Learned a Lesson From Cleaning Tube

[Ashlization85]

So I've been using my machine for about a week now and cleaned my mask and tube. Well the mask was clean and dried by the time I needed to go to bed, but my tube had a few water drops inside it. I thought to myself "it's ok it's dry enough!" or so I thought.

at about 4 maybe 5am I woke up ripped the mask right off my face gasping and coughing from one of the water drops!

Lesson learned

[Julie]

Why would you clean the hose more than once a year if at all - it's a one-way system of room air (that you otherwise breathe all day) that's been filtered on top of that.

[flyingwithoutwings]

Why would you clean the hose more than once a year if at all - it's a one-way system of room air (that you otherwise breathe all day) that's been filtered on top of that.

DME instructions to me were to wash short hose daily, long hose weekly. In the beginning I did. Now, not so much.

[Tatooed Lady]

I've cleaned my tubes also...why? Why not? New tubes might have particles of plastic from manufacturing. A new machine might blow stuff through the tube. Maybe the person is bored with the monotony and wants a new hobby, and cleaning PAP equipment fits the bill.
Personally, I would rather err on the side of caution and clean more often than necessary. I also, however, have several backup hoses, as I travel a lot and can't be without replacement pieces on the road. This also works well, as there is always a dry hose somewhere nearby.

[ChicagoGranny]

Why would you clean the hose more than once a year if at all - it's a one-way system of room air (that you otherwise breathe all day) that's been filtered on top of that.

Yes.


My husband's theory is, "You are more likely to contaminate a hose by cleaning it than by leaving it alone."

We don't wash our hoses and just replace them about once per year. He had one he must have used for five years without cleaning.

[Julie]

Had mine for years (maybe longer than Wulfman/Den has ) and both of us are still around to tell you it's not necessary to do anything (including replacing it for no reason).

[chunkyfrog]

First two weeks, washed hose and mask every morning.
Week 3 to week 16 (about): washed mask daily, hose weekly.
Since then; wipe mask with baby wipes, wash hose only when I think it smells odd.
All that washing gets old fast, but do what keeps you happy.

[Denial Dave]

I've been using my climate line hose for almost 2 years now.... I cleaned it when I opened the package to remove dust, etc... and have never cleaned it since then.

My one & only occurance of rain-out was from over-filling the tank and going to bed. I proceded to inhale droplets of water into the tube. LOL

Had mine for years (maybe longer than Wulfman/Den has ) and both of us are still around to tell you it's not necessary to do anything (including replacing it for no reason).

[archangle]

If you got a burst of water out of the hose after an hour of usage, the water was probably "rainout," not water from when you washed it. Rainout is what we call it when the moist air from the humidifier condenses and collects inside the hose.

It takes quite a bit of water in the hose to make a big problem. If you just hold it vertically and pour out any water in the hose, the drops won't matter once you turn on the machine. It's usually only when you get a lot of condensation pooled up that you have a problem. It can make funny noises and if you move, you might get a big slug of water as the hose drains out into the mask.

If it's just droplets, it tends to just blow droplets out the mask.

I too, am somewhat worried about soap residue in the hose. One thing you can do is slip the end of the hose over your kitchen faucet and run hot water through it.

[Tatooed Lady]

All that washing gets old fast, but do what keeps you happy.

+1

It's frustrating to see people tell newbies (like me) that it's wrong to wash hoses, masks, etc based on the schedule the DME or doctor gave out when we were overloaded with new problems, equipment and info, suggesting because what they ("experienced" users) do is the only way to do it "right". Probably more helpful to suggest cleaners to avoid because they damage materials, or suggest what has worked well for you, whether products or schedules. I doubt initial panic over keeping these clean is uncommon...this is MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, after all. And that brings words like "sterilized" and "biohazard" to mind.

I have spare stuff. I wash my hoses and soak masks and hoses in vinegar/water solution if I think about it early enough in the day so they have time to dry well. In MY situation and in my head, it's the RIGHT way to do things. YMMV.

*hopping off my soapbox*

[BlackSpinner]

All that washing gets old fast, but do what keeps you happy.

+1

It's frustrating to see people tell newbies (like me) that it's wrong to wash hoses, masks, etc based on the schedule the DME or doctor gave out when we were overloaded with new problems, equipment and info, suggesting because what they ("experienced" users) do is the only way to do it "right". Probably more helpful to suggest cleaners to avoid because they damage materials, or suggest what has worked well for you, whether products or schedules. I doubt initial panic over keeping these clean is uncommon...this is MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, after all. And that brings words like "sterilized" and "biohazard" to mind.

I have spare stuff. I wash my hoses and soak masks and hoses in vinegar/water solution if I think about it early enough in the day so they have time to dry well. In MY situation and in my head, it's the RIGHT way to do things. YMMV.

*hopping off my soapbox*

If you are keeping it in the truck then yes wash frequently.
People have not said it is wrong to wash your hose often, they have said "We don't bother and we are still ok, do what you want" Some people get great satisfaction in cleaning, both my ex's seemed to think it was a religious experience, me not so much. One of my friends stopped using his cpap machine because "washing it every day " was too "demanding". It would have been better if he had skipped washing it and used it instead.

[englandsf]

There is a happy medium - mask/seal every day - headset, humidifier tank and frame/tube every week - wash hose and vinegar wash tank every month. I spin the hose a few times to expel water. hang it vertically and run the pressure test through it a couple of times. Does take most of the day to dry though.

[palerider]

So I've been using my machine for about a week now and cleaned my mask and tube. Well the mask was clean and dried by the time I needed to go to bed, but my tube had a few water drops inside it. I thought to myself "it's ok it's dry enough!" or so I thought.

at about 4 maybe 5am I woke up ripped the mask right off my face gasping and coughing from one of the water drops!

Lesson learned

any residual moisture (those few drops, etc) would almost certainly have dried out very quickly when you first turned on the machine, you likely got some condensation from the humidifier.

though to dry it quick next time, just hook it up and turn on the flow generator for a few minutes

[palerider]

All that washing gets old fast, but do what keeps you happy.

+1
this is MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, after all. And that brings words like "sterilized" and "biohazard" to mind.

I see your point about it being medical equipment, but, it's in a different class than the sterilized stuff... ie, you serilize stuff so you don't introduce external bacteria and other baddies into your insides that aren't used to dealing with the outside world, like when you get cuts and scrapes or surgery, and the normal protection is breached.

your lungs are used to dealing with the outside world, as is your GI tract...

that doesn't mean, of course, you should abuse things, but it doesn't require the same level of caution.

eg don't eat raw chicken because of the likelyhood of harmful bacteria... but you don't sterilize your food... if you get my vague drift.

[ems]

We see these how to clean your "stuff" all the time. Personally, I'm in the blue moon group using baby wipes on the mask every other night or so - this after being a crazed clean freak in the beginning.

We should have a stickie that says: To Clean or Not Clean - so that new people can refer to that thread.