washing cpap -- really?

[zonk]

Familiarize yourself with replacement allowance
http://www.healthcare.philips.com/pwc_hc..._Hints.pdf

[DrWho?]

I wash tubing, nasal pillows and humidifier weekly unless i have a cold or flu then its daily.
With the tubing and pillows I hang over a tall railing.

[knightlite]

wash your face every night before bed .Use mask liner to protect your face and mask , pad a cheek makes wonderful washable stuff . Wash and disinfect mask, hose,tub , and liner every four days or so.
I use dawn dish washing soap to remove oils. I soak it all in a cap-full of bleach to a gallon of water to kill the bugs for at least 10 minutes. I carefully hand-wash the liner at the same time every 4th morning , I let the liner air dry all day and its ready to go by evening. . Every 2 weeks I wash and disinfect the head gear. Occasionally I use some vinegar to help ,1 part to 4 water on everything . Rinse everything real well.
Do you realize how oily and dirty your hair gets after two weeks , would you put the headgear in your mouth after wearing it two weeks ? Then wash it ,it gets filthy .
The idea is to stay fairly clean and keep bacteria at bay . You are not trying to get this stuff to last years anyway. Studies have shown that after 6 months or so the bacteria gets down in minute cracks and really can't be removed. That's why medicare and insurance companies allow you to replace it all in 6 months time. They aren't prone to just being nice.
Clean your filter and or replace every month. I use 2 , the washable and the finer white throw away one. If you get lung problems you usually don't survive long term.

[DocWils]

If you use properly distilled water in your humidifier and don't expose the humidifier to other contagions, simply emptying the humidifier in the morning, turning it off and the auto-off off and letting the compressor run air through the the system for half an hour (more or less)will dry the hose, humidifier and and inner assembly and prevent bacterial build up - where there is no food, there is little chance for bacteria or mould. Dryness is always the key - the mask or pillows should be washed with regularity as they are in near constant contact with a contagion, being you. Once a month or so at the latest, give everything a good wiping down and rinse out the hose with dish soap, dry as described above, and if you have a swap out set, do so and the now stored hose will be plenty dry and prepared for the next swap out.

If you do not use properly distilled water, then you have a problem, as you will encounter bacteria and moulds in your tank if you do not wash it out daily, and the same in the hose.

[JohnNJ]

I'm on my phone so I can't look it up but I just read that a mild unscented soap should be used for the mask and tube. Nothing with bleach or vinegar, nothing anti-bacterial. It may have been on the ResMed site or one of the dealer sites - #1 of they whose names shall not be spoken.

I'm guessing they don't want you blowing that stuff into your lungs.

[DocWils]

Dish soap, unscented, is all you want to use - and of course, well rinsed after. Anti bacterial or not actually doesn't matter in dish soap, as it is designed to not leave a film, so no active ingredient remains after rinsing. But whatever you do, apply the soap directly to the part, not with a sponge or a cloth, and use your hands under the running water spread the soap and to clean everything off. Hand soaps are out. Laundry soaps should also be avoided.

[me50]

I'm on my phone so I can't look it up but I just read that a mild unscented soap should be used for the mask and tube. Nothing with bleach or vinegar, nothing anti-bacterial. It may have been on the ResMed site or one of the dealer sites - #1 of they whose names shall not be spoken.

I'm guessing they don't want you blowing that stuff into your lungs.

I have been told to use dawn dishwashing liquid and vinegar. If rinsed well, you won't get the vinegar in your lungs.

I would definitely not use bleach for many reasons. Just MHO.

[PollCat]

I'm with Paula; I wash my mask, pillows, tank once a week (when I remember) and the hose once a month. I do have a hose brush, which is a little hard to use since it's only five feet long and my hose is 10 feet (I'm unsure that I get complete coverage). I wash everything with anti-bacterial hand soap, rinse in hot water, soak in a water/white-vinegar mixture for 15+ minutes, rinse in hot water and then let air-dry.

Side-bar: Recently while washing pots and pans I noticed the label on the Dawn dish-washing bottle. The top of the label showed it to be Hand soap and the bottom showed that it was for dish-washing:



Guess I can cut down on the types of liquid soap we buy!

[me50]

I bought a mop bucket to wash my CPAP parts in. I like it because it is deep and I can soak all of it in there and then rinse it in the sink and I feel that it gets cleaner that way. I then run water through the hose to rinse it and then hang the hose on the towel rack to dry and the rest I put on a clean towel to dry (I take the chamber apart to clean and then let it air dry). I use unscented dawn dishwashing liquid and vinegar.

FYI, I haven't seen the apple blossom dawn that was posted

[Sleepster]

Side-bar: Recently while washing pots and pans I noticed the label on the Dawn dish-washing bottle. The top of the label showed it to be Hand soap and the bottom showed that it was for dish-washing:

I've said this before, and I noticed it several years ago. In the US at least, these liquid products that are often labeled "hand soap" or "dish detergent" are often the very same thing.

Stay away from anything that's labeled as a "moisturizing" liquid soap or detergent as it may leave a residue on your hose and mask. Other than that, it doesn't matter. I just buy something that has a pleasant odor or no odor at all, but I insist that it be "antibacterial".

Walgreens sells a CPAP hose and mask cleaner available only through their online stores. It's expensive but it does last a long time. I use it in combination with a liquid antibacterial hand soap.