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+--- Thread: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? (/Thread-Is-SoClean2-an-effective-sanitizer)
Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - Eurika - 03-07-2015
Hi
Can any of the more technically minded members on here give me an opinion on the efficacy of using the SoClean system as a sanitizer. According to their marketing literature and website it is supposed to kill all germs in the CPAP airway system if used for 7mins and then left for 2 hours.
Am I kidding myself that this is good tried and trusted sanitizing method if used with weekly cleaning in the sink with Control III disinfectant?
Thanks
D
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - PaulaO2 - 03-07-2015
If you are using Control III, you don't need to use anything else.
Here is a very lively and sometimes heated discussion about it from a few years ago:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-CPAP-cleaning-system
It's been brought up a few times since but it didn't get any prettier. Folks either say it's the best thing ever or that it is bunk.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - PaulaO2 - 03-07-2015
Just for giggles, I've been doing some research into this "ozone cleaning" thing.
If used by trained professionals on non-heirloom or valuable textiles, it may help in the removal of smoke smell in a house after a fire. However, it can cause "degrades the material being treated by causing fading, loss of tensile strength and consequently accelerated aging" (in terms of textiles and similar materials). The use of a HEPA filter over the course of several days does a much better job.
(source)
In the treatment of mold, it is illegal for contractors to use ozone cleaners in the state of Wisconsin. "To have an impact on biological contaminants, such as bacteria and mold, those organisms must be exposed to ozone levels five to ten times higher than the various public health standards allow." (source)
I stopped at that last source. I had read enough. While it was referring to mold on a large scale such as in the restoration business, it didn't ease my misgivings any. No way would I want such a device in my home. Nor would I want to put my gear into it. What kind of damage is being done to it each time? What kind of damage is being done to my home each time? No thanks.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - archangle - 03-07-2015
(03-07-2015, 02:27 AM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Just for giggles, I've been doing some research into this "ozone cleaning" thing.
If used by trained professionals on non-heirloom or valuable textiles, it may help in the removal of smoke smell in a house after a fire. However, it can cause "degrades the material being treated by causing fading, loss of tensile strength and consequently accelerated aging" (in terms of textiles and similar materials). The use of a HEPA filter over the course of several days does a much better job.
(source)
In the treatment of mold, it is illegal for contractors to use ozone cleaners in the state of Wisconsin. "To have an impact on biological contaminants, such as bacteria and mold, those organisms must be exposed to ozone levels five to ten times higher than the various public health standards allow." (source)
I stopped at that last source. I had read enough. While it was referring to mold on a large scale such as in the restoration business, it didn't ease my misgivings any. No way would I want such a device in my home. Nor would I want to put my gear into it. What kind of damage is being done to it each time? What kind of damage is being done to my home each time? No thanks.
I'm skeptical about SoClean, however....
The concern about ozone (O3) cleaners for mold is probably not relevant. In order to kill mold with ozone in your home or office, you'd need to fill the entire room with ozone. If you had enough ozone to kill mold, it would be unhealthy for you, too. DUHHH!!!!
As long as you don't climb into the chamber while it's running or decide to somehow hook your mask up to the SoClean machine while it's running, there probably won't be a problem.
The ozone in the SoClean is a recirculating system. Little, if any, of the ozone gets out into the room. I believe it even has an ozone destroying element to clean up the ozone at the end of the cycle. It generates ozone to be used in a small volume of space, i.e. the unit, the hose, and the humidifier water. It probably doesn't generate ozone fast enough to significantly pollute the house even if it did leak. It's intended to generate ozone for use in a closed system.
Ozone breaks down into oxygen, so it won't hang around in
Even if it was leaking ozone, it shouldn't be generating enough ozone to be of concern mixed with the room air. Ozone has a burning electric smell, so you'd notice it if it was leaking. O3 breaks down rather rapidly indoors, so it won't hang around for long.
In theory, the ozone doesn't circulate into the blower unit, just the humidifier tank, hose, and mask. If it does eat CPAP equipment, hoses, masks, and humidifier tanks are not that expensive and need to be replaced eventually even without O3.
Ozone is not the kind of chemical to "soak into" the plastic and come back out later. Ozone tends to quickly break down into oxygen when it reacts with things. Even if your equipment was left with ozone in them, it would very quickly be blown out by the CPAP airflow.
We are all exposed to a certain amount of ozone under natural conditions, even more from electrical equipment in the home, and in polluted outdoor air. I doubt a SoClean would make a significant difference in the O3 concentration in your home air. It might not even be a big deal if it was defective.
There are an awful lot of people who deliberately run ozone generators in their home to "clean the air." While it probably doesn't work, it probably isn't particularly harmful at the levels of O3 generated.
I don't think there's any significant O3 hazard from the SoClean.
However, remember, it might kill germs, but it doesn't actually remove dirt. To me, "clean" means remove dirt.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - PaulaO2 - 03-07-2015
Yeah, I was a little sleep deprived last night. Thanks for catching me on it.
And yes, clean means removing particles which the SoClean doesn't. If I want it to smell nice, I'll hang stuff up in the window so the breeze will get to it.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - HerbWarren - 01-05-2016
I have been using the SoClean 2 unit for almost a year now. It is fabulous. And easy. Each morning I put my mask into the unit. It turns on automatically at 10am and runs for 7 min. I then take it out and drape it over my CPAP unit. By the time I go to bed that evening, the slight "seashore" smell is just about gone.
The cleaning block should be replaced each year. No chemicals are used. The unit uses activated oxygen to kill off bacteria.
SoClean includes a small bottle of wash to rinse out your mask and hose but I don't need it as I get a new mask and hose every 6 months from the VA.
This is a great product and well worth the $300 price.
Herb Warren
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - eseedhouse - 01-05-2016
(01-05-2016, 11:38 AM)HerbWarren Wrote: The unit uses activated oxygen to kill off bacteria.
There is no such chemical as "activated oxygen". It's just a brand name for Ozone, a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms.
Aside from convenience and that you like it what evidence do you have that it actually sterilises anything, or that it is ozone that the machine is using? Ozone has a distinctive acrid smell, which doesn't fit with your description.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - PaulaO2 - 01-06-2016
If you are only using SoClean to clean your equipment, you are just asking for trouble. There is nothing better than simple soap and water. Even if you exchange it out every 6 months, that's still too long to go without a good cleaning. Even I clean more often than that.
SoClean is more like the steam cycle on these new washers. It doesn't clean them. The wash cycle did that. All the steam does is "sanitize" the clothes. If you were to just simply steam your clothes each week, there would still be dirt and assorted stains left behind. Same with your mask.
SoClean does not remove phlegm, oils, or whatever else was on your face, hair, pillow, and bed.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - Sleepster - 01-06-2016
(01-05-2016, 11:38 AM)HerbWarren Wrote: SoClean includes a small bottle of wash to rinse out your mask and hose but I don't need it as I get a new mask and hose every 6 months from the VA.
You do still need to wash your hose and mask with warm soapy water. Replacing them every six months without cleaning in between is not a good idea.
Quote:This is a great product and well worth the $300 price.
There's no evidence to indicate that it does anything other than separate you from your $300 and in the process make you feel good about it.
There's nothing wrong with using it as long as it's not being used as a substitute for cleaning.
RE: Is SoClean2 an effective sanitizer ? - PaytonA - 01-06-2016
If it does actually create some ozone, there is evidence that ozone does kill *some* micro-organisms. Does that actually mean that it sterilizes the whole CPAP system. For one thing, even if the machine is creating some ozone, ozone is an unstable molecule and might not make it to the end of the hose, which could also explain the absence of the "acrid" smell. Does SoClean do any good? Maybe a little but I would not pay the price for the little that I think it may do. That is my thought process (such as it is) on this subject.
Best Regards,
PaytonA