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Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
#21
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
Why would there be biological material my humidifier? Ugh. This CPAP thing just gets better and better :/

I was planning to use citric acid on mine when the time comes, as I do with my coffee machine. The idea that I might have to bleach out biological residues makes me feel.... ewwwww.

Best wishes, DS
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#22
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
You don't need to bleach anything. Simple soap and water is plenty good enough. And there's biological residue in there because there's biological residue in everything that isn't sterile. You suck air through the humidifier tank, and despite the filter, all air is going to contain some kind of biological stuff, be it microbes, pollen, dust, etc. The only way to prevent that would be using a HEPA filter and living inside a bubble. The thing is, you breathe this same "stuff" in all the time anyway. As long as you're rinsing your tank out regularly then you don't need any kind of funky stuff. Though citric acid (or vinegar) will definitely help to get rid of any limescale if you're not using deionized water.
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#23
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
Humidifier tanks are a wet, warm environment that airborne bacteria can colonize. It's very common to see a pink biofilm on a chamber that is not regularly dumped and allowed to dry between uses. Wiping it dry is good insurance against this happening.
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#24
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
Yep, just good old soap and water. I've used Dawn liquid for 7 years with an occasional vinegar rinse. Also have used hydrogen peroxide.

There is no need for anything stronger if you care for it properly.
Let the chamber air dry after cleaning.
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#25
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
(01-09-2022, 06:39 AM)Ratchick Wrote: As long as you're rinsing your tank out regularly then you don't need any kind of funky stuff.

Phew! Some good news at last. I've certainly not noticed anything growing in the tank. It had visions of it ending up like a petri dish, covered in bacterial colonies. Or like the glass sides of a badly-maintained fish tank.

Best wishes, DS
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#26
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
LOL no, not quite that bad. Just make sure it gets a good old rinse and (as others have said) to dry out so the same water isn't sitting in it for days at a time, and you'll be right.
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#27
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
I use distilled water. Clean with soap and water.
"Sometimes the magic works . . . and sometimes it doesn't" -- Chief Dan George in the movie Little Big Man
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#28
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
(01-09-2022, 12:09 PM)desaturator Wrote: Phew! Some good news at last. I've certainly not noticed anything growing in the tank. It had visions of it ending up like a petri dish, covered in bacterial colonies. Or like the glass sides of a badly-maintained fish tank.
As a microbiologist with lab experience and experience in troubleshooting contamination problems in industrial purified water systems I can assure you that that could not be the case. Most bacteria require more nutrients than are available in water. But you may get a thin slimy biofilm as Sleeprider described. Although pink is common it can be colorless. It's easy to feel however. The good news is it's composed of bacteria that aren't pathogenic except perhaps in individuals who are severely immunocompromised. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be cleaned up but it's nothing to worry about. Distilled water will not prevent it. Distilled water from supermarkets at $1-1.50/gal is not sterile and even if you were to use expensive sterile distilled water it would become contaminated from the humidifier and environmental air.
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#29
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
Second Microbiologist backing up the first here.

I use deionized water purely because I live in an area with insanely hard water, and it saves me soaking in vinegar. Otherwise, I was quite happy using tap water.
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#30
RE: Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning Humidifier Chamber
There is a commercial product Mincare which is peroxide and peracetic acid, used for cleaning dialysis machines. 
If you are considering using peroxide to sanitise the humidifier, the IFU for that stuff may be helpful.
Rinse well !
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