Mirage Quatro Cushion cleaning

[Redorchid2404]

Hi All, 

So happy to have found this useful forum!

So for the first time ever I decided to start hand cleaning my mask, cushion, etc. I had been using an ozone machine which I recently heard is not good. 

I disassembled the mask unit and let it soak in warm, soapy (dish soap) water for about 40 minutes or so. I rinsed thoroughly and dried. It looked super clean. I put it down and returned to it an hour later and the clear parts of the face cushion had turned chalky white!  Horrors!

What does this mean and do I need to replace it?

I would love to hear from someone who is familiar with this issue. 

Thanks!

[Crimson Nape]

Hi Redorchid2404!  -  
What did you use to wash it, ammonia?   A mild liquid soap, like Dawn, Shampoo, or liquid hand soap, is all that is needed. Your description reminds me of my friend's wife calling from her work, desperately asking how to remove the white frost from an LCD monitor screen after cleaning it with ammonia.

- Red

[Redorchid2404]

“What did you use to wash it, ammonia?”

I actually used mild dish washing liquid. I’m just sick about this. 

[Crimson Nape]

Certain plastics will turn white when exposed to ammonia.  Based off of your initial description, this was the first thing that came to mind. Another thought, was it in direct sunlight? The color change shouldn't affect its operational capability, though.

[Redorchid2404]

"Certain plastics will turn white when exposed to ammonia."
When you said "plastics", it made me double-check what I initially wrote.  

I should clarify.  It's the silicon cushion that turned pasty, not the mask itself.  Clear descriptions matter!

[StevesSp]

I turned a Resmed silicon cushion white by cleaning it in a baby's bottle steriliser. It didn't seem to harm it in any way, though I replaced it a couple of months later just because it looked gross.

I now just hand wash my cushions in warm soapy (dishwashing liquid) water and rinse before air-drying. I find the cushions late a year or more, though I have noticed other Resmed mask cushions are made from a different type of silicon - firmer and less pliable. I have no idea what works with them.

[Redorchid2404]

Hmmm. I wonder if the water was just too hot…?

[Crimson Nape]

I don't know about silicone, but many of the plastics used in mask manufacture are made with a low-temp recipe. This is usually in the areas, or the parts, where they attach to the silicone. The best rule-of-thumb is, if you can't comfortably put your hands in the water, then it's too hot.

A while back I tried to dry a P10 nasal pillow in the microwave. It's all plastic and silicone, right? I got a blob of something for my effort. I quickly learned that a microwave destroys P10 pillows as fast as they can destroy a CD or DVD.
- Red