"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient
New? Free Sign Up
Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:
CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.
CPAP Supplies
Latest Activity
Your cleaning ritual
It is interesting to read what others do as far as cleaning their equipment.
Please post your experiences on cleaning your pap equipment.
For me my ritual follows like this:
In the morning when I get up I remove my mask and place it on top of my headboard (my headboard was once went to a waterbed and has the shelves on it.)
Nothing else is done at this time.
In the evening, if I am using the humidifier I top off the water with more distilled water. I don't empty it every night -- no need to if you use distilled water. Every few days or a week I will empty the tank and rinse it. I have the old style M series water chamber -- which should never be taken apart as they are hard to seal without leaks -- and have never had it apart. Put the water chamber back into the humidifier.
Take a shower and get ready for bed. Mask up and I am good to go.
No mess no hassle. Short and sweet.
Every couple of weeks I will replace the fine white filter. If needed I will wash the grey filter and let it dry before replacing it.
Every few weeks I will wash my mask cushion in warm sudsy water using baby shampoo usually. I have tried Ivory Liquid, Dawn Dish Soap, and baby wash. Do not use any anti-bacterial soaps as they can shorten the life of your cushion. I am still using the same seal since early last spring. No need to replace it as I still get a good seal with it.
I use the Headrest / Aura and since the headgear is attached to the body of the mask - I essentially have not submerged it into the water. I will wipe it down with a damp cloth and check for any signs of significant wear that would hinder proper therapy.
When using a full face mask I will wash the entire mask without the headgear in warm sudsy water and let it dry. I do not take it apart as I find it hard to get it to seal properly.
Every week or so I will dump the water in the humidifier chamber and swish with plain water. I have never washed it let alone take it apart. I am still using my original chamber.
I have never washed my tubing -- still using original tubing from August of 2007. Do occasionally remove the snuggle cover and wash it in with my clothes and check the hose for any signs of damage or wear.
Every few months I will wipe the outer case of my pap machine.
This pretty much takes care of my routine care. So far I haven't gotten sick or become unhealthy by my cleaning ritual. Your mileage may vary.
Please post your experiences on cleaning your pap equipment.
For me my ritual follows like this:
In the morning when I get up I remove my mask and place it on top of my headboard (my headboard was once went to a waterbed and has the shelves on it.)
Nothing else is done at this time.
In the evening, if I am using the humidifier I top off the water with more distilled water. I don't empty it every night -- no need to if you use distilled water. Every few days or a week I will empty the tank and rinse it. I have the old style M series water chamber -- which should never be taken apart as they are hard to seal without leaks -- and have never had it apart. Put the water chamber back into the humidifier.
Take a shower and get ready for bed. Mask up and I am good to go.
No mess no hassle. Short and sweet.
Every couple of weeks I will replace the fine white filter. If needed I will wash the grey filter and let it dry before replacing it.
Every few weeks I will wash my mask cushion in warm sudsy water using baby shampoo usually. I have tried Ivory Liquid, Dawn Dish Soap, and baby wash. Do not use any anti-bacterial soaps as they can shorten the life of your cushion. I am still using the same seal since early last spring. No need to replace it as I still get a good seal with it.
I use the Headrest / Aura and since the headgear is attached to the body of the mask - I essentially have not submerged it into the water. I will wipe it down with a damp cloth and check for any signs of significant wear that would hinder proper therapy.
When using a full face mask I will wash the entire mask without the headgear in warm sudsy water and let it dry. I do not take it apart as I find it hard to get it to seal properly.
Every week or so I will dump the water in the humidifier chamber and swish with plain water. I have never washed it let alone take it apart. I am still using my original chamber.
I have never washed my tubing -- still using original tubing from August of 2007. Do occasionally remove the snuggle cover and wash it in with my clothes and check the hose for any signs of damage or wear.
Every few months I will wipe the outer case of my pap machine.
This pretty much takes care of my routine care. So far I haven't gotten sick or become unhealthy by my cleaning ritual. Your mileage may vary.
Views: 34
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Melodie on
-
Carol and Group,
Here is what I was told to do about cleaning and care for my equipment. But keep in mind that I started out with a normal ResMed C-PAP device and was later changed to the lastest technology for Central Sleep Apnea, which for me is the new Respironics Bi-PAP Auto SV with heated humidifier and an oxygen bleed at 4 liters per minute.
Cleaning Routine:
Every morning I remove the humidifier, empty it, and rinse with hot water and white vinegar. I also use the Cleaning Wipes and clean my nasal pillows in the morning (or sometimes wait until I am getting ready for bed to clean the nasal pillows).
I let the humidifier air dry in my dish rack during the day. The Respiratory Therapist told me NEVER to leave my humidifier on the unit with distilled water in it, as the new technology on this unit is designed to be taken apart every day and cleaned. Once or twice a week, I wash the humidifier chamber in hot mild sudsy dish water, rinse with hot water and white vinegar mixture and let air dry.
Also once a week I rinse out the tubing with a 50/50 mixture of hot water and white vinegar and hang from the shower to let air dry during the day. And of course I remove the snuggle fleece cover first. I have not washed the snuggle fleece cover yet, but have only had it about a month and I accidentally threw away the washing instructions for the fleece cover.
Twice a week I wash/rinse the air filters from the machine, as I have two (2) Himalayan cats in the house and they have long hair, so I have to be sure I keep my filters totally free of any cat hair floating around in the air. I do the same thing with the washable filters on my oxygen concentrator, due to the cats.
Please note that I also have Systemic Lupus, meaning I basically have no immune system - or my immune system attacks various organs in the body at will and I can get sick very quickly and have to stay on a strict cleaning regimen due to my Lupus also. That falls into play in everything in my life, which is a major pain in the rear end! So, yes I spray Lysol or anti-bacterial spray all over the house, use hand sanitizers all the time and am constantly washing my hands.
I am also homebound due to numerous other illnesses - so I have plenty of time to do all the extra cleaning and care of my new Bi-PAP device.
The normal patient, that does not have other illnesses such as I do, would not need to be as OCD about cleaning as much as I do, but I was told never to just top off the distilled water in the humidifier, but to always dump it out and refill daily as germs "can" build up due to the heat from the humidifier.
This is my basic routine for care of my equipment. Hope this is helpful to someone. You can see that Carol and I have very different routines, but there are also extenuating circumstances in my case, such as the lupus and "Cental Sleep Apnea" which calls for a completely different type of equipment.
Melodie
-
Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
-
Each of us have to do what we are comfortable with.
Some like to do thorough cleaning often -- others of us -- a quick swipe and we are done.
I have been told not to hang the hose in the bathroom though due to the high humidity levels which in turn can encourage mold growth. It is best to air dry it elsewhere if possible.
I feel for the most part the DME's and equipment suppliers tell us the cleaning routines that best covers their rear ends. If they were lax on their recommendations and someone did get sick there could be a possiblity of a lawsuit.
-
Permalink Reply by Mike on
-
You say that you "have the old style M series water chamber -- which should never be taken apart as they are hard to seal without leaks -- and have never had it apart." I used to have that water chamber myself. It's terrible. Mine leaked all over my furniture --- a known product defect I believe. Anyway, I told my DME about the problem and they were very quick to replace the humidifier for me at no charge with the latest, greatest humidifier chamber. I think they're sick of people calling up and complaining about ruined furniture and the like. I bet you'd have the same good luck. Worth a shot.
-
-
Thanks for the tip Mike. I have been afraid to take it apart for fear that it will be nearly impossible to get it to seal where it won't leak. I do have the Fisher and Paykel stand alone humidifier but have been too lazy to dig it out of the closet. I love the stand alone humidifier as it holds more water. The down side is that it takes up more room on the headboard.
-
Permalink Reply by Ruth Rayceen on
-
Sounds like you have an efficient established routine that works well for you. After starting cpap, it was 11:00am before I finished my cleaning routine. I took mask apart, washed everything that wasn't tied down in my bathroom sink - including the hose, which took a long time to try. I used dawn dishwashing liquid, and had to rinse the hose several times, to get the detergent suds and re-suds out of it. I also washed my humidifier every day, and every few days put half water, half vinegar and let it set for 30 minutes. I followed the cleaning routine the Therapist taught me, and I was busy for an hour or so.
Now, I rarely wash my hose, and I found the more I took my mask apart, the more I had leak problems. I still wipe my bathroom sink and counter down with a Kirkland cleaning wipe, then swish the plastic parts of my mask in dawn suds, rinse immediately and lay on a towel in another room to drip dry. I like the feeling of a freshly clean mask when I put it on in the evening. Now I follow the cleaning routine, that is appropiate for me, and it takes only a few minutes.
-
-
I think that is the key Ruth, finding the routine that works for you as an individual. There are some that must clean thoroughly due to compromised immune systems. Others just have a clean obsession (don't mean that in a bad way), Over the last couple of months I have even gotten more lax with my cleaning routine. I was thinking this morning I ought to take my humidifier off since it is warming up and last summer I didn't need the humidifier and took it off.
Cleaning is a very individual thing -- in my opinion, there is no right or wrong way to do it -- it is what works for you.
© 2024 Created by The SleepGuide Crew.
Powered by
