folks on this forum), and hang my hose from a ceiling plant hanger (the hose never gets washed). If any moisture is in it (which I doubt since the humidifier is always set at "1") it will just drain back down into the humidifier (the machine & integrated humidifier sits on a low stool next to my bed).

With this set up, not much maintenance is necessary. So, I'd advise doing what you are comfortable with in the beginning and then see what time brings. Use common sense, and make it convenient because compliance using CPAP daily is your goal!

Best wishes,
Joy

[aroche]

Joy,
thanks for that information. I just had a discussion with my new RT (I switched to a new DME thanks to the info I found on here) and she told me that the manufacturer wanted the system cleaned daily, and the V+W done weekly. I travel almost every week, and it is a pain to have to clean the tank, hose, and pillow every morning before leaving for the client site, much less just before you pack everything to get on a flight.

I always clean the pillow since I found that I get worse leakage when I don't clean daily but the hose is hung up in the morning to dry/air, and I just dump the water tank. I use distilled water so there is no mineral issues, but I haven't hit it with V+W yet, although I plan to do it monthly.

With regard to distilled water and germs, as I understand it they are not killed by using distilled water, and the heat from the humidifier can encourage growth.

[SleepyT]

My cleaning routine has changed since I started CPAP as well. I used to clean with Ivory liquid soap and then soak everything (mask, hose) in a 1:3 vinegar to water bath. I probably did all that twice a week.

Currently I still use the Ivory liquid...but it is actually cheaper to use the Control 3 disinfectant (from cpap.com) instead of vinegar......and I feel better knowing the Control 3 will kill all manner of viruses, bacteria, etc. And after reading posts here....I no longer use distilled water....but filtered water from the refrigerator. So far so good! Any kinds of fungus that might build up from using that water is negated by the Control 3.......so I THINK I may be saving a few pennies by letting the vinegar and distilled water purchases go.

[bearded_two]

I don't use a humidifier and I never, or almost never, clean my mask or hose. I wash the foam air filter about once a month and change the white filter if it isn't white any more. My machine never gets dirty. I keep my machine in a drawer so it doesn't get dusty and I use the auto on and off so I only have to touch it when I clean and check the filters.

[Patrick A]

I clean my machine when we go out in the RV (we go lot of places with horses and dust). I change the White Filter every Saturday morning. I clean the Grey Filter every other week with Dr, Bonners Magic Soap. I let it sit and dry and put my other filter in. When I get new filters from DME I replace the oldest one and put in the new.

[Komodo]

Looks like I'm the SLOB of the Forum?

I only wash my mask every 7 - 10 days. In the bathroom sink, using whatever hand soap in in there at the time.

The hose, and tank......every 2 months??? For them I use liquid dish soap. At that time, I ALSO clean the humidifier cover. I take the rubber seal off the cover and give it a good cleaning especially where it sits on the cover.

[JohnBFisher]

Join the club, Komodo. Cleaning? What's that. It's occassional for me. After almost 20 years you would think I would drop dead from lack of cleaninig if you listended to folks here. If you have a healthy immune system, periodic cleaning is all that should be needed.

[jmelby]

I wash my mask cushion (including forehead piece) daily with warm water and liquid hand soap... frankly it would be gross if I didn't--it gets oily every night even though I use an astringent on my face before bed. I don't understand how many people on this forum who claim to wash a lot less regularly can even stand putting it against their face.

Weekly, I wash my full mask and disinfect the humidifier chamber and hose with a vinegar water solution. I'm of the mindset that it may not look dirty, but that microbes are forming on this stuff all of the time--and as mentioned by others, using distilled water does not mean they won't grow--that has more to do with mineral build-up.

[Paul56]

Humidifier tank = I used distilled water and it never gets cleaned unless I need to dump the water to make the machine portable.

Hose = never gets cleaned

Mask = Face cushions get cleaned daily. Mask frame gets cleaned about once/week or longer if I don't remember.

[ozij]

Join the club, Komodo. Cleaning? What's that. It's occassional for me. After almost 20 years you would think I would drop dead from lack of cleaninig if you listended to folks here. If you have a healthy immune system, periodic cleaning is all that should be needed.

John, I clean my mask seal, and my face daily because that improves the seal. I didn't start out like that. But I discovered that a daily clean with Dr. Bonner liquid soap improves both the sealability and the longeivity of the seal.

O.

[ilenedreams]

One drop of Johnson's Baby Shampoo will clean out the mask. another drop in some clean water for the hose, another drop for the water container....EVERY MORNING.

No need to soak. Takes about 5 minutes or less, no soaking, just get soapy bubbles and rinse clean. Hang up hose to dry, cover mask and tank pieces with a towel to dry without dust from my heater/furnace getting on things.

Leaving water in the tank will be a breeding ground for molds, etc. Not advised. I can't believe you guys aren't cleaning your stash.

Also, I read and was told that dish detergent will age the rubber parts and not advised at all.

Can't get more gentle than Johnson's Baby Shampoo. (Well... depends on who you're talking about now, doesn't it?!)

[Komodo]

Join the club, Komodo. Cleaning? What's that. It's occassional for me. After almost 20 years you would think I would drop dead from lack of cleaninig if you listended to folks here. If you have a healthy immune system, periodic cleaning is all that should be needed.

John, I clean my mask seal, and my face daily because that improves the seal. I didn't start out like that. But I discovered that a daily clean with Dr. Bonner liquid soap improves both the sealability and the longeivity of the seal.

O.

Funny thing...........I find that I get a BETTER SEAL when my mask is slightly dirty. After cleaning my mask, it takes two days before I get the "best" seal. It'll stay that way for a few days, THEN it starts to "slip" a little with the facial oils, and it's time to wash it again.

[Fred D]

Clean??? You mean there's stuff you're supposed to clean?