Protec cleaning ball - for humidifier

[eseedhouse]

*cough*
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/m...than-good/

Thank you, I will look into that more tomorrow, I expect the article is correct.

Bottom line is that they don't kill bacteria in a normal hand wash - it takes several minutes. Also they can mess up your gut biome and they may promont bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

[archangle]

No to the Protec cleaning ball. Even if it's good in general, you don't want to be breathing in whatever is in it in the more concentrated quantities you'd get from a CPAP humidifier, unless it's been evaluated for that use. Even if you think the "active" ingredient is safe, there might be other things in there in quantities that aren't of concern in room humidifiers, but are of concern in CPAP.

Why are you concerned? Have you had some sort of nastiness in your tank? Normal cleaning is usually good enough.

I put my water tank in the dishwasher once every other week, and have been doing so for 12 years now, and don't have problems.

Get a spare water tank either way. Often your insurance will buy a new one every 6 months or so. If not, they're fairly cheap online. Once you have a spare, once a week, clean the tank you're using really well, dry it, and let it sit empty for a week or so, when you switch again. To my mind, drying out really well is a good way to reduce germs and ick.

Control III disinfectant is a good, safe, sanitizer for parts you can immerse. READ THE DIRECTIONS. The diluted solution is relatively benign, but the concentrate is fairly nasty until you dilute it. Available online from many sources.

If you're worried, once you have a spare tank, you can try hot water on the old tank. Boil a big pot of water on the stove, turn off the heat, put the disassembled humidifier into the water and let it sit until the water cools. I've had this damage the ResMed S9 "standard" tank, but PRS1 (50 and 60) tanks, S9 dishwashable, and Respironics M series and Legacy tanks had no problem.

Remember, ONLY do this if you have a spare tank.

The hot water or Control III aren't necessary very often, if at all. I've only done it with used equipment, or with equipment that I've used for a LONG time.