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Re: Cleaning mask and equipment

Posted by AlA on April 14, 2004 at 05:07:23:

In Reply to: Cleaning mask and equipment posted by gerryk on April 13, 2004 at 17:26:24:

Your CPAP and gear are your very own, with your own bacteria. The hose and water chamber are not exposed to your bacteria. They have clean filtered air blowing out through them (not sucking up your germs). If you use distilled water there is nothing in the water to get your chamber dirty.

In terms of your mask, think of it as a toothbrush. Nothing is more dirty than your toothbrush. When is the last time you washed your toothbrush with antibacterial soap? You need to keep your mask clean of facial oils to seal - it is not really a bacterial issue.

In my opinion there are two critical issues in CPAP maintenance. The first is to mainitain your CPAP air filter(s) according to the manufacturers instructions. I know of one guy that had a CPAP for over a year and developed a cough because his DME forgot to tell him about changing the air filters. The filter and air intake was filthy. He wasted his time cleaning everything else in a religious manner. The air intake and filters are critical to health and clean air.

The second issue is to hang up your mask and gear daily so that they can drain and dry out. Keeping it dry prevents mold.

I disconnect the hose the from my chamber, cover it to prevent dust or debris from getting in, and hang up all the gear to dry. I add distilled water to the chamber daily and have not changed it for months - the water and chamber are clear and clean. I have never cleaned the hose, or Breeze except for soaping the pillows on rare occassion. I have only been on CPAP about four years. I am perfectly healthy, no infections etc. I do change the air filters on a very regular schedule.

Scrub it all as much as you want, but it seems like a waste of time and will probably wear out you stuff very quickly. I may be on the extreme opposite side of this issue, but it works for me.

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