01-05-2019, 01:31 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-05-2019, 01:33 PM by Fats Drywaller.)
RE: Sanitize CPAP
The people who think it's a good idea to use a "sanitizing" machine are working from a faulty assumption to begin with. There's a big difference between using stuff (for instance, CPAP mask, hose, etc.) at home and using the same stuff in a clinic or hospital. The disinfection that is done in a clinic or hospital is to prevent bacteria & viruses from being transmitted from one patient to another. At home, who cares (except for a few virus types)? Even if you don't live alone, you're all sharing most of your germs anyway, via air, dishes, utensils, bathrooms, etc.
I don't autoclave my kitchen utensils. If I were to buy some used ones at a flea market, maybe I would boil those for a while before using 'em for the first time, because who knows where they've been.
The clinical guide for each CPAP machine, and the user's guide for each mask (which contains information both for patients and for so-called "providers"), will usually have instructions for disinfecting certain components before re-using them with a different patient, generally using very hot (but not boiling) water for some number of minutes. (We could say that, to play it safe, a mask or hose should never be used by more than one patient, but that doesn't mean that it won't be. What if it's a low-budget kind of clinic staffed by former veterinarians?) At home, that's not necessary and we don't have or need the sterilizing equipment to keep the water at that exact temperature for that length of time. If I buy a used CPAP machine, I'm not going to use any mask or hose or humidifier tank that is included with it; I'll throw those out and buy new ones, or use ones that I already have, with my germs already on 'em.
RE: Sanitize CPAP
I'll just say it.
SoClean is a placebo to offset manifestation of hypochondria and has nothing to do with sleep apnea, related conditions, or equipment.
There. I said it.
OMMOHY
Contrarian in Residence
RE: Sanitize CPAP
Every Monday morning i fill the bathroom sink with warm water right from the tap and use about half vinegar submerge the mask, chinstrap, humidifier tank and hose in that for about an hour after taking the mask apart. then i just scrub it out by hand and drain the hose and run it all under tap water. I replace the filter every 30 days mask and hose every 6 months.