Affordable CPAP Cleaner

Hello all, I am thinking about buying one of those CPAP cleaners. I don't have a lot of money to spend and I have some questions. I have read all those reviews but I would rather hear from folks on this forum. First, do they really work? Second, I see them priced from $40 to over $300. I would rather stay on the lower side of the pricing if possible. I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Hello all, I am thinking about buying one of those CPAP cleaners. I don't have a lot of money to spend and I have some questions. I have read all those reviews but I would rather hear from folks on this forum. First, do they really work? Second, I see them priced from $40 to over $300. I would rather stay on the lower side of the pricing if possible. I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

Let me be the first to advise you to pass. I don't have much time, but I'm sure someone else will be along shortly to expand on exactly why you should just save your money and pass on one of those.

They're not necessary.

Get a bottle of Dawn instead.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

This is a problem in thought process that these sanitizers take advantage.

This is where sanitizer users can all chip in and state something along the lines of, "I use a xxxxxxxx device and I hardly get sick". The thing is almost every CPAP user can say the same thing. Add to that, what role did the sanitizer play.

What's more important is: How many non-sanitizer users get sick from their CPAP machine. A show of hard around here will demonstrate that very few use a sanitizer and we're not getting any kind of respiratory illnesses at a rate greater than sanitizer users, not the general population.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=176205

From what I can tell, the "Cleaners" are a gimmick that play on the fears of germa-phobes...

My biggest issue when it came to cleaning my own equipment was "Drying it" when I was living in a heavy mold environment. You should be able to see by inspecting your mask and looking closely at any nooks and crannies were debris, facial oils, other gunk can build up. Make sure there isn't any black stuff growing there. If so clean it with good old dawn dish soap and warm water.



Your going to hear people tell you, they never clean their stuff, people who haven't cleaned a CPAP hose in "YEARS!!!" Then your going to hear about people who clean all the time. The reality is somewhere in the middle - based on where you live and your environment.

I say environment based on first hand experience, as I've lived with both situations.

My former home, my bedroom was on a shaded side of the house, with a very large tree brushing up against the house. Lots and lots of mold was always growing on the outside of our house near my bedroom window, and our windows were old and didn't seal very well. "I had to clean weekly or I would have mold growing in my mask" Even then it was weekly, not every day...

My current home, my bedroom is upstairs, we have no mold issues and I can go months with out doing anything other then wiping my mask with a baby wipe if it gets grungy, there is no mold buildup and I have no issues or major worries about cleaning.

The "So-Clean" is a waste,

There is a CPAP "Dryer" that is a bit expensive but it actually does what it is supposed to, and does it well.

But all in all, your better off buying a bottle of dawn and let that be your cpap cleaning device.

As to how often you should clean... That ultimately is up to you. You need to be observant, examine your equipment for signs of unpleasantness and clean accordingly.

Don't feel as though you have to wash stuff, per some magic schedule, if it doesn't appear to need cleaning, it most likely doesn't.

Best of luck,

Gryphon

The inside of the machine not only doesn't need cleaning, sanitizing or anything else, neither do your hoses unless you actually see something in them that doesn't belong, and using ozone (So Clean) is actually bad for your resp. system - the company's being sued right now for fraud... don't go down with that ship!

The only microbes, bacteria, germs, anything in the (closed) machine are ones in your house... or are you planning on santizing that too? Just replace the filters when necessary.

Clean your mask when you think it needs it, not necessarily daily or even wkly depending on how it looks and feels... doing so daily can deteriorate the silicone.

Use e.g. Dawn liquid or plain baby wipes to do it. And leave the machine alone!

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Hello all, I am thinking about buying one of those CPAP cleaners. I don't have a lot of money to spend and I have some questions. I have read all those reviews but I would rather hear from folks on this forum. First, do they really work? Second, I see them priced from $40 to over $300. I would rather stay on the lower side of the pricing if possible. I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

please read this excellent post by chicago granny-

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=176205&p=1311194&hi ... n#p1311194

My vote for Affordable CPAP Cleaner is 'cleaning vinegar'. Kroger sells it for about $0.79 per quart.

Add about one cup to a gallon of water.

Submerge your hose, mask, and water tank in the solution for an hour or two then rinse and allow to dry.

Non-toxic, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, it removes hard water deposits, leaves no residue and your gear comes out shiny.

In other news, the vinegar solution will remove that corpse-like smell from your running shoes.

However, I strongly recommend that you not soak your trainers and your CPAP gear together

Cleaning vinegar is white vinegar with 6% acidity. Regular white distilled vinegar is 5% acidity.

Regular white distilled vinegar cleans just as well as cleaning vinegar. It's usually cheaper (check your store's price per ounce) and can also be used for human consumption. Some cleaning vinegars say not for human consumption.

I use Dawn for my mask. The hose never gets washed.

Zomby Woof wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:29 pm

In other news, the vinegar solution will remove that corpse-like smell from your running shoes.

um, where exactly do you run?

zonker wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:56 pm

Zomby Woof wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:29 pm

In other news, the vinegar solution will remove that corpse-like smell from your running shoes.

um, where exactly do you run?

I can see that my Username might lead you astray, zombies being actual corpses and all.

Actually it isn't where I run that causes a problem so much as how I run.

I use FiveFinger minimal running shoes, and no socks.
Even keeping my feet as clean as possible, the smell from skin cells sloughed off and
trapped in the soles will eventually stun a buzzard.

White vinegar soaking returns them to a neutral scent that lasts a very long time.

Additional Homemaking Tip: white vinegar soaks will brighten colors in running shoes and most fabrics.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Hello all, I am thinking about buying one of those CPAP cleaners. I don't have a lot of money to spend and I have some questions. I have read all those reviews but I would rather hear from folks on this forum. First, do they really work? Second, I see them priced from $40 to over $300. I would rather stay on the lower side of the pricing if possible. I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

5 Gallon Bucket, some dish soap, and a hose.

Diotima wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:27 pm

5 Gallon Bucket, some dish soap, and a hose.

we're talking cpap, not your car.

zonker wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:53 pm

Diotima wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:27 pm

5 Gallon Bucket, some dish soap, and a hose.

we're talking cpap, not your car.

Not for me I just rinse mine outside with a hose LOL... if its sunny I hang in sunroom.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

First, do they really work?

No, they don't, and they're *NOT RECOMMENDED* by any manufacturer.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Second, I see them priced from $40 to over $300. I would rather stay on the lower side of the pricing if possible.

How about zero? zero is the best price to pay for one of those things.
They're marketed by companies that prey on the fears of ignorant people, people that don't know any better.

scrollinggrandpa wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

I would appreciate any inputs from people who have them and how well they work for them.

Most people that have been suckered into buying one will tell you that they work great, because otherwise, they're admitting they wasted 300$ on a pile of junk that's demonstrably bad for their health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5611769/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716664/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236866

viewtopic/t157842/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... 9#p1210375
https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-you-n ... in-4171650
viewtopic/t175986/NoClean-sued-for-fals ... ising.html

Remember, the sellers of "ScareKleen" only want to make money.
Soap and water has almost IDENTICAL effectiveness in killing microbes,
and removes soil to boot--something their product does not do,
as conceded in their OWN documentation ---AFTER purchase!
"Congratulations! You just blew $300 bucks, and you STILL have to wash your equipment."