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Cleaning your device
#1
Cleaning your device
Yow often do you clean your equipment?  What do you use? Shy
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#2
RE: Cleaning your device
I'm a lot more lax with that than I used to be, but when I'm on schedule....

Wash hose once a month with Dawn Dish soap, rinse and hang to dry.
Wash entire mask once a week, nasal pillow every morning.
Replace filters in machine once a month, sometimes twice a month.  
Wash humidifier chamber once a week with Dawn dish soap, sometimes add a vinegar rinse, rinse well, air dry.

If you have insurance coverage, try to build up a backup supply of everything. This way, if a hose is hanging to dry, you can grab another. If a humidifier chamber starts to leak, you have a backup...

There's not much to clean on the machine itself, just dust now and then.

I don't spend more than 10-15 minutes cleaning. I try to keep it as simple as possible.  Smile
OpalRose
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: Cleaning your device
Except for facial oils and acids, there’s little to be concerned about with any of next-to-skin items. The hose gets room air shoved through it, but so would all your airway passages if you were not using the device. Nothing to worry about.

The water reservoir will accumulate some flora over time due to the air passing over it. The filters do a pretty decent job, but the airborne stuff eventually builds up and you might notice a very slightly pink slime. This is why most of us learn to rinse and refill at most every second day.

Really, it’s all about your comfort, anxiety, and maybe guilt; what can you live with? Adopt a schedule that you feel meets your druthers and real needs.

My opinion might do with some perspective. I clean my headgear (hair and facial oils) once a month, my hose and mask more often, maybe wise as often. You breathe into the mask, so it needs closer attention. You don’t breathe into the hose, and your machine should flush it with air for about ten minutes after you remove it each morning. It really needs more care about stepping on it or perforating/tearing it.

Warm water and dish soap. Rinse thoroughly. Do it upon rising so it’s ready to go by nap time or later.
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#4
RE: Cleaning your device
If my stuff were getting the miles on them they should, I had washed hose, tub, and mask cushion in hot Dawn soapy water. I tended to soak these for a half hour or so, then lightly use a dish scrub brush, followed by a hot water rinse. After all the soap and water stuff, I wiped parts off with a dish towel and let these dry for at least an hour out of the sunny spots. If I were in the mood for coffee, insert a coffee break at the soak stage.

PS opsie, forgot to state a frequency...weekly for all the above except Coffee is daily
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: Cleaning your device
My approach is to clean the mask daily with a wet wipe focusing on the cushion and extra attention to inside of cushion. Monthly change filters, soak hose 20 minutes or so in 50/50 vinegar water and swab reservoir inside and out with 50/50 vinegar water paying attention to crevices and corners. Wipe off exterior of machine as needed, machine requires no interior cleaning, just avoid getting it wet.
Stan
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#6
RE: Cleaning your device
I've slacked off some since having started my SA Therapy. I use a Clorox wet wipe on my mask / cushion about every 3-4 days or so. I also use the wet wipe on the hose swivel. I wipe it down good and push enough of the wipe into the swivel to insure it's clean. 

The hose gets a good cleaning in hot water and Dawn dish soap about every 10 days or so. When that occurs, the mask, cushion, and head gear, also get a good cleaning. The head gear straps always come out looking clean as a whistle. 

I wipe my machine down with a slightly damp cloth as needed. I keep the area that it rests on pretty clean. I don't allow dust, lint and whatever, to accumulate. 

Although I have slacked off some, I feel confident that my current regime is satisfactory.  Cool
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#7
RE: Cleaning your device
I use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my mask - probably not as often as I should.  The cleaner holds about 2 qts. of liquid and I use hot water with Dawn dish soap.  First I put in the cushion and retaining ring and run it through about a 1-2 min. cycle.  After taking that out, I put in the rest of the mask intact.  I used to disassemble it, but found that unnecessary.  After cleaning, just rinse with clear water and dry.  I just wipe off the bulk of the water and let it air dry from there.  Or you can just let it air dry completely.  I don't do anything with the hose since I don't use a humidifier and no moisture gets in there.

The ultrasonic cleaner is great.  It gets into nooks and crannies that you can't otherwise reach.  If you watch, you can see the dirt separating from the parts.  And it's a lot gentler than hand cleaning.  I've been using the same cushion for about 3 yrs. now with no signs of tearing.

It doesn't work as well on the harness, though.  A trip through the washing machine is more effective there.  I should probably explain that I replaced the usual straps with a harness I fashioned out of 3/4 in. nylon web strap.  I have used the same harness for at least 5 yrs. with no signs of deterioration and no need to re-adjust.

The ultrasonic cleaner is also great for eyeglasses, watchbands (not watches), jewelry, or just about anything else that can take immersion in water.

The entire thorough cleaning routine is less work than carrying the device up from the basement where I store it and taking it back down.
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#8
RE: Cleaning your device
I wash the cushion on my mask (the part that touches my face) every morning with hot soapy water. I use a cheap detergent designed for washing dishes, making sure it has no additives designed to keep your skin moisturized. And then let it air dry. The goal here is to remove face oils.

I also empty out the humidifier tub every morning, rinse it out, and let it dry.

Occasionally a film forms on the inside of the humidifier tub. I use peroxide to remove that and follow up with a wash in hot soapy water. Once a week or so I wash the tubing with hot soapy water and a tubing brush.

How often you will have to change your filter depends on the level of dust in your indoor air. We are at the point now where we almost never open our windows, we have either the central air or heat running all the time. The outdoor allergens are just too much for us.
Sleepster

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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