[Product Review] SoClean 2

[PoolQ]

So yes I know lots of coverage, I can't find it in the list so my thoughts.

Why would I do this: easy I don't clean my stuff as much as I should.
Did I really "need" this? Well yes and no. I could just clean my gear, but I know myself well enough by now to know that I just won't do that
Does it leave micro residue in the gear? Honestly I don't care. Anything it leaves is sterile and that I do very much care about
Does my gear stink anymore? Nope never.
Do I worry about getting a lung infection from CPAP any more? nope. And yes I have heard of people getting lung infections from CPAP, only one person, but I do not want to be the second person. Honestly I am not sure I would survive that.

I have bought many things in my life that I did not really need. This thing, I like and am glad I did. Does it make a lot of noise, oh yes it does. For a couple minutes and if I close the door , I don't hear it. so, worth it.

Is it perfect, nope. I found I still need to rinse out the humidifier once in a while or it develops slime. I use it every other day and that works for me. It does not address face oil on the mask and you still need to wipe them down to get the oil off.

[Melman]

I hope you are satisfied with your purchase. As a microbiologist who has had extensive experience with sanitizing and sterilizing agents I need to clear up a couple of misconceptions in your statements. True, ozone is an effective sanitizing agent. It is not, however, a cleaner. If you dig down in the information at the SoClean site you will find they recommend regular cleaning of your equipment in addition to SoClean treatment. Most sanitizing agents, especially gasses like ozone do not penetrate soils and residues, and, therefore do not sterilize those residues or the surfaces under them. Anything SoClean treatment leaves, therefore, is not sterile. A thin film of facial oil, which SoClean concedes in their FAQ section is not removed by ozone treatment, will prevent the sanitization of the surface which it covers.

SoClean will not sanitize equipment that has not been cleaned, and since mild detergent and water cleaning will sanitize as well as clean I see no value in using SoClean.

[PoolQ]

well of course that is your call to use or not use, so thank you for the input.

I did say it does not remove oil and that you need to clean that. Just where is this "soils and residues" coming from exactly? there is clean water and air going into the system, once you take care of face oil. I specifically said this does not clean anything.

Is there a film in the hose? the inside of the mask? the air path in the CPAP?

Theory is different from reality. Yes you are correct that ozone does not penetrate films, answer please just where are these films and where would they come from under normal use.

I stand by what I said and in theory I agree with Melman, In reality I think his response is a special case if anything at all. We can agree to disagree and let the readers decide for themselves, we have both clearly stated our cases.

I am not ignorant, I am not uninformed, I like it, I use it, I would buy it again and yes I already knew your argument.

[Walla Walla]

PoolQ,
Thanks for the review. Nice to hear input from someone who actually uses the product.

[Melman]

I suspect it varies by individual but I frequently find residues  on the inside surfaces of the cushion and mask. They are probably the result of coughing and perhaps some drooling. Also, any vessel and tubing continuously exposed to water and not cleaned will develop a thin biofilm of bacteria and products of bacterial growth. Such biofilms are only effectively removed by cleaning and will not be killed by ozone treatment. So skin oil is not the only source of residues in CPAP equipment. It's not my intent to be argumentative. I just want to be sure that those who read this thread have a good understanding of the scientific facts.

[PaulaO2]

Please remember this section is the Review Forum. If any of you wish to continue this discussion, please take it to the Main Forum. Thanks.

[JimInPT]

I know this is just another anecdote, but I thought I'd report my experience in case somebody finds it useful.

I was put on the AutoSet 10 at the end of July 2018 and had the SoClean2 up and running 3-4 days later, using it on a daily basis for 10 minutes.  It seemed to be working fine; my hose, mask and nosepiece were clean-looking, clean-smelling and showed no signs of any schmutz buildup.  Since the day I took it out of the packaging, I never bothered to manually clean the hose or mask, although I bought a container of nosepiece wipes and used one or two even though it didn't look like it needed it.

In early October I was called away suddenly for a family medical issue, packed quickly and had room for the APAP machine setup but not the SoClean.  I ended up being gone for 10 weeks.  I noticed within just a few days that the hose/mask setup started to smell a bit off and by the end of the first week it was in the sink with soap and hot water for the very first time since I received it more than two months prior.  Cleaned it thoroughly and air-dried - boom, good as new.  Smelled nice and clean.

I ended up doing the same thing every week, sometimes more frequently, for the next 10 weeks - without the SoClean daily dose of ozone, my setup just got funky.  I never noticed any visible buildup of gunk, but something was obviously getting dirty.

Back at home with a sink-washed hose/mask setup, I've been back to my regular routine with daily SoClean cleanings since Dec. 19th and all is well - the hose/mask setup is once again looking clean, smelling clean and keeping me happy.  Zero manual cleanings in the sink for the last 7 weeks.

So again, just an anecdote, but for me the SoClean proved its worth when I had to do without it for 10 weeks.  I bought some activated charcoal to replace the filter myself when necessary to reduce cost of supplies by about 99% and plan to keep using it until it dies, where I'd plan to buy another one given my current experience.

FYI, folks; I've gotten a lot from this board and wanted to contribute what I could to the collective knowledge.  Stay warm and breathing!

[vroomvroom]

So again, just an anecdote, but for me the SoClean proved its worth when I had to do without it for 10 weeks.  I bought some activated charcoal to replace the filter myself when necessary to reduce cost of supplies by about 99% and plan to keep using it until it dies, where I'd plan to buy another one given my current experience.

FYI, folks; I've gotten a lot from this board and wanted to contribute what I could to the collective knowledge.  Stay warm and breathing!

Can you speak more about the charcoal filter? Where does it go? Does it just replace the standard air filter on the bottom of the device (I haven't gotten my machine yet, so I may be naively unfamiliar with the intricacies of the autoset s10)? Why not just keep using the "stock"/OEM filter they give you?

[JimInPT]

So again, just an anecdote, but for me the SoClean proved its worth when I had to do without it for 10 weeks.  I bought some activated charcoal to replace the filter myself when necessary to reduce cost of supplies by about 99% and plan to keep using it until it dies, where I'd plan to buy another one given my current experience.

FYI, folks; I've gotten a lot from this board and wanted to contribute what I could to the collective knowledge.  Stay warm and breathing!

Can you speak more about the charcoal filter? Where does it go? Does it just replace the standard air filter on the bottom of the device (I haven't gotten my machine yet, so I may be naively unfamiliar with the intricacies of the autoset s10)? Why not just keep using the "stock"/OEM filter they give you?

The charcoal filter I refer to is part of SoClean and is inside the compartment - it's supposed to neutralize the ozone gas as it exhausts the system.  That filter, and a check valve in the supply hose going to the CPAP, are the two replaceable/consumable parts of the system and are supposed to be replaced every six months for about US$35, which is ridiculous. 

First, the check valve should last a very long time and appears to be just a standard aquarium-pump device, available for about 2 bucks.  The filter is packaged in a custom plastic housing, but that can be opened (carefully) by prying off the top with a small screwdriver, then removing a simple rectangular piece of activated charcoal.  This material costs about 10 dollars for enough 1/2" thick carbon material to make 20 or more replacement pieces, which would last many years - just cut to size with scissors.  Searching the web will turn up some info on this; that's how I found out, it's not my discovery.

The point to remember is that instead of spending about $70/year buying replacement filter/valve combos, you can do it yourself for about $3 instead. 

BTW, I did buy one replacement kit (filter/valve) to experiment with and not risk putting my SoClean out of commission if I messed it up, so I can pop that in and work on replacing the carbon piece into the spare plastic housing for the next swap cycle.

Please feel free to ask followup questions if I haven't made something clear.

[vroomvroom]

So again, just an anecdote, but for me the SoClean proved its worth when I had to do without it for 10 weeks.  I bought some activated charcoal to replace the filter myself when necessary to reduce cost of supplies by about 99% and plan to keep using it until it dies, where I'd plan to buy another one given my current experience.

FYI, folks; I've gotten a lot from this board and wanted to contribute what I could to the collective knowledge.  Stay warm and breathing!

Can you speak more about the charcoal filter? Where does it go? Does it just replace the standard air filter on the bottom of the device (I haven't gotten my machine yet, so I may be naively unfamiliar with the intricacies of the autoset s10)? Why not just keep using the "stock"/OEM filter they give you?

The charcoal filter I refer to is part of SoClean and is inside the compartment - it's supposed to neutralize the ozone gas as it exhausts the system.  That filter, and a check valve in the supply hose going to the CPAP, are the two replaceable/consumable parts of the system and are supposed to be replaced every six months for about US$35, which is ridiculous. 

First, the check valve should last a very long time and appears to be just a standard aquarium-pump device, available for about 2 bucks.  The filter is packaged in a custom plastic housing, but that can be opened (carefully) by prying off the top with a small screwdriver, then removing a simple rectangular piece of activated charcoal.  This material costs about 10 dollars for enough 1/2" thick carbon material to make 20 or more replacement pieces, which would last many years - just cut to size with scissors.  Searching the web will turn up some info on this; that's how I found out, it's not my discovery.

The point to remember is that instead of spending about $70/year buying replacement filter/valve combos, you can do it yourself for about $3 instead. 

BTW, I did buy one replacement kit (filter/valve) to experiment with and not risk putting my SoClean out of commission if I messed it up, so I can pop that in and work on replacing the carbon piece into the spare plastic housing for the next swap cycle.

Please feel free to ask followup questions if I haven't made something clear.

This is great information, thank you!

I think if I do get a cleaner, it will probably be the UV light version of the new machine that came out (starts with an "L" and uses UV-C lights?) because ozone still kinda freaks me out lol

Also concerned about long term damage to the actual parts.

For the filter for the actual CPAP, do you use a charcoal filter as well, or only the OEM version of whatever it is they give you?