[Equipment] Muck inside my CPAP full face Mask, how do I clean it

[daddyoh]

Thanks Big Guy, 
I been out of town today all day long, but will try the big hot wash tomorrow morning, I will dunk it all LOL and let you know how it went.

Jim

[daddyoh]

Hi All readers,
I cleaned the mask this morning using Vinegar, I let the mask and the water tank soak in this for around a half hour, rinsed them both, the tank (had usual scum) came sparkling clean but the mask with the black area on it did not. (Have to do the same with the heated hose another day, one thing at a time).

So I drove around town looking for the Hydrogen Peroxide found some at the third chemist I went in to, it is 6% solution and I bought a small bottle of this plus some diabetic syringes with sharps.
I will attempt to clean the black area on the mask using the Hydrogen Peroxide tomorrow morning as I want a dry mask to wear tonight.

Why did I buy syringes and sharps?
Well this morning while I was trying to use my fingernail to prod and poke around the mask where it has this black muck, I discovered there seems to be a hollow section in the mask area as the muck just shifted into a wider area, not good.

So my way of thinking is I will syringe it out several times by inserting the needle into just that area and by sucking and blasting the Peroxide in black area I should be able to break the black stuff up and get rid of it, then flush it with water and see how that goes.
The stuff cost me all of $7.95 Australian.

Don't worry Big Guy, I shall use the hot water also, desperate times calls for desperate measures!!!

Jim

[Sleeprider]

In the US we buy hydrogen peroxide by the liter (quart) for less than $1.00 USD. From what I’m hearing I would find a different mask. If you work through your supplier, F&P may replace the mask or Have a solution for this issue. The idea of having to inject disinfectant sounds less than ideal.

[Crimson Nape]

daddyoh - I'm surprised that your drug store or grocery doesn't carry Hydrogen Peroxide. Be sure to dilute the 6% solution because as the concentrations become greater than 4% the chance for skin burns increase.

[Big Guy]

Sounds as if the mask you are using may be problematic, in regards to keeping it clean and sanitized. If that's the case, I'd be looking for a different one. 

Nooks & crannies in a mask would be a big turn-off to me. 

[Cpapian]

Random thoughts:

That looks like mold from what I can see.  Did you mention you also had grung in your hose?

How much humidity are you using?  Or do you live in a humid area?

I think poking holes in your mask will make your problem worse.

Have you considered using a mask liner to prevent this from happening?  A mask liner would help absorb excess moisture, if moisture were the problem.  If your skin oils are the problem, a mask liner would absorb the oils and prevent them from sitting on the mask.  I don't buy them, I just take a piece of cloth (old cotton t shirt), cut to size with an opening for the nose.  Nothing fancy.  

I don't think Cetaphil is good for clearing up skin oils.  Dish detergent or shampoo would be better at removing oils. Q tips are good for getting into small crevices.

[daddyoh]

OK, it's 9.30am here in Australia, and around 5-6pm in USA so after I get ready for my day I will tackle the mucky face mask and post back here the results of my efforts.
Don't worry, I will be careful, changing the method to do this, going to use toothpics to rase the seal and poke from there, not through the silicon as that wouls leave a hole.

[daddyoh]

Hi to all the readers.
I FIXED THE MUCK PROBLEM 

First of all I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and help in this matter and hopefully if anyone else has this problem in the future they will have some answers how to fix it.

So how did I fix it? First I need to describe what I did with the Peroxide (which did not work).
I managed to use the 2 tooth pics to get into the "space" area and then carefully inserted the syringe filled Peroxide and injected it into the "space", now its waiting time, nothing happened.......... nothing.
OK cannot leave the peroxide in there so I flushed it out with copious amounts of water (using the syringe) and a lot of squeezing with my fingernail, OK what do I do now?



HERE IS THE ANSWER FOLKS.
During all the poking and prodding I noticed something, there was a hard snapping of the seal as I let it go with my finger nail, so I inserted the whole mask UNDER WATER in an ice cream tub full of clean cold water and inserted my fingernail into the outside seal and also from the inside of the mask, (each in turn not together)  let the seal go with a snap, the HYDRAULIC action was enough to break up the mould or gritty black grunge and the force of the water by the plastic snapping back ejected the muck.

I had to do this many times but it worked, I now have a clean mask again.

What a relief, it is outside in it's usual place to dry outside.



Hi Big Guy, yep I agree with you. But I like to fix something if I can besides I carry a spare mask here.


Cpapian, thank you for your input, I felt the black stuff after it came out, it felt "gritty" like dirt, not muddy, I don't know what mould feels like so it's a mystery to me what it actually is.
How much humidity am I using... dont know the settings but I use a half full tank of water every night, it can be humid here but mostly dry.
Nose liner.... sounds like a good idea, I will think about this.
Hmm you may be right about the Cetaphil, I use that so I don't damage my mask, maybe I should switch to dish detergent.....

I will also keep in mind your suggestion about using a cut out cotton liner, good idea, I have lots of face oil but I keep it at bay by using lots of soap on my nose and face area.

My hose is OK, no sign of any problems there other than it slips off the mask fitting every night, I will give it a good clean tomorrow.

I bought a "blue" hose hanger from a CPAP supplier and it hangs above the sink, it's made by "Respura" "Tube Cleaning System" it comes in a small box 1 Tube hanger, 1 Hook Attachment, 1 Suction Attachment and 2 tube Caps

I thought it could also be pressed into helping anyone who wants to hang their hose up above the bed so the CPAP hose tube is not at too much of a stretchy angle.

 
Sleeprider the costs of items between both our countries is because of the exchange rate between us, back in 2012, 1 x AU$ bought $1.20 USA$, today 1x AU$ buys .75c USA$ or abouts.


 Thanks everyone for all your help.



Broke my water tank again  when I was rinsing it this morning, the little back plastic tab snapped again, (got a spare one anyway).
Back to daddyoh water tank repair section LOL

[Big Guy]

Glad to hear that you were able to accomplish what you wanted. The method isn't as important as the end result. 

That's what I like about my FFM's. Very easy to clean and take apart. No tight spots or areas that can pose a challenge. My F30 is holding up very well and I expect to see many months of service out of it.

[daddyoh]

Thanks Big Guy, that's right, results count.
I have also taken a look at the F30 face mask you have mentioned in your posting, need to do some serious thinking, I still have a spare F&P Face Mask.
If I get the F30 then I can wear my glasses and watch the CPAP settings (which I carn't do at the moment) and the GZ generator, so do I cut my losses LOL.

Jim