My cpap machine smells like the last place it was used

Hi I know cleaning and smells is talked about a lot but couldn't find someone who had the exact same problem I travel a lot and last night I stayed at a b&b last resort as had to get off the road and didn't have time to be picky but the b&b owner must have a lot of cats as it stank to high heaven of cat urine now it seems the smell has been permeated into my machine I have removed and cleaned all the usual parts but the smell still remains and seems to be coming from inside the main unit can anyone tell me how I might remove this foul odor thanks in advance

Can't answer your question, but please go to Yelp and paste your post into a review. Disgusting B&B.

replace the filter and clean the humidifier tank, hose and mask with a vinegar/water solution

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:02 am

Can't answer your question, but please go to Yelp and paste your post into a review. Disgusting B&B.

First thing I did absolutely disgusting I wouldn't have even stayed there but it was 2am I was completely burnt out and didn't think I would find anywhere else open

Aretino wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:36 am

replace the filter and clean the humidifier tank, hose and mask with a vinegar/water solution

I changed the filter pad and cleaned all the hoses with a water and vinegar solution I don't use the humidifier I have turned the machine on with nothing attached and can still smell it coming out the side is there anything inside the main body of the machine that would hold the smell?

Aceb32 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:21 am

is there anything inside the main body of the machine that would hold the smell?

Possibly, the insulating foam. I wouldn't try to clean or tamper with the foam.

Give it a few days. The brain has powerful smell memory, especially with traumatic or unpleasant smells, and that sort of thing can be activated by lying down and the application of pressure to the sinuses, if that was when the odor was most noticeable before. (Oversimplification alert.)

Using the machine awhile afterward can help erase that memory. But if you continue to try to ascertain whether the smell is there, you are likely to continue to smell it as you remember that room. It isn't an insult to say that a smell can sometimes be in your head, because just like all senses, it is. So trying to ignore it can make the memory-perception go away with time.

It can be similar to how a constant odor in a room will eventually vanish to our brain over time, which may be why the proprietor may have no idea the smell is even there.

My daughter's house in Vegas has a certain pleasant cleaning product flower type sent. I notice it in my a-pap after I get home. It usually goes away after 1 or 2 nights.

The same happened here. I had one of my CPAP machines in a rental for over a year. Got it back home and the smell of the rental is in the machine and does not want to leave. I had to rigorously treat the rental for bad smells for two weeks before I moved in. I left a few years back and brought the smell of the place home with me in the CPAP machine. I wonder what ResMed would have to say about that if they would answer questions. My DME has no idea why odor clings to a CPAP machine.

I can see the air filter easily harboring smells in the dust it holds. And some masks have some porous parts. But other than that, I'm not sure what would hold the smell long-term, myself. The foam sound insulation seems unlikely to me, but maybe so, I don't know. Although, I understand that some users seem to be able to smell tobacco smoke in a machine forever that has ever been in a smoker's home even briefly.

That happened to me many years ago. I slept over a friends house that smelled of smoke and she had a lot of animals. It was odiferous. I could not get the smell out of my machine. It must be something inside that absorbs it.

Mine holds the odor of the last thing cooked, but it goes away soon after the first blast of air. Put on my mask one night last week and got unpleasantly surprised to find the lingering smell of our dog that had been sleeping a couple feet away while nursing odiferous digestive distress. Snatched that mask off soooo fast! After spending the night in a home with a scent I couldn't appreciate, the next night at home I'd use a few drops of a citrusy essential oil on a cotton pad behind the air intake. Maybe this is weird, but the lingering smell of vinegar after cleaning the tank is refreshing to me. Just seems to clear the air. I've even used vinegar behind the air intake. Hope you find something that works for you.

I suspect that things can get into the machines and linger. My experience;

I have used CPAP since diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in Dec 2009, (and joined CPAPtalk and learned a lot back in 2010) I have been able to use it and know how to clean and maintain the equipment, and I NEED the equipment as I’m exhausted if I don’t use it, my initial diagnoses stated I quit breathing 81 times an hour without it and my titration rates have varied from 14-16. Prior to this month, I have never missed using the therapy more than 14 days in total over the last 14 years.

I've been fighting a sinus infection since Dec 20 that has been getting progressively worse. Changed hoses and masks twice using up my years supply and started antibiotics on Jan 6th. It got worse where I've coughed up and blown huge green chunks of phlegm out of my sinus cavities every morning and then subsided later during the day, so I'm sure it was my CPAP machine that was reinfecting me every night. So I quit using the infected (broken) CPAP on Jan 13 during the first round of antibiotics. The earliest appointment with the CPA respiratory therapist I could get is Feb 23. My PCP advised me to go back to the ER if my condition didn’t improve and I did. They gave me a second round of antibiotics, afterwards I went to the CPAP clinic to see if I could get squeezed in or try to get into a canceled appointment, but at that time only Mar 6 was available and they could not address my problem, the check in staff stated they would request the respiratory therapist to call when they were able, but I never received a call. My PCP stated they would try help me get into the CPAP clinic. I'm exhausted without my CPAP.

I finally contacted the patient advocate via instant messaging on the 22nd and the response I received was that the respiratory therapist would order replacement supplies and “have a nice day.”

The next day I called the patient advocate again and they agreed that I needed more help as I needed a new machine. They also found that my PCP had requested a consult for me for a new CPAP. The response today from the very same therapist was that my machine has not been on since the 13th (I'm tracking you!) but I must not be cleaning my hoses enough and the machine could not possibly be infected. I've been using and cleaning a CPAP for over 14 years and I have never had a sinus infection as bad as this one.

My latest response was as follows;

Please look how long I've been using my CPAP. I've been fighting a sinus infection since Dec 20 that has been getting progressively worse. Changed hoses and masks twice using up my years supply and started antibiotics on Jan 6th. It got worse where I've coughed up and blown huge green chunks of phlegm out of my sinus cavities EVERY morning and then subsided later during the day, so it is my CPAP machine that was reinfecting me every night. I quit using the broken CPAP on Jan 13 during the first round of antibiotics. I have only gotten better since the second round of antibiotics and discontinued use of the infected machine. I always rinse out my hose, mask and chin strap every other day and wash them with soap and water every week. I only use distilled water and empty the humidity chamber every morning so the automatic 30 min purge can dry it out. I've been doing this for 14 years and I've never had a sinus infection get this bad or worse every morning AFTER the CPAP use. I've even rinsed out the small removable tube in my Resmed 10 machine. I've never not used a CPAP machine (I'm on my third) over the last 14 years until now, and I NEED it, but I can't just go to Walgreens and purchase a replacement off of the shelf.

I'm now looking at getting a travel CPAP as my NON-health care from the VA is atrocious.

Mr Gadget wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 25, 2024 5:27 pm

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If you really have a sinus infection (It sounds like you do.), you may need stronger antibiotics to take care of it. Sinus infections can be difficult to combat. They can also be dangerous - something about a nerve that runs from the sinuses a short way to the brain.

I tend to discount ideas that CPAP machines cause sinus infections. You seem to have a good cleaning routine, and even without it, CPAP is not a likely source of sinus infections.

We had a mouse perish inside the heat duct somewhere below the bedroom.
--The corpse was inaccessible and I smelled it for a week or so--until it fully dessicated.
This was before we adopted Tiger, our Siamese mix. Such a gooood kitty.