Full face mask cleaning: do you do it daily or weekly?

[ellen1159]

If you use a full face mask, do you disassemble it daily and wash it, or do you use baby wipes to clean the inside of the mask and cushions and wash it once a week?

Do you hang your hose to dry daily?

Thanks.

[mdh235]

I clean and disassemble mine daily, except for the nozzle, which I'm afraid to remove because it really doesn't want to come off the mask and I'm afraid I'm going to snap it off or crack the mask. Mine sure doesn't work the way it's shown on the ResMed videos.

Last night I also wiped the inside of my mask with a baby wipe, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Apparently that ended up plugging some of the tiny vent holes on the mask, and once the pressure went up the mask started whistling and roaring like I'd never heard before. I had to get up and run it through clean water.

I didn't have time for it to air dry, so I dried it the best I could without touching the air holes, then put it back on. It took another ten minutes or so of really strange, loud noises before the holes were finally dry again.

Also, last night I had the worst leak problems since I started on CPAP a couple of weeks ago. So I just clean my in dilute baby soap in the morning and let it dry all day.

Too bad we just can't take a pill, because every night is a new adventure for me.

And yes, I hang my hose up to dry every morning as well.

[jgjones1972]

I take the cushion out and wash it with dish soap and then shake it dry every morning. That is the only piece I take out. Before bed I take a mask wipe (baby wipes work as well) and go over the inside of the mask as well as the cushion again, just to freshen it up.

I only take the whole mask apart once a week or even less frequently.

To make sure the hose dries every day, I empty the humidifier tank, wipe it dry, then put it back in and turn on "Mask Fit" (hold knob button down until the air starts blowing) for a few seconds. I turn "Mask Fit" off (press knob button again) and walk away...it will blow gently for quite a while on automatic cool down. This seems to keep it dry. I do this every morning right after I put the cushion back in the mask.

[ellen1159]

I take the cushion out and wash it with dish soap and then shake it dry every morning. That is the only piece I take out. Before bed I take a mask wipe (baby wipes work as well) and go over the inside of the mask as well as the cushion again, just to freshen it up.

I only take the whole mask apart once a week or even less frequently.

To make sure the hose dries every day, I empty the humidifier tank, wipe it dry, then put it back in and turn on "Mask Fit" (hold knob button down until the air starts blowing) for a few seconds. I turn "Mask Fit" off (press knob button again) and walk away...it will blow gently for quite a while on automatic cool down. This seems to keep it dry. I do this every morning right after I put the cushion back in the mask.

what a great tip, to use the mask fit feature.

[zonk]

I don,t use full face mask but take the cushion out and wash it in the shower in the morning
I used to have a set routine, now just wash the other stuff every now and then, maybe getting lazy or not bothered

[knightlite]

Being of really oily skin I wash the mask in dawn . It is used on wildlife in oil spills so that's enough for me . Before I used pad a cheek liners, I had to wash it most days. Now it stays quite clean and does not move around on my oily face , I go 4 days between washings . The mask stays very clean because of the washable liners . I love the feel of it too, besides it wicks any mask moisture away .
I wash it all in dawn , then a capful of bleach to a gallon on water and let it soak for 5 -10 minutes. This is more of a bacterial cleaning ,then I rinse it several times . I hand wash the pad a cheek /headgear at the same time , I limit the time in the bleach water and rinse it real good the first thing in the morning and air dry so its ready for evening . I dry my mask out with paper towels and leave one in it until night so it will take away any residual moisture.
But washing your face before bed is really a good thing .