Best Cleaning Procedure

[jwoceanside]

Not sure I'm following proper machine and Mask cleaning procedure. Been soaking mask, tubing to the mask and water tank in mild soapy warm water for ten minutes., daily. Let it dry completely before re-installing

I have a ResMed Nasal 10

I clean the tubing to the water tank weekly with white vinegar. Not sure about head band?

Is it necessary to clean daily? Can become annoying

Thanks for any thoughts

[Wulfman...]

A little light reading for you...............

viewtopic.php?p=567264#p567264

For some of us, it didn't take long to realize that if you're using distilled water in the HH tank and clean/replace the intake filters at a reasonable interval, you don't need to scrub the other stuff all that much. In other words, most of us don't follow the "recommended" cleaning routine because the more you clean this stuff, the faster it wears out and needs to be replaced, which is more money in the DME's pockets. After all, you're only dealing with YOUR germs and the air in the bedroom in YOUR dwelling.


Den

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[Pugsy]

Is it necessary to clean daily? Can become annoying

No. Not necessary at all.
I started out doing a weekly cleaning of everything and that got real annoying real fast.
At most the only daily cleaning might be the nasal cushion removal of any facial oils or sweat if you are the type to have oily skin or sweat a lot and if that is needed a quick wipe down with a baby wipe type of some sort. Lots of people use them.

Me...my skin is dry and I don't sweat and I have never washed the hose...maybe wash the pillows once a month if I happen to think about it. Water chamber...maybe again once a month if I think about it. I usually use distilled water and I don't like the stink of vinegar and there's no real reason to use vinegar unless I am wanting to remove limescale build up and with distilled water I don't get any mineral build up.
And I don't think about this stuff very often.

Now if I have had a cold or something...then I will make an extra effort to clean snot or stuff off my mask.

Do whatever and whenever cleaning seems to suit your own particular tastes and needs....but once a week is more than enough.

Daily cleaning...just opens up for more wear and tear and dropping and breaking stuff....and then the DME who recommends the daily cleaning gets to make more money because you tore up something and they get to sell you a new something.
I dropped 2 water chambers in less than 6 months...and got to get 2 new ones...so now I don't think about cleaning them very often for sure.

[ChicagoGranny]

Is it necessary to clean daily? Can become annoying

Once per week, my mask gets washed. Never clean the hose. 8 years - no problems.

[palerider]

Is it necessary to clean daily? Can become annoying

Once per week, my mask gets washed. Never clean the hose. 8 years - no problems.

That's how I did it when I used a full face... part of the Sunday routine.

No soaking though, anything that doesn't come off with a bit of warm water and unscented dish soap isn't coming off with a soak

[Gaius]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it? Are you using the humidifier? Doesn't it ever get gamy?

I'm breathing in 8-10oz of distilled water a night, so after 3wks or so it begins to smell. That's when I clean the hose (soapy water/alcohol mix). And the hose is heated and the machine continues to blow air for about 30min or so after I turn it off to dry the hose out. I also replace the hose every 3-4 months. Each night I use an antibacterial hand/face wipe to clean the mask and cushion. It still ends up smelling bad at some point. I considered a SoClean machine until I found out it uses ozone to kill germs. Call me crazy, but I'm not keen to pump my respiratory equipment, or my bedroom, with a toxic, noxious gas.

Until something better comes along I will continue with this ritual that I hate.

[palerider]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it? Are you using the humidifier? Doesn't it ever get gamy?

Yes you are, sometimes, and no it never has. I've had the same 10 foot hose for about 4 or five years now.

[Gaius]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it? Are you using the humidifier? Doesn't it ever get gamy?

Yes you are, sometimes, and no it never has. I've had the same 10 foot hose for about 4 or five years now.

Wow!

[Wulfman...]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it? Are you using the humidifier? Doesn't it ever get gamy?

I'm breathing in 8-10oz of distilled water a night, so after 3wks or so it begins to smell. That's when I clean the hose (soapy water/alcohol mix). And the hose is heated and the machine continues to blow air for about 30min or so after I turn it off to dry the hose out. I also replace the hose every 3-4 months. Each night I use an antibacterial hand/face wipe to clean the mask and cushion. It still ends up smelling bad at some point. I considered a SoClean machine until I found out it uses ozone to kill germs. Call me crazy, but I'm not keen to pump my respiratory equipment, or my bedroom, with a toxic, noxious gas.

Until something better comes along I will continue with this ritual that I hate.

Hi "Crazy".

Categorically........
Yes. You understand that correctly. (in my case, about 14 years) Every few years I fill mine with hot water to check for leaks and since there are none, I keep using it.
Yes. Using the humidifier in "passover" (cool, no heat) mode. Always have. And, have (almost) always used distilled water.
No. Has never had any odor.

Some years back, I started dumping and rinsing the tank with hot water when I opened a new gallon of distilled. (about every 2 1/2 months). In nearly 14 years, I've only taken my HH tank apart to scrub it (with Dawn and a soft sponge) about three times. Most of that was after it had been used with tap water and a slight residue buildup accumulated on the sides.
There is NOTHING besides water vapor that can be carried out of the HH tank because water molecules are too small to carry anything (including pathogens).

I faithfully rinse out my foam air intake filter twice a month to keep any dust from getting into my machine.

PS. I would NEVER buy a SoClean machine, either.


Den

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[loggerhead12]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it? Are you using the humidifier? Doesn't it ever get gamy?

Yup, you understand correctly. I cleaned it all per the instructions, once, after the first night. Since then I haven't cleaned any part of it, ever again. My lack of routine makes Pugsy's seem like pre-surgical scrubbing by comparison. No smell at all, or else my wife would complain.

[babydinosnoreless]

I am new to this so things might change but I wash my cushion every couple of days by swishing it around in warm water with a little dawn dish soap and I wash my hose every couple of weeks the same way. I use distilled water so I take my humidifer out and just let it completely air dry once a week.

Sometimes when cleaning the mask I will put just a little tiny bit of mouthwash (less than a cap full in a full sink of the warm water to make it minty fresh. Lol

[zonker]

Am I to understand that some of you have been using the same hose for years and have never cleaned it?
<snip>
Until something better comes along I will continue with this ritual that I hate.

yup. have been a hosehead for 3 and one half years. cleaned my hose once. and that's all.

and you should continue with the ritual. it's your machine and your taste. myself, i'm a slob. i'm lazy. and i'm cheap. so i'm going to continue with my ritual.

to each their own, i say.

also, i'm very happy to hear you haven't been sucked into the soclean scam.

now, i'll stand back and wait for the soclean defenders to post their usual stuff!

[zonker]

I have a ResMed Nasal 10

jw? when you get the chance, would you please go to the control panel and fill in your equipment? once you do so, your equipment will appear in the bottom of each of your posts, as min does below.

thank you kindly!

[Pugsy]

I have never had anything smell the least little bit off except for the one night the dog farted and he was on the bed pillow with his butt pointing towards the machine and the aroma got sucked in. Ewwwww.....that's what I get for giving him some table food as a treat.

Pugsy's seem like pre-surgical scrubbing by comparison.

OMG...had to chuckle that someone was even less of a cleaning person than I am...I thought for sure I was probably the laziest/worst out there. Most people won't need a major sterilization cleaning no matter how often or not so often.
Now if I had some sort of auto immune compromised system for some reason....I would make more of an effort but if that were the case I would make more effort in all aspects of my daily life.

But if someone wants to go to inordinate lengths to clean or sterilize stuff...it's their business...their time and their money and not my job to dictate how often they clean their toilets or brush their teeth or clean their cpap stuff.

[Chris8243]

Over time it seems I clean less and less. When I'm home I don't bother cleaning daily anything besides the mask. I do wash the headgear maybe once a week, less probably, with soap & water.

Used to use Dawn dish soap on the mask every morning, per the DME. At my last sleep doctor visit he told me to just use a baby wipe. Way easier and hey, it's "doctor's orders." This is also "proof" that the DME wants you to clean & wear out your stuff so they can sell you new stuff.