Cleaning methods and frequency

[Benzi]

Do the mask and hose need to dry after they are washed before using again? I often find that there are some drops of water even after a whole day (depending on the weather). I would have thought that a bit of moisture isn't a problem, especially since I'm adding moisture via the humidifier.

[OpalRose]

A few drops of water in the hose won't hurt anything. Just shake it out real good and once the air is on, it will dissipate by itself.

The mask and headgear should be dry.

[Big Guy]

If you hang the hose vertically, it will drip dry much faster, than just placing it on't it's side. 

Just common sense, but in these days, it seems like it's not so common. 

[Sleeprider]

I don’t wash the tube that often and always have more than one. So there is a standby if it’s wet. I guess in a pinch I could use my pool toy inflator to dry it quickly.

[mesenteria]

Benzi, did you ever run across one of those Drumatic Humidifiers, the rolling foam-covered cage where the foam dipped into a tray of water?  They sit as warts on the side of the main transom of furnaces in homes that have central heating.  Well, they were 'standard issue' in the married quarters in the military....every MQ had one.  Nobody did anything to them because they were auto-feed.  Trouble is, they were a disaster from the point of view of educated users.

The reason is that, as the drum rolled and dipped into the tray's water, replenished by a float valve as needed, it evaporated water to humidify the air entering the household.  As water evaporates, it leaves behind soluble and insoluble material.  Mostly, what gets left is salts.  After, oh, six or seven weeks into the heating season, those salts get sufficiently concentrated that they begin to leave a crust all over the tray's sides and lip, the metal cage, and even on the foam, eventually plugging up the latter so that its efficiency slowly gets strangled.  The renter occasionally glances up at that monstrosity, shakes his head, and vows never to investigate, or to attempt to interfere with, whatever the hell is happening inside that drum cover.

This is a long answer to your question about cleaning the device and its accessories, but it's highly relevant.  The reason you can't just continually top up the reservoir is that you will only be temporarily diluting an ever-increasing concentration of salts left from the evaporative process.  You MUST empty the tray entirely about once a week as a minimum, every day on the prairies or wherever you have hard water.