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Skunk smell trapped in hypo filter

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gosijo +0 points · almost 2 years ago Original Poster

I clean my CPAP machine weekly and change the hypo filter every 3-4 weeks, based on how grey it has become. A few evenings ago, a very strong skunk smell entered our house. We immediately closed all the windows and ran all of our exhaust fans - bathroom fans and outside-vented range hood - for about 30 min until it became bearable. We kept the windows closed all night. In the latter part of the night, I kept being woken up by a strong skunk smell coming through my mask. In the morning, I took a strong whiff of my hypo filter. No smell. While pre-heating my machine at night, I tested the smell of the air coming out of the tube. Pungently skunky! I tried changing the hypo filter and that immediately solved the problem. Conclusion: the skunk smell got trapped in the hypo filter and will be released at the range of air pressure generated by a CPAP machine. Hypo filters are expensive and should last a few weeks. I can't afford to throw them away more frequently just because a skunk lives in our neighbourhood. Has anyone else encountered this problem? How can I safely remove that skunk smell from my hypo filter? I looked into Ozium Air Sanitizer but read that the vapours are not safe to breathe in. Would the filter retain its integrity if I follow the advice for skunky clothes, i.e., wash with a regular laundry detergent mixed with baking soda in hot water, then air dry?

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Sierra +0 points · almost 2 years ago Sleep Patron

I don't have a hypo filter and don't really know what one looks like. Your plan sounds good if the filter can take getting wet. Another thought would be to cover it in activated carbon powder and let it sit for several hours.

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gosijo +0 points · almost 2 years ago Original Poster

Thank you, Sierra. I'll give your activated carbon powder suggestion a try and report back.

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PutSleepApneatoBed +0 points · almost 2 years ago Sleep Commentator

Be careful that no residue of the activated carbon gets into the airstream and is inhaled, because that can be associated with pulmonary edema and decreased lung function.

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Sierra +0 points · almost 2 years ago Sleep Patron

Yes, to be safe it would be best to vacuum off any residual activated carbon.

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gosijo +0 points · over 1 year ago Original Poster

Thank you both for your advice. It turns out that all the hypoallergenic filter needed was fresh air and time - a week. For context, I've added a picture of two HYPO filters. The one on top (grey) was used for three weeks and trapped a lot of dust and fine particles (open window season), whereas the filter at the bottom (white) is new.

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Sierra +0 points · over 1 year ago Sleep Patron

That appears to be the inlet filter on the S9 and A10 machine. I don't bother to clean mine and just replace them every 3 months now. Some of the after market filters are much finer than the standard ResMed filters and need to be replaced more often.

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