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Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - Printable Version

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Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - Beamrider - 07-04-2019

Hi all,

newbie here, diagnosed in April (after ~15 years of snoring and likely apnea) with severe OSA, now on CPAP as of June 23rd and so far going well (AHI always <2).

A question regarding care and cleaning of the machine. The manual says to wash/clean all non-fabric parts daily and fabric (straps and liners) weekly.

No prob with the latter and even the DreamWear nasal mask is easy to clean in the morning (I try to be compliant, sometimes I skip a day) with dish soap and water, but the tubing (I have the standard 1.5m one) is a pain in the neck. It takes ages to clean inside and out and I end up making a mess of water everywhere, the only way it seems is to take it with me in the shower and do it there.


Do you clean the tube every day? And do you have any quick/messless way to do it? Teach me your ways!!!


Thanks a lot in advance Smile

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - StevesSp - 07-04-2019

Mask inc cushion daily.
Water tank weekly.
Hose whenever I remember (approx bi-monthly)
Headgear never.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - DeepBreathing - 07-04-2019

There will be a lot of different opinions on this (do a search and you'll find dozens of threads). I used to clean all my gear once a week now it's when I remember. And as I get older I remember less frequently. oldman

The way I see it, the only air going through the tube has already been through a filter so there should be little or no dirt in there. I just hang it to dry each day and once a week (or so) i submerge it in a sink of hot soapy water and sluice it through. Rinse a couple of times and hang to dry.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - Beamrider - 07-04-2019

Thanks guys, appreciate your answers Smile

So it seems I don't have to wash the hose every day... that's good!

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - OpalRose - 07-04-2019

(07-04-2019, 04:44 AM)Beamrider Wrote: Thanks guys, appreciate your answers Smile

So it seems I don't have to wash the hose every day... that's good!


I used to wash my hose once a week....not so much now.

I do try to make the first of every month a day to clean everything, hose, mask, humidifier chamber.
I also change filters. The only thing I wash every morning is my nasal pillow.

Make this easy on yourself, we have enough to do as it is. Smile

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - djont57 - 07-04-2019

I have washed it once in the past year.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - bluesboybob - 07-04-2019

I guess I'm in the minority, but I have always considered the tubing to be the most important component to clean frequently. This is because it provides the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow. The humidifier sends moisture into the tubing. Once you turn your machine off there is no air circulation at all. And the inside of the tubing is dark. Dark, moist, stagnant air...perfect conditions for scary stuff to thrive. So I clean my tubing several times a week. It's really very easy to do. In my case, the tubing perfectly fits onto my kitchen faucet so it is simple to flush water through it. I have a spray bottle of a germicidal cleaner I spray into the tubing and let it sit a minute or two, then thoroughly flush it out. Then I hang it over a towel rack in the bathroom that is positioned perfectly over a floor vent so that air blows through it until it is dry. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes and the tubing is always clean and fresh. Once a week or so I soak it in warm water with Dawn detergent, along with the mask and humidifier chamber. Years ago when I first started on CPAP I was not very disciplined about cleaning and I ended up with frequent sinus infections. Since I've gotten more serious about the cleaning I've had no problems at all.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - Sleepster - 07-04-2019

You can buy a hose brush. They come in two sizes, one fits the 15 mm diameter slim line tubing, and the other fits the standard 22 mm diameter tubing. I stand over the shower in case there are any spills.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - Big Guy - 07-04-2019

I empty the tap water in the reservoir each morning and then wipe it dry with a tissue. I then leave it out / open to insure it air dries.

I use a Clorox anti-bacterial wipe on my mask / cushion at least every other day, if not daily. The hose / elbow, I'm now cleaning it about every two weeks or so. Hot water and some Dawn dish soap in my bathroom sink works very well. I also soak the headgear as well and swish it around, when the hose gets cleaned.

As others have stated, there's going to be a lot of opinions on what and how often things get cleaned / sanitized.

RE: Cleaning of the tubing - how/how often do you do it? - alshayed - 07-04-2019

I clean my hose once a month, if I let it go longer it starts to smell a little.