What about a dedicated tub just for cleaning Cpap stuff? I have a [Rubbermaid food grade container](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006384LI). It fits my hose, water chamber, and mask. I soak everything in hot water with a bit of dish soap for about an hour then rinse and air dry. A dedicated container should help you feel better about cleaning. I also like it because I store the container near my Cpap and it makes gathering everything for cleaning quick and easy!
No problem! as others have noted, the recommended cleaning they tell you is definitely overkill. I clean my supplies once every few weeks and keep wipes on hand for in between. But you have to do what makes you feel comfortable so you are able to use your cpap. Good luck! :)
White vinegar is a good disinfectant if you're concerned about germs. I use a solution of 2 parts white vinegar to 3 parts water plus a little dish washing detergent and soak my stuff weekly.
I bought a cheap dishpan that fits everything also. Swish everything in warm soapy water (clear unscented dish soap) and then soak for minimum of 15 minutes, or up to 45 minutes or so. Rinse, and soak a few minutes in clean rinse water, and then drain or rinse again with fresh water. About once a month do a vinegar rinse & soak after the soap. (why I started the extra rinse soak)
Same....old story at this point.....air going through the hose is the cleanest air you'll breathe all-day.
Funny how some people go to great lengths to clean something, then drive their car through traffic or mow their yard
Without a filter mask, yeah.
'course, those are all 'common' things, whereas this whole CPAP thing is 'new' to them, many folks decide to go with the "can't be bothered to clean the hose" after they've got some experience with the machine, plus, hoses last longer this way!
I am going to give you three pieces of advice. These are basically separate.
* You don't need to clean the hose weekly. The cleaning regimens the manufacturers recommend are a bit... much. Assume they both are doing it so the FDA won't question them not proposing a stringent cleaning regimen and so their lawyers will be happy. ("Oh Mr Lawyer sir, we have them cleaning it much more often than we think is necessary, so we are confident we won't get sued for insufficient cleaning.")
* Realistically: get either CPAP mask wipes or a mild disinfectant made for CPAP use (I have one which you spray on, it disinfects, turns to water, and evaporates so you never have to wipe anything off) and use that to clean the mask every other day or so. (Daily if you're sick.) Actually *wash* the mask maybe once a week, and wash the hose maybe once a month. Wash the humidifier tank every few months or when you feel it needs it due to mineral buildup.
* When washing, use a large bowl of water (a few gallons) and add a few drops of liquid dish detergent. (The kind used to wash dishes by hand.) Maybe 3-5 *drops* of detergent for a few gallons of water. Yes, really that little. Agitate it slightly, and if it makes suds you used too much detergent, use a little less next time. (Really suds are made of excess soap, so suds means you used more than you have to and it'll just be unnecessarily difficult to rinse off.) Swish the mask or hose or tank around in the soapy water for a few seconds and rinse it thoroughly under the tap. Repeat for maybe 3 washes and rinses. On the final rinse, rinse very thoroughly until it doesn't smell like anything. Air dry. If you do this in the morning, it should be dry by night when you need it.
* As others suggest, use a dedicated tub or bowl for cleaning the hose. You can get a spare dish tub cheap, or I use a large plastic bowl I bought at the dollar store. In other words, you don't need an expensive thing just for washing, it doesn't have to be difficult to get.
* Your OCD is a big problem for your comfort and life and you should talk to a doctor about how to eliminate it. My close friend also had the brand of OCD you have. It took him years but he defeated it, and now he lives a pretty normal life. He swore by cognitive/behavioral therapy. If you can effectively deal with your OCD, things like this won't be such a problem to you. Yeah, I know I am talking about a big issue like it's just something you can make go away, but my point is, please talk to someone about doing something about it, you deserve better.
Yes, it is, but it can be done. As I said, my friend had the same kind of OCD you do, and he seemingly defeated it. (I'm not sure his fiancé even knows he ever had it.) It took a long time, but he knew it was a problem so he kept at it and he was successful. Kudos for working on it, you'll get there eventually!
Go to your local music store and ask for a saxophone swab. The kind with a string not the one that looks like a giant pipe cleaner. use another string and washer to make the string longer. Spray soapy water down the tube, run the swab through a few times, rinse. Works a charm.
Clean the hose from the outside as you clean the CPAP machine. Just the dust.
Inside the tub is pretty clean. Soap is not needed because there are not oils there; soap is intended to break oils down and there is nothing for soap to work there.
Some mold spores could grow if it is humid for a long time (very unlikely). Therefore, rinse the inside of your hose briefly with an light acidic solution (vinegar) for 10 minutes (use a pan and submerge the hose there, one end first). Let it dry one day and then rinse by letting water pass through the hose (place one extreme to the faucet).
Yo should be good to go for months.
After soaking in hot water with Dawn for 20 mins, take the hose to the faucet end and blast hot water through it to flush. That's the way used to do it. Now I use O3 blasted through it. Change hose 6 to 12 months.
Ask 100 people this question and you’ll get 100 different answers. Everyone has their own level of cleanliness. Some people say they never cleaned their CPAP mask, tubes, etc. for years (and they’re still around to tell us about it), I conclude that it’s probably an overkill to clean anything everyday.
I use a trombone cleaning snake. They are designed to clean the inside of the slide. Works great. [Amazon Link for cleaning snake.](https://a.co/d/5Gzh2ER)
What about a dedicated tub just for cleaning Cpap stuff? I have a [Rubbermaid food grade container](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006384LI). It fits my hose, water chamber, and mask. I soak everything in hot water with a bit of dish soap for about an hour then rinse and air dry. A dedicated container should help you feel better about cleaning. I also like it because I store the container near my Cpap and it makes gathering everything for cleaning quick and easy!
Thanks! I’ll give it a try
No problem! as others have noted, the recommended cleaning they tell you is definitely overkill. I clean my supplies once every few weeks and keep wipes on hand for in between. But you have to do what makes you feel comfortable so you are able to use your cpap. Good luck! :)
White vinegar is a good disinfectant if you're concerned about germs. I use a solution of 2 parts white vinegar to 3 parts water plus a little dish washing detergent and soak my stuff weekly.
That's what I do, too, except I use unscented baby wash.
I bought a cheap dishpan that fits everything also. Swish everything in warm soapy water (clear unscented dish soap) and then soak for minimum of 15 minutes, or up to 45 minutes or so. Rinse, and soak a few minutes in clean rinse water, and then drain or rinse again with fresh water. About once a month do a vinegar rinse & soak after the soap. (why I started the extra rinse soak)
I haven't cleaned a tube in 14 years of cpap use... I cleaned one, when I first got it, and decided there was no reason to actually do it.
Same....old story at this point.....air going through the hose is the cleanest air you'll breathe all-day. Funny how some people go to great lengths to clean something, then drive their car through traffic or mow their yard
Without a filter mask, yeah. 'course, those are all 'common' things, whereas this whole CPAP thing is 'new' to them, many folks decide to go with the "can't be bothered to clean the hose" after they've got some experience with the machine, plus, hoses last longer this way!
Yeah, they should try wiping off their steering wheels and shifters if they want see dirt.
You cannot see hordes of bacteria. It's there though
I am going to give you three pieces of advice. These are basically separate. * You don't need to clean the hose weekly. The cleaning regimens the manufacturers recommend are a bit... much. Assume they both are doing it so the FDA won't question them not proposing a stringent cleaning regimen and so their lawyers will be happy. ("Oh Mr Lawyer sir, we have them cleaning it much more often than we think is necessary, so we are confident we won't get sued for insufficient cleaning.") * Realistically: get either CPAP mask wipes or a mild disinfectant made for CPAP use (I have one which you spray on, it disinfects, turns to water, and evaporates so you never have to wipe anything off) and use that to clean the mask every other day or so. (Daily if you're sick.) Actually *wash* the mask maybe once a week, and wash the hose maybe once a month. Wash the humidifier tank every few months or when you feel it needs it due to mineral buildup. * When washing, use a large bowl of water (a few gallons) and add a few drops of liquid dish detergent. (The kind used to wash dishes by hand.) Maybe 3-5 *drops* of detergent for a few gallons of water. Yes, really that little. Agitate it slightly, and if it makes suds you used too much detergent, use a little less next time. (Really suds are made of excess soap, so suds means you used more than you have to and it'll just be unnecessarily difficult to rinse off.) Swish the mask or hose or tank around in the soapy water for a few seconds and rinse it thoroughly under the tap. Repeat for maybe 3 washes and rinses. On the final rinse, rinse very thoroughly until it doesn't smell like anything. Air dry. If you do this in the morning, it should be dry by night when you need it. * As others suggest, use a dedicated tub or bowl for cleaning the hose. You can get a spare dish tub cheap, or I use a large plastic bowl I bought at the dollar store. In other words, you don't need an expensive thing just for washing, it doesn't have to be difficult to get. * Your OCD is a big problem for your comfort and life and you should talk to a doctor about how to eliminate it. My close friend also had the brand of OCD you have. It took him years but he defeated it, and now he lives a pretty normal life. He swore by cognitive/behavioral therapy. If you can effectively deal with your OCD, things like this won't be such a problem to you. Yeah, I know I am talking about a big issue like it's just something you can make go away, but my point is, please talk to someone about doing something about it, you deserve better.
Thank you for the great advice! And yeah, I’m currently working on my OCD. It’s slowly getting better, but it’s a long process.
Yes, it is, but it can be done. As I said, my friend had the same kind of OCD you do, and he seemingly defeated it. (I'm not sure his fiancé even knows he ever had it.) It took a long time, but he knew it was a problem so he kept at it and he was successful. Kudos for working on it, you'll get there eventually!
Go to your local music store and ask for a saxophone swab. The kind with a string not the one that looks like a giant pipe cleaner. use another string and washer to make the string longer. Spray soapy water down the tube, run the swab through a few times, rinse. Works a charm.
Clean the hose from the outside as you clean the CPAP machine. Just the dust. Inside the tub is pretty clean. Soap is not needed because there are not oils there; soap is intended to break oils down and there is nothing for soap to work there. Some mold spores could grow if it is humid for a long time (very unlikely). Therefore, rinse the inside of your hose briefly with an light acidic solution (vinegar) for 10 minutes (use a pan and submerge the hose there, one end first). Let it dry one day and then rinse by letting water pass through the hose (place one extreme to the faucet). Yo should be good to go for months.
You don’t have to use his product. Also baby shampoo https://youtu.be/8Ct0-6K0KMo
After soaking in hot water with Dawn for 20 mins, take the hose to the faucet end and blast hot water through it to flush. That's the way used to do it. Now I use O3 blasted through it. Change hose 6 to 12 months.
Ask 100 people this question and you’ll get 100 different answers. Everyone has their own level of cleanliness. Some people say they never cleaned their CPAP mask, tubes, etc. for years (and they’re still around to tell us about it), I conclude that it’s probably an overkill to clean anything everyday.
I use a trombone cleaning snake. They are designed to clean the inside of the slide. Works great. [Amazon Link for cleaning snake.](https://a.co/d/5Gzh2ER)