Cleaning CPAP Equipment

[chunkyfrog]

Respectfully, Conrad, you are confused--and rude.

[Conrad]

Respectfully, Conrad, you are confused--and rude.

I may be a bit rude, and I certainly am confused. That's why I'm seeking your enlightenment. Why not enlighten me and tell me what the hell you're talking about below and how any of that applies to what's being said in this thread.

"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."

I'll wait...

Respectfully, Chunky, you should not believe every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike. Think for yourself and just because a conspiracy theory aligns with what you want to believe, doesn't make it a fact. Use some common sense. I know that's a tall order but try anyway.

[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)

why?

also what is meant by "MILTONS"?

Why ? you ask..

Basic hygiene for items I wear against my skin on my face and breathe through for 7 hours plus per night.
Greasy mask...forget about it!!!!

MILTONS is a baby bottle and teat steriliser.
I treat these items similar to how I sanitise my brewing equipment. Unsanitised gear causes problems.

[zonker]

Why ? you ask..

Basic hygiene for items I wear against my skin on my face and breathe through for 7 hours plus per night.
Greasy mask...forget about it!!!!

MILTONS is a baby bottle and teat steriliser.
I treat these items similar to how I sanitise my brewing equipment. Unsanitised gear causes problems.

it's the very same air you breathe when not hooked up to your machine. why do you think something needs cleaning?

and i would hope you sanitize your brewing equipment. there's actual cooking going on there.

i agree on the mask. the most i do with that is a baby wipe each morning. i use a p10 nasal pillow mask, so not a lot of contact there. about 1x a year, i wash it (mask only, not hose) by hand with dish washing soap.

this has been my routine for 8 years now and nothing bad has happened. what i'm saying is, i think the level of cleaning you use is unnecessary and could cause damage.

good luck!

[Okie bipap]

As often stated here on this forum, we all clean to the leave we are comfortable with. If someone wants to clean things every day, that's fine. If they only monthly, that's fine, too. What ever level of cleanliness you are comfortable with is up to you.

[Fuzzy74]

Technician with VA who set me up strongly pushed only using BLUE dawn in warm water for cleaning, Mask daily, rest like head gear, hose, water resevoir weekly. Let soak for 20 minutes in soap with warm water.

For my Airmini and camping I bought some CPAP specific wipes from cpap.com. Packing up tent onto motorcycle every morning doesn’t leave time to wash and dry. Haven’t been camping with it yet so still in package. 25 day ride to Newfoundland from Tennessee and back in the works so will soon have a test.

[zonker]

For my Airmini and camping I bought some CPAP specific wipes from cpap.com.

just a suggestion-generic baby wipes do as well and are much cheaper.

[Dog Slobber]

Technician with VA who set me up strongly pushed only using BLUE dawn in warm water for cleaning, Mask daily, rest like head gear, hose, water resevoir weekly. Let soak for 20 minutes in soap with warm water.

Why is a technician with the VA an authority on the merits of cleaning with BLUE dawn?

[robbob2112]

I use the standard CPAP wipes daily on the mask for the facial oils and drool and the like.

I use CPAP wipes verse baby wipes because I read a study someplace that compared the MSDS for the baby wipes and cpap wipes then did the old petri dish test.... dish with germs... 1 wipe through with each them compare germ count... 2 wipes... etc... up to 5 .... The result was that the CPAP wipe generally eliminated the germs in 1 wipe and after 5 wipes of baby there were still a few germs in the dish. The upshot of the study was that the chemicals in the CPAP wipes are slightly stronger than the baby wipes. The summary was that baby wipes had to be weak because they touch a baby's skin and CPAP wipes were stronger because of who and where they are used. It made sense at the time and if you look you can find the CPAP wipes at a reasonable price and get a year supply for about $25.

I empty my tank daily and let it dry out. In my case I use RO/DI/UV water verse distilled but it comes to the same thing, zero PPM of minerals and sterile by the UV lamp. If you use tap water or other with any minerals in it you are better off emptying it daily and using vinegar when you can see the buildup.

IMO just topping off the water verse emptying it is asking for germs to grow in it. They enter through the air filter and pass through the water. I realize this is probably a minuscule but non-zero chance of this.

For the hose I put a few drops of dawn dish soap in the tub and swish it end to end or use a brush and then switch it maybe once a month.

For the air filter I change it when it looks dirty or once every few months. In pine pollen season that will be once a week. (I live in the mountains surrounded by pine trees and the pollen turns everything yellow for a
couple of weeks a year)

Once a month I do the 20 minute soak of all the head gear, straps, etc in HOT soapy water (dish soap) ... Once the straps dry they regain a lot of their elastisity. With use they stretch and don't return to the normal.