Baby Powder smell when first take mask off?

As far as I can tell, there is no smell in my bedroom and/or anywhere near the machine.

Yet every morning when I first take off the mask, all I smell is this 'baby powder' like smell for the first 25 seconds or so, then its gone. I only clean the mask with Ivory soap, and I rinse it thorougly so I dought HIGHLY it is the mask.

Does anyone else experience this and if so have you figured out why?

TIA

I don't but it appears that it's been reported before:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40747&p=356695&hili ... er#p356695

It has been reported several times over the time I have read this forum.

Do an advanced search for baby powder and you can find many posts where people have reported it. cflame1 pulled up one of the threads but there are more.

I experenced it for the first cupple of weeks then it went away.

Thanks for quick replies.

Did the advanced search and a small amount of other people definitely experience this, but no one has ever got an explaination for WHY.

The most likely theory posted is a heightened sense of smell yet I find it interesting that many people all smell EXACTLY the same smell, is that exact smell in each of our bedrooms, not very likely.....

Another theory is it is a "new mask" smell and it looks like a couple members reported soaking the mask got it to fade away. Yet another member seems to dispell that theory and it being in the room however with this quote:

Rumur wrote: Since that post I have washed my mask in baby shampoo several times and the odor is still there upon removing the mask. I really thought it was a smell in the house, until Saturday.

I went on a retreat for my church and took my machine. First time to sleep with it away from home.
I took the mask off Saturday morning and there was the smell. In a room with 65 other men, baby powder is not exactly the smell you would expect. However that is the one I got.

The mystery continues I guess....

I don't smell baby powder - I have cranial nerve damage I suspect - have been told I have Trigeminal Neuralgia but I think it is more than that.

I get all kinds of strange smells and to be honest, it is was baby powder, that would be so much nicer than some of the things I smell. I do get perfumy smells as part of these. These aren't just when I unmask but can be any time of the day or night - usually unmasked.

I also get all kinds of strange mouth symptoms.

Keep track of what you get, how often, when etc. If you have ongoing problems you might need to consult your doctor and get an appropriate referral.

maybe it is not comming from the mask but the hose.

Earwig has a rash.

Hi--it is normal. I had that happen to me when I first started CPAP but don't have that anymore. It only happens when you first start out for some reason. It never came back even when I switched masks etc--so it has something to do with the air in the nose and sinuses. I use humidity too --so maybe the combo of air and water causes it.

Be patient --no need to find out what causes it, it is not harmful--only to know that it will disappear soon--LOL!

Carrie

jabman wrote:maybe it is not comming from the mask but the hose.

Or the sheets or pillow case? Which laundry detergent are you using?

Smell is a complex sense, I am not sure I fully understand how it works. I do know memory plays a role and that when you smell something long enuff - you can no longer smell it.

When I first began using cpap I could smell dust when I first took my mask off. Could this be what you are smelling? I thought (and still do) it is because I was breathing filtered air w/o dust particles all nite long. And there is a change (in odors) when removing the mask. This causes my nose to run and while it still runs everytime , I no longer smell the dust odor.

I call it a dust smell, you may (remember) call it "baby powder".

I take a generic Claritin tablet (Loratadine) each morning to deal with the runny nose problem. $4/30 tablets @ Wal*mart.

GumbyCT wrote:

jabman wrote:maybe it is not comming from the mask but the hose.

Or the sheets or pillow case? Which laundry detergent are you using?

Smell is a complex sense, I am not sure I fully understand how it works. I do know memory plays a role and that when you smell something long enuff - you can no longer smell it.

When I first began using cpap I could smell dust when I first took my mask off. Could this be what you are smelling? I thought (and still do) it is because I was breathing filtered air w/o dust particles all nite long. And there is a change (in odors) when removing the mask. This causes my nose to run and while it still runs everytime , I no longer smell the dust odor.

I call it a dust smell, you may (remember) call it "baby powder".

I take a generic Claritin tablet (Loratadine) each morning to deal with the runny nose problem. $4/30 tablets @ Wal*mart.

But how do you explain mutipul people smelling the samething (baby powder) then? I do not wash my sheets in anything that even remotly smells like baby powder it fact I have not had baby powder in my house now fro 12 years.

jabman wrote:But how do you explain mutipul people smelling the samething (baby powder) then? I do not wash my sheets in anything that even remotly smells like baby powder it fact I have not had baby powder in my house now fro 12 years.

I didn't know it was for me to explain? Ok, faulty memories then? Remember OSA has a severe impact on our memories. Faulty memories or detergent or what?

Actually, I tried to give enuff info to provoke an interest in researching the subject of smell. There may be something that is in common with all. Do you remember the name of your laundry detergent?

GumbyCT wrote:

jabman wrote:maybe it is not comming from the mask but the hose.

Or the sheets or pillow case? Which laundry detergent are you using?

Smell is a complex sense, I am not sure I fully understand how it works. I do know memory plays a role and that when you smell something long enuff - you can no longer smell it.

When I first began using cpap I could smell dust when I first took my mask off. Could this be what you are smelling? I thought (and still do) it is because I was breathing filtered air w/o dust particles all nite long. And there is a change (in odors) when removing the mask. This causes my nose to run and while it still runs everytime , I no longer smell the dust odor.

I call it a dust smell, you may (remember) call it "baby powder".

I take a generic Claritin tablet (Loratadine) each morning to deal with the runny nose problem. $4/30 tablets @ Wal*mart.

This may sound strange; but baby powder scent lies very deep in our memory--very early, loving comfortable time.
I'm wondering if the smell isn't something like an olfactory parallel to tinnitis. . .
Smell is very close to memory--all right really weird--but I have tinnitis;
and it seems like my brain is just filling in the spaces left by hearing loss.
There might not have to be an olfactory loss for the brain to kick in with a comforting memory.

Yes, I am a new CPAP user and I have noticed this smell several times! Very strange........

I noticed the smell at first it lasted about 3 weeks wish I could go back to it. I liked waking up to it.
Brad