How meticulous R U?

[DariaVader]

This is a great information thread!

I am new -- been washing in watered down joy and hot water, and in the 1 week I've had the machine, i have done the whole shebang 2x and the nasal part and water tray daily.

I have a primary immune deficiency -- inability to make pneumococcus antibody - so I am actually sorta nervous about having an issue with cleanness

[Evpraxia]

This is a great information thread!

I am new -- been washing in watered down joy and hot water, and in the 1 week I've had the machine, i have done the whole shebang 2x and the nasal part and water tray daily.

I have a primary immune deficiency -- inability to make pneumococcus antibody - so I am actually sorta nervous about having an issue with cleanness

DariaVader,

I can understand about your caution.

The temperature of "hot water" can vary significantly depending on the system and the person. You might want to check with the manufacturer to find out the upper limit max for temperature for cleaning for each piece you are cleaning.

There are cleaning systems designed for cleaning CPAP equipment, one is SoClean 2 CPAP, and loads of vendors have cleaning/disinfectant supplies. Check the Supplier List at the top of this page.

[surferdude2]

I wash my entire mask daily in lukewarm water dosed with Dawn. Very hot water will damage the mask materials, especially the face cushion. After rinsing it in clean cold water, I shake it vigorously to get most of the water off. Then I dry it all carefully with a Kleenex and connect it to the machine and set it to 'Mask Check" for a couple of minutes to blow dry it. It's especially important to get the vent holes dry so no crud forms in those tiny holes that could affect the therapy.

[PaytonA]

This is a great information thread!

I am new -- been washing in watered down joy and hot water, and in the 1 week I've had the machine, i have done the whole shebang 2x and the nasal part and water tray daily.

I have a primary immune deficiency -- inability to make pneumococcus antibody - so I am actually sorta nervous about having an issue with cleanness

Just to ease your apprehensions a little. I am not trying to suggest that you change anything that you are doing for the sake of cleanliness.

Bacteria and viruses are too large to come with the water in the humidifier into the airstream. I use distilled water anyway but it is more because I have a "thing" about mineral deposition in the tank.

I will tell you one other thing. I am rather lax when it comes to keeping my equipment immaculately clean and even so, I have not even had a cold (or any other illness) since I started CPAP 4 years ago.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[surferdude2]

Folk's, Here's a test you can perform to see if you need to clean your mask:

Rub your well cleaned and dry finger, ever so lightly, along the cushion surface of the mask. If it's clean enough, your finger will do stutter steps as the silicon material tries to resist your finger from easily sliding along. If the mask is in need of cleaning, your finger will slide along the cushion smoothly, with little resistance. The oil from your face that is deposited on the cushion causes that and also causes the mask to be less than able to seal off your leaks.