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+--- Thread: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose (/Thread-Newbie-question-about-cleaning-mask-hose)
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Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Palmtrees - 08-30-2019
I am using a Lumin cleaner (spouse insisted I use something besides soapy water and vinegar --worried I would get an infection or something). I wash the mask out everyday with Dawn and warm water. let air dry. empty humidifier and let air dry. hang hose up to air. Once a week, wash hose, mask and all with Dawn and warm water. blow out the water droplets with "mask fit" option and then use the Lumin. Problem: the Lumin leaves my slimline hose smelling like old fried onions! I wrote to the manufacturer and was assured this would go away. Ha, it has not. I end up rinsing the hose out again with Dawn and water.
My questions are: anybody else getting the funny smell, using the Lumin?
And...should I use a brush to clean out the hose? I have just been swishing the water and soap through it.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - mesenteria - 08-30-2019
This subject, but mostly about ozonation cleaners, seems to be a weekly staple here, if not monthly. I hesitate to answer for 'the board', but in my almost two years on this forum I have read many threads on the topic of cleaning. My unscientific estimation is that somewhere between 60-70% of all occasional and routine participants here clean their equipment rather infrequently, as in only once every three days to three weeks or more. When they do, they rinse with Dawn or similar liquid dish detergent and warm water, swish, rinse, and then let air dry. Some us the ozonation systems that 'disinfect' the mask and hose, most do not. In my own case, I purchase a 200 gram packet of potassium meta-bisulfite from my local u-brew it wine and beer store, mix a teaspoon of it in a liter of tap water, and rinse out the mask/cushion and the hose. A packet of 200 grams of potassium meta-busulphite comes to about CDN$3.00. It would typically last me at least two years. Those who mix it fresh all the time and who rinse/disinfect daily would go through that amount inside of 6 months.
All this to say there's a wide range of practice here, and we don't know if anyone has died due to insufficient hygiene, mostly because dead people don't normally participate here.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Melman - 08-30-2019
What you are doing with dawn and warm water is adequate to clean your equipment to prevent infection. I am a microbiologist and am quite comfortable with less frequent cleaning with detergent and water than you are doing. I have occasionally used peroxide as a sanitizer. I have evaluated the Lumin and believe it will sanitize CPAP componentst following cleaning but is unnecessary. It sounds like the UV light may be damaging your hose.
What messemteria recommends is cheap, effective, and safe.
I use hoses for a year or more and rarely clean them. When I do it is the swish method. Many use brushes. You will get a dozen or more different opinions. Do what you feel comfortable with. I do suggest you quit using the Lumin with your hose and that you inspect your cushions and mask for signs of damage. They should last far beyond the recommended replacement schedule. I've been using the same mask full face mash with the the original cushion for 2.5 years.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Melman - 08-30-2019
(08-30-2019, 05:32 PM)mesenteria Wrote: All this to say there's a wide range of practice here, and we don't know if anyone has died due to insufficient hygiene, mostly because dead people don't normally participate here.
Actually there is documentation of one death of an elderly man from an infection contracted from his CPAP. Some photos were posted in the forum. His mask looked like the inside of a porta-potty that has never been cleaned. I don't think any of us with even a fairly lax cleaning schedule are at risk.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Big Guy - 08-30-2019
I've never heard of Lumin before and have no idea what it is. That being said, I just use hot water and dawn dish soap.
My water reservoir gets emptied each & every morning and then wiped dry with tissue and then allowed to sit open for a few hours. My hose and face mask gets cleaned about once a week or so.
I just recently purchased a hose brush. I've used it once so far. I've been on SA Therapy for almost 1 year now. Your CPAP equipment will last longer than what the industry wants you to believe. My water reservoir is the one that came with my machine and it still looks like new. I do have a spare, new in the box, just in case.
I'm still using the original hose and hose quiet elbow. I'm still using the original AirFit F20 mask, but with a new cushion. I have good insurance so I have extras of whatever equipment I may need on hand.
The hose and mask / cushion / headgear gets a good long soaking in hot water and Dawn dish soap once a week.. I then swish it all around really good and then rinse with hot water. I hang the hose and allow it to air dry during the day.
I use Clorox anti-bacterial wipes on my face mask / cushion about every 2nd day or so and they work great. No lingering fumes or smell. The wipes don't irritate my skin in any way.
I feel very confident that I'm keeping my equipment as clean as possible.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - OpalRose - 08-30-2019
I clean my mask, hose, humidifier chamber once a month. I pick the first of every month, that way I remember. I only use warm water and dawn liquid. Swish, rinse, air dry.
I do wash my nasal pillow every morning, rinse, air dry.
I don’t use any of the so called cleaning machines on the market.
I believe more importantly, is to change the air filters in the machine once or twice a month depending on the environment in which you live. In other words, do you have cats or dogs in your room? Is their a lot of dust?
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Palmtrees - 08-30-2019
OK! thanks for the info! Guess I can stop using the Lumin. Glad, because the smell was more than annoying and then I had to wash it again!
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - SarcasticDave94 - 08-30-2019
I rinse parts with very warm water and Dawn. Thoroughly air dry all items. Mostly my water tub is almost empty each morning so it gets a quick rinse and refill. My cleaning schedule is irregular at best.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - mesenteria - 08-30-2019
(08-30-2019, 06:23 PM)Melman Wrote:(08-30-2019, 05:32 PM)mesenteria Wrote: All this to say there's a wide range of practice here, and we don't know if anyone has died due to insufficient hygiene, mostly because dead people don't normally participate here.
Actually there is documentation of one death of an elderly man from an infection contracted from his CPAP. Some photos were posted in the forum. His mask looked like the inside of a porta-potty that has never been cleaned. I don't think any of us with even a fairly lax cleaning schedule are at risk.
Yikes! Good to know. Thanks.
RE: Newbie question about cleaning mask, hose - Melman - 08-30-2019
(08-30-2019, 10:57 PM)mesenteria Wrote: Yikes! Good to know. Thanks.
The photos were posted in the forum but may have been as long as a year ago and they would be hard to find. It was really gross. It was hard to believe anyone could let a mask get that dirty.