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SoClean & other CPAP cleaning machines
#11
RE: How to clean humidifier tank
(09-03-2012, 04:52 PM)britincanada Wrote: I for one am spending the 170 bucks to buy one and try it out
I don't have the time or patience to spend 5 mins a day and 20mi.ns on a weekend cleaning a machine the auto timer can be set for 2 hr before you go to bed therefor the water will be clean i have no idea what you put in you humidifier

Check with your friend. The ozone treatment doesn't take the place of regular cleaning. It's meant to be something extra, something that will kill the germs that regular washing won't. You will still need to wash in hot soapy water to remove residues (crud) introduced by your body and by the environment. The same thing as bathing, really.

The issue is whether or not the ozone treatment will really be of any advantage. Some claim it will, others disagree.

Personally I think it's overkill because it's at best killing off the germs that are already present in your body and in your environment. They will simply return in the same concentration that you're constantly exposed to as you walk around in even the most sterile of environments.

On the other hand washing with hot soapy water removes the build up of crud that is a breeding ground for those germs to grow. It prevents germs from being present in a concentration that is greater than what you're constantly exposed to throughout the day and night.
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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#12
RE: How to clean humidifier tank
Quote:I don't have the time or patience to spend 5 mins a day and 20mi.ns on a weekend cleaning a machine the auto timer can be set for 2 hr before you go to bed therefor the water will be clean i have no idea what you put in you humidifier

So is this device you are spending money on, is it a CPAP cleaner or a water cleaner? If it is a water cleaner, you'd get just as clean a water from a distilled water source. But again, that water will only be as clean as the humidifier tub. If it is a CPAP cleaner, you still have to clean it before the ozone gadget will work. I would think clean crud is just as nasty as regular crud.

Quote:thanks for the info guys i will try it out and see how it goes but here some interesting reading for you

Can I Interest You in Some Snake Oil?

Try Archangel's rock. While it may not seem to work now, some day in the future, they may or may not prove that pressure on the head cures or perhaps causes central apnea.

So what you are really saying is you are going to believe whatever you want to believe no matter what anyone else says because you would rather spend $170 on a cleaner that may or may not work rather than do what the rest of us do: use soap. That is of course your choice. Just don't get mad when we try to help you not waste money.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#13
RE: How to clean humidifier tank
(09-03-2012, 08:00 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Just don't get mad when we try to help you not waste money.

You're too late, I think.
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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#14
RE: How to clean humidifier tank
(09-03-2012, 05:52 PM)britincanada Wrote: thanks for the info guys i will try it out and see how it goes but here some interesting reading for you



Can I Interest You in Some Snake Oil?

In the mid-1800s, a wave of Chinese laborers arrived in the United States, seeking employment in the railroad industry. Among the many unique and unusual aspects of their culture that they brought with them, was the oil of the Chinese Water Snake (Enhydris chinensis). This was used by the Chinese and introduced to the West as a topical preparation for the relief of joint pain. This claim was ridiculed by medicine salesmen of the day, and to this day the term snake oil has become synonymous with quackery, fraud, and products with unverifiable benefits.

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of such questionable health products today. An endless river of them continue to make bold claims, while failing to live up to their promises. Despite this, some innovations have pushed their way forward and have become a true benefit to many people.

Consider one product developed by Colin Sullivan of Sydney, Australia, in 1981. This device was essentially a reversed vacuum cleaner motor rigged to blow air into a person’s nasal cavity, thus allowing the airway to remain open, when relaxed muscle or tissue would otherwise close it. It’s not hard to imagine those who would take issue with such an approach: It was different. It sounded radical, even dangerous. Yet today, millions are enjoying a more full life, due to the advent of the CPAP machine.

As alien as CPAP therapy may have seemed at first, it was backed up by hard science. The dangerous effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea were well documented. Rigorous testing and monitoring of CPAP therapy showed that such an approach would ultimately save lives. To dismiss CPAP therapy as just a modern form of snake oil would indeed be a serious mistake.

So what distinguishes a legitimate and beneficial concept from one that’s mere quackery? For one thing, the science behind it. While it’s true, that not every mechanism can be explained by science, (For instance, the mechanism behind many of the benefits of aspirin is not fully understood.) yet, when an approach clearly does have science on its side, such evidence should weigh heavily against any skepticism.

It’s easy to be skeptical in today’s world. There are many useless, would-be panaceas, that exist for no other reason than to enrich their creators. This means that healthy skepticism can be a protection for us. When skepticism becomes unhealthy, is when it causes us to close our eyes and shut out the facts, like a court jury that refuses to examine the evidence.

So in the end, it’s really up to us. Keeping ourselves informed, and educated to the best of our ability, while keeping an open mind, will help us weed through the useless, and identify the useful. It could even be that something we once dismissed, will in the end, become something we highly value.

Postscript: Studies of the Chinese Water Snake found the oil of this particular reptile to be high in Omega-3 fatty acids. This being the case, it likely did exactly what it claimed to do: relieve joint pain and inflammation. So, Chinese snake oil is actually not snake oil after all. (Scientific American, November 1, 2007)

Health claims for Omega 3 fatty acids are dubious at best. I don't think there are any medically accepted Omega 3 topical treatments for joint pain even now. God knows what other chemicals were in the original authentic snake oil. Even worse, what chemicals were in the snake oil being sold in the US in the 19th century.

Yes, people may have been suspicious of Sullivan's first CPAP machine. Are you suggesting that we should therefore accept every unproven medical device that comes along? My $500 rock is still available. Don't be close minded until you've tried it.
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
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#15
RE: [split] SoClean CPAP Sanitizing Unit
I have split the discussion of the ozone cleaner from the original thread.

I am also closing this thread. If anyone wishes to discuss the cleaner, feel free to start another thread.

This one has degraded somewhat.


PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#16
SoClean & other CPAP cleaning machines
I ordered a SoClean through Amazon and it was shipped very fast. A vast majority of comments on Amazon are very favorable and thus I placed my order not quite two weeks ago, however...

I've used my SoClean three times (on two of my CPAP machines, I have three total) and it stinks like the devil (and I'm used to "stink" because I have two ranches and you can imagine what goat and donkey dung might smell like... thus I believe I am more resilient and acclimated to "unpleasant" odors.

My SoClean does it's "thing" in our kitchen on an island. I've followed the directions to a "T" and despite placing the sleeve on the hose as the instructions state, and a tad further into the machine on the second try and a tad further out on the third cleaning, the "aroma" can be smelled from the kitchen into my living room and into the dining room, and it lingers.

I contacted the vendor, got a prompt and courteous reply, but their suggestions have not rendered a solution.

My question is... does anyone else who has this machine experience the unpleasant smell, and one that spreads across several rooms?

I need to make a decision to request a return though Amazon soon, or whether to stash it in the closet (or my barn) and never use it again.

In doing several internet searches in regard to using ozone for cleaning (I think my search was "CPAP Ozone cleaning"... I came across a couple of links that didn't make me feel "warm and fuzzy"... I won't go into details, and you can search on your own if you have questions.

I suppose I'll be going back to my old method of soaking my CPAP gear in a large tube of vinegar and scrubbing in soap and water. (At least the aroma from the vinegar makes me think I'm in Italy... )
I have a PhD from M.I.T.
Post hole Digger from Miller Implement & Tractor
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#17
RE: SoClean arrived, but...
Hi Luke Warm,
You might want to consider sending it back if the smell is that bad.
Good luck to you.
trish6hundred
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#18
RE: SoClean arrived, but...
(01-22-2014, 09:55 PM)trish6hundred Wrote: Hi Luke Warm,
You might want to consider sending it back if the smell is that bad.
Good luck to you.

I suppose I will, if the vendor doesn't have some "fix" for this.

I wanted to edit my original post, but didn't find a provision to do so.

I'd like to add (after reading some historical posts on cleaning a CPAP with an ozone device) that, yes - I agree that our society has gone a tad "north" on sanitation. I'm one of those kids who played in dirt, skinned my knees on concrete, cut my shins on fence wire, nicked my arms and head when falling off a skateboard onto asphalt streets, driveways and filthy sidewalks... however now that I am an old codger, I've had three doctors tell me that my immune system is compromised due to injections and drugs I am taking daily that suppress my immune system (I have multiple sclerosis). I was told to keep hand sanitizer in my pocket and to use it often.

#2, Some guys came back from the Vietnam war with something called "shell-shock", I came back from Nam with a phobia about germs. Living in a jungle as I did, not seeing a real shower for weeks, not being able to take off your boots or clothes in that moist and humid environment, I had "conditions" and "issues" I won't mention here on the forum, and thus, for me, ridding my CPAP of germs and virus and bacteria, is a tad more important for me, than when I was a kid who played in mud, and climbed trees and skinned his legs on more than one occasion...

So while "yes" I agree that it seems like we are going to extremes to ward-off germs, for some of us, it is pretty critical (and "mental") My Internist advised, if I caught the flu, with a compromised immune system, I could die. So, an ozone device looked pretty good to me a couple of weeks ago. It just stinks to high-heaven.
I have a PhD from M.I.T.
Post hole Digger from Miller Implement & Tractor
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#19
RE: SoClean arrived, but...
(01-22-2014, 09:27 PM)Luke Warm Wrote: I've used my SoClean three times (on two of my CPAP machines, I have three total) and it stinks like the devil . . .

My question is... does anyone else who has this machine experience the unpleasant smell, and one that spreads across several rooms?

I need to make a decision to request a return though Amazon soon, or whether to stash it in the closet (or my barn) and never use it again.

I've used the SoClean 1 for about 6 months. I love the smell that it leaves in my equipment. Smells like after a rainstorm. But it doesn't fill several rooms. My wife doesn't like the smell. But she doesn't say much about it. If it was that objectionable, the complaining would be endless.

I don't stay in the room (bedroom) while the SoClean is operating. The Ozone has a smell or property that I don't like -- I can't explain it. I run it on the timer a few hours before bedtime. But it doesn't fill several rooms. After it operates, the smell disperses and there's no residual smell in the room.

The SoClean has some carbon piece that is supposed to help destruct the ozone before it leaves. If that's missing from yours, then perhaps that's the cause.

Ozone is a great disinfectant. Municipal water agencies rely on it to process public water supplies. It disperses quickly, unlike chlorine. It also doesn't produce disinfection byproducts if there are any organics in the water (unlikely if using distilled water) If ozone is too objectionable to you, you might try UV disinfection.

Remember, distilled water is chemically fairly pure. It may or not be pathogen free. Most of us probably have more to fear from pathogens in our humidifer water than low concentration minerals.

For me, especially if you use water lacking a chlorine residual (city water), it's important to disinfect humidifier water and hose moisture somehow. If your immune system is strong, then disinfection may not strictly be necessary.

I may sound like a shill for SoClean -- but I bought mine over the counter like most everyone and have no relationship with the company except satisfied customer.

I work in the water business, and am very particular about the quality of my water. Safe water is (1) filtered and (2) disinfected. Filtering kills off the large pathogens. Disinfection kills off bacteria and enteric virus.
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#20
RE: SoClean arrived, but...
I'm of the "don't waste your money" camp. BUT, you need to do what you need to do to feel comfortable.

Instead of the SoClean, have you considered the cleaner (it's a bottled product, not a machine) called Control III? It is what hospitals and others use to clean equipment. Used correctly, nothing gets by that stuff.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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