What kinf od vinegar ?

[Keoma]

Good evening,

it is recommended to clean the hose on a weekly/monthly basis and to times to times to sterilize aginst moisture (I ve got a heating hose)
I know that many of you use white vinegard 5% for sterilization. However, in France, white vinegard is available at 5% only as Balsamic. Is it suitable ? if not, white vinegar is 6 % and 8 % but nothing else at 5 %
What would you recommend ?

[Gideon]

Use the white vinegar, either percentage. It is the weak acid that you want to dissolve the minerals.

[Cpapian]

You're gonna use some water with it anyways. I use approx 50/50 ratio. Just add a touch more water and you should be good to go

[Big Guy]

I'm no chemist, so I just use White Vinegar. I don't even dilute it. I'm still alive! 

[plakky]

Some questions about using vinegar:  
Does rinsing a hose with vinegar, let's say the 50/50 water option, leave an odor of vinegar after the hose dries?  And is it only used to get rid of possible mineral buildup but not affect any bacteria, etc.?  And do those of you who use vinegar use it on your masks also?  Lastly, does vinegar adversely affect silicone?  Well, okay, really lastly: Is there an advantage to using vinegar for cleaning rather than baby shampoo?
 Thanks for anyone who has any answers!

[Big Guy]

Some questions about using vinegar:  
Does rinsing a hose with vinegar, let's say the 50/50 water option, leave an odor of vinegar after the hose dries?  And is it only used to get rid of possible mineral buildup but not affect any bacteria, etc.?  And do those of you who use vinegar use it on your masks also?  Lastly, does vinegar adversely affect silicone?  Well, okay, really lastly: Is there an advantage to using vinegar for cleaning rather than baby shampoo?
 Thanks for anyone who has any answers!

I only use vinegar in my water reservoir. Full strength, not diluted. After letting it soak for a while, I rinse the reservoir with cold water. 

No lingering smell or aroma at all. Everything else I clean, gets Dawn dish soap and hot water. I clean my mask and cushion with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes 2-3 times per week. Been doing this now for over two years. No problems with the silicone and the smell quickly dissipates.

[clownbell]

Get the cheapest vinegar available. Here it is known as simply "Distilled White Vinegar." Then I dilute by wild-ass-guess method -- not measuring precisely. Distilled White Vinegar is cheap here and widely available.

One other thing - if you use baby shampoo, the worst possible outcome is that your gear will smell like a freshly bathed baby, which I think is just fine.

[plakky]

Thank you, Big Guy and clownbell for the replies (and education).  I guess I think of vinegar as being acidic so was hesitant to use it, although I can see the need for it re mineral buildup, etc.  That there is no vinegar odor afterwards is reassuring, too.  (I do like the baby shampoo smell, though - brings back happy memories...  )

[Sleeprider]

The acetic acid in vinegar is why it is anti-bacterial, as well as capable of dissolving calcium deposits. I rarely wash the tubing and my general care of the humidifier chamber consists of dumping the water and wiping with a towel. I also rarely clean the mask, and every few days will wash nasal cushions with dawn dish soap and rinse with water. No problems in 14 years, but I do get relatively frequent replacement of supplies.

[Deborah K.]

If you don't want to use vinegar you can use citric acid powder to do the same thing.  I dump a teaspoon or two into my humidifier reservoir, add water to fill it, let it soak a bit, then rinse thoroughly.  I only need to do this because I use tap water instead of distilled.  I used vinegar a few times, but it left a smell I didn't like, but the citric acid has no smell at all.

Back when I used distilled water I just washed the reservoir with dish soap about once a month.