Moisture and cleanliness of CPAP machine

Sam, aka Member628307.. Typo on the name of the spray, or maybe it was that autocorrect that drives me crazy. The spray is called Contour. It is specifically for CPAP equipment. I get it at my medical supply store. Google it and you will most likely find other places. I see a website: www.contourliving.com It says, "Suitable for daily cleaning."

Should I have a cold or whatever... I do my soap and water cleaning routine.

I use the SoClean at home to sanitize my CPAP equipment. Has anyone else tried that?

Yes.. I have the travel version that the vendor gave me to try out in the semi.

It works well. I like that the travel version also disinfects the humidification chamber while doing the mask and hose. The home version doesn't.

OK, now it makes sense since the " SoClean 2 " at least this type is nothing more than an Ozone generator circulating ozone throughout the equipment thoroughly sanitizing everything... just as it does in other applications... e.g. water treatment plants etc. Too bad these systems are somewhat expensive... $300-to-$400 !?? I can see where this would be perfect for you long-haul truckers who are on the go so much! Sam

I use the home version and it DOES disinfect the humidification chamber along with the mask and hose. You can find them on Amazon for $299 and if you have Prime you get free shipping. Not a bad deal to make sure your equipment is sanitized and you don't get sick.

What great conversations about cleaning. One very simple think I don't think I've seen mentioned is the filter on the blower intake. They are easy to clean (ck manufacturer instruction for your particular unit) and an important part of good CPAP unit hygiene. Many units have an option to add a finer filter this time of the year to help keep allergens out. Most of those are disposable I believe.

Has anyone used the allergen filters to help with dust and pollen? Has it helped?

I've used the allergen filters in the truck. But with all the dirt and dust in the truck they plugged up quick and didn't work too well.

For allergy season I've found nasal irrigation to help me a lot. It's kind of cleaning your body's natural filter - your nose.

Good point Truckerdad. If you have dogs or cats or live on a dusty road or keep your windows open a lot, you might have to clean your filters more often and change the allergen filters more often. There might even be a "seasonality" to it where you have to check, clean and replace more often in the summer. Probably best to just get into the habit of checking the allergen filter and cleaning the other filter weekly. Then you know all is well. Why wait for a problem!

MakeSleepAPriority... & others. Years ago my nasal congestion was so bad I used a little innovation to install a high efficiency "HEPA" filter in the intake path of my CPAP & now BiPAP. I placed the entire PAP machine inside one of these large clear plastic storage containers... the ones with a snap-on lid. Then I purchased a HEPA filter that was ~5"x7" and placed it on the inside the storage container over a large group of holes I drilled through the wall of the container. AS a retired safety/industrial hygiene engineer, I know that large filters and low air flow velocities offer the most effective filtration. My HEPA filter even has a layer of activated charcoal. I think my last filter was purchased about 5 years ago for about $6.00 !
Does it HELP?... well I'd like to think it does! So if you are hyper-allergic, think about this trick! These very small filters in our PAP machines canNOT come close to the effectiveness my 35 sq-Inch HEPA filter offers... they are just too small and our PAP machines are pumping a lot of air through to and out of our masks !
Regards, Sam

I rinse my water chamber and nasal pillow and small tubing daily. I do a thorough cleaning weekly. My insurance allows for replacements on a regular basis. If I get moisture in the hose I adjust the settings. I find I need more humidity in the winter with the heat and the woodstove going. In the summer there is more humidity in the air so I need a lower setting.

After being a CPAP for 15 years and a few machines later, I use RP system one, it's designed to eliminate rainout. It does quite well, no water is the tubing or mask. I just change my nasal pillows and filters regularly and don't worry about the rest. I too drive a truck and travel with my old RP machine W/O the humidifier. I try not to over think to much. Just keep things clean it's all good!

I clean my face cushion, headgear, and hose with bleach every morning after I wake up. This ensures that it kills all the bacteria from my drooling into the mask. I also clean out the reservoir with bleach so that no algae forms in the water. I hope that I will prevent lung infections from bacteria buildup but it seems I keep developing an infection anyway from some kind of burning bacteria inside my lungs. I doubled the amount of bleach used but seems to help a little. Hopefully it will subside.

When I first stated therapy, I used the wipes you buy in a container for cleaning stuff. They contained bleach and the mask pad lasted about 2 months before the material started to break down. I now use mild hand soap to clean my mask. I use distilled water to avoid deposits and clean it once a week or so. Mask gets cleaned daily.

My son is 24 with duchenne muscular dystrophy and very vulnerable to pneumonia (it is the MD patient killer).

We spray down and swab the tank with Hydrogen Peroxide, and then swab the mask, every other day. We wash the hose weekly or semi-weekly.

No problem with accumulated moisture in the hose, but we live in Wyoming...very dry environment. So it has plenty of time during the day to dry out.

Tell me some more about soclean.

I put my cpap machine on the floor underneath the edge of bed. That prevents a lot of the rainout issues also turn down you humidifier you probably have it set to high much more than needed. I use three things in my truck to clean the hose mask and humidifier tank, 70% rubbing alcohol, Lysol wipe and hydrogen peroxide all three I rinse out with the distilled water I alternate between the three. It hasn’t hurt any of my nausal pillows or equipment been doing this for over three years now in my truck. Hope this helps.