Control III cleaning vs disinfecting

[Roger Roger]

First post here.  I've been using CPAP for about three months, and up until now I've cleaned my equipment by using a dilute soap solution to soak and/or use in an ultrasonic cleaner and then rinsed with warm water.  However, recently I had an upper respiratory infection and as a result my headgear and nasal pillow got more soiled than usual, and my normal routine wasn't cutting it.  So based on the posts I read here, I bought some Control III concentrate.  I mixed up a gallon and soaked everything in it for 30 minutes, and I have to say I'm not impressed.  There's a milky white residue inside the headgear that won't come out, and I've done longer soaks, and even tried using the dilute solution in my ultrasonic cleaner but it still won't come out.

Reading the label on the Control III concentrate, I'm intrigued by the instructions to "1. Remove soil as required. 2. Apply this product as directed" and it makes me wonder whether Control III is really good as a cleaner or if it's actually a second step to only disinfect things.  Many posts on this board (and I've done plenty of reading) swear by Control III as a cleaner, but I'm not so sure.


I welcome any and all thoughts as to the proper use of Control III.  Is it really appropriate to use to clean CPAP equipment, or only do disinfect after cleaning?

[OpalRose]

I've never used Control III. Most folk here just use a mild soap and warm water to clean our masks, hoses and water chamber. There's not much else needed.

[Jeff8356]

Control III is a disinfectant.  Which means you need to clean your equipment first.  Soap and water works fine, then a soak in the diluted Control III, then rinse thoroughly and air dry.
Generally speaking, you clean first, then disinfect (that goes for anything, not just your CPAP equipment).

I've used Control III regularly about every 4-6 weeks on my mask and hose.
Never had a problem with a milky white residue though.