Ozone smell & mask yellowing with SoClean2

[Stom]

I truly do not understand why this one product gets so many people so fired up.

Says the person who wanted to recommend SoClean sue me for defamation for questioning their marketing claims, and said they'd like to be the "expert witness" in the lawsuit.

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid270417

You, yourself, are totally fired up about SoClean, all of your caveats notwithstanding. It's not an everybody but you thing.

[Lee Rilea]

We use ours 3 times a month washing everything the 4th week. Also the So Clean machine does the sanitizing for 7 minutes, followed by a 2 hour purge which vents any residual ozone. No, the machine is not needed, but we find this process is working out good. it's nice not having to tear everything apart every week. I'm glad on this forum we can have a civil discussion without being badgered and bullied as on another forum I know of.

[theoak]

"SoClean" ... really should be "SoSanitized".

As noted, it does NOT clean or wash or wipe or rinse.

It ONLY sanitizes.

The "Clean" in "SoClean" can be misleading in that respect.

It would be like if you were to put a bunch of ozone in a garbage dump. There might be no bacteria at the end of it ... but the garbage is still there.

Again as noted, with CPAP machines you are using filtered air and generally distilled water with air flow only going in one direction in the hose; hence, pretty clean circumstances to start out with.

I don't think folks are bad or good if they use it or don't. To each their own.

[Sleepster]

I personally smell "morning breath" from my CPAP every now and then, this is why I use SoClean.

When I get that nasty odor I wash the tubing with hot soapy water using a tubing brush. Happens about once a month or so if I haven't cleaned the tubing.

I used to have a CPAP machine that had developed a bad odor. I took it apart and found that every surface, including the impeller blades, was covered with a thin layer of rancid oil. After I cleaned it all and put it back together the odor was gone.

[Sleepster]

The "Clean" in "SoClean" can be misleading in that respect.

In their advertisements they mention that it's a hassle to clean your CPAP gear. But their device, by their own admission, is no substitute for cleaning.

Let the buyer beware.

[OpalRose]

I’ve never found it a hassle to clean my equipment.  

Besides the everyday washing of my nasal pillow, I set aside the 1st of every month to clean humidifier chamber, hoses, mask and most important...change the filters.  

This takes me about 10 minutes.  

Aside from the ozone issue and how you feel about it...even if I purchased a SoClean (which I wouldn’t), I would still find myself washing my stuff at least monthly.  

[Big Guy]

I personally smell "morning breath" from my CPAP every now and then, this is why I use SoClean.

When I get that nasty odor I wash the tubing with hot soapy water using a tubing brush. Happens about once a month or so if I haven't cleaned the tubing.

I used to have a CPAP machine that had developed a bad odor. I took it apart and found that every surface, including the impeller blades, was covered with a thin layer of rancid oil. After I cleaned it all and put it back together the odor was gone.

Any idea as to how the oil accumulated inside your machine? I'm not big on the idea of taking mine apart. Mine isn't even a year old yet, and I do keep the exterior of the machine very clean, as well as the surrounding area in which it rests. 

It's filter is always clean, as I don't let it go too very long before I remove it and clean it. 

I just kind of figured that they'd be no reason to open the machine up, unless of course, it began to improperly function. Even then, I'd be more inclined to return it for repair.

[bluesboybob]

After reading the messages in this thread I am beginning to think I may be a little obsessive about cleaning my CPAP gear. I do some form of cleaning every day. At a minimum I rinse the humidifier chamber and use a wipe on the mask and machine. I do this once or twice a week. On the other days I do more, sometimes soaking the mask, tubing, and chamber in warm water with Dawn detergent. Sometimes I use a spray bottle of "hospital disinfectant" on everything. And once or twice a week I use an ozone generator, not SoClean but one of those small ozone generators that you can find on Amazon for $40-$45. I just put the mask, headgear, tubing, and humidifier chamber in a container with the ozone generator in the morning. After it does it's thing I air everything for the rest of the day. I never do anything to the CPAP machine except change filters and keep the outside clean.

When I first started CPAP nearly 20 years ago I was negligent in my cleaning routine and as a result I started getting sinus infections frequently. But I was busy with work and with life so the CPAP often got neglected. Once I figured out that dirty equipment was making me sick I got serious about cleaning and have never had a problem since.

Regarding the ozone generator, all I can say is that I think it works well as a sanitizer. Based on what I've read I am concerned that it may be harmful to the innerds of the machine so I keep it away from that. I only use it on the "replaceable" stuff. If you want to give ozone a try I'd suggest one of the relatively cheap units available. It seems to work, although I could not prove it. 

I think the bottom line is that if you've found a method that is effective and fits your lifestyle you should stick with it. Just don't neglect cleaning your gear. It is important.

[Melman]

"SoClean" ... really should be "SoSanitized".

As noted, it does NOT clean or wash or wipe or rinse.

It ONLY sanitizes.

The "Clean" in "SoClean" can be misleading in that respect.

It would be like if you were to put a bunch of ozone in a garbage dump.  There might be no bacteria at the end of it ... but the garbage is still there.

Ozone is an effective sanitizing agent but none of the studies referenced by SoClean demonstrate that the machine is effective in real world conditions. Also, exposing garbage to ozone will not kill most of the bacteria present. It will just kill some on the surface and oxidize some of the organic matter at the surface of the garbage. I worked professionally with a number of vapor phase sanitizing and sterilizing agents. None are effective on unclean surfaces. They don't penetrate well and most of their oxidizing potential is expended in oxidizing the surface "dirt". I'm glad that SoClean users who have posted here recognize that they should clean with water and detergent as well but want to be sure everyone understands that if the surface isn't clean, it will not be sanitized.

[Sleepster]

Any idea as to how the oil accumulated inside your machine? I'm not big on the idea of taking mine apart.

I took the predecessor to your machine, the ResMed S9, and found nothing in need of cleaning.

The PRS1 BiPAP I had I saw the DME remove from the new packaging. I figure it must have had some oil left from the manufacturing process. Then very tiny particles got trapped by the oil and turned rancid. This was 6 years ago or so!