TiredMomNY, everyone will have a different opinion on how to wash your machine and tubing and there is no right way it's a personal choice in the end. What I do is wash everything twice a week on a Wednesday and Sunday and read the data off my CPAP at the same time. The DME I go to in Australia sells liquid soap which you could buy at a supermarket as long as it's not perfumed, I soak everything i a sink with a squirt of the liquid soap then let it dry on a towel for the day then dry it and put it together. I hand the hose up to get the water out. I have had my quipment for two and a half years without changing anything. Some people in the US use Dawn dish washing liquid and other use a small amount of vinegar in water to clean the humidifier and some put them in a dishwasher (I wouldn't recommend that). I use a full face mask so it doesn't need washing as often but pillows should be washing daily, hope that helps a bit.

Hey Mom,

If you would like, I will pass along my routine.

I use CPAP cotton wipes to clean my mask daily each morning and to clean the exterior of my machine as needed.

I have a humidifier and this is so easy to clean that I use a CPAP cleansing wipe, warm water, some baby shampoo and clean the humidifier twice a week. It is always dry by the night time and ready for use again.

As far as the hoses and masks, I clean them once every two weeks. I put warm water and baby shampoo in the sink and let the parts sit in the shampoo for ten to fifteen minutes before cleaning each part. I utilize a brush specially made for the hoses, a tooth brush and soft CPAP cotton wipe for help cleaning the masks.

It is extremely important that you do not use a cleaning agent that has alcohol, aloe, or any rough scrubbing agents. These will all damage the silicone of your masks and hoses. Baby shampoo is safe for this part of the cleaning.

Then I rinse each part very thoroughly to get all of the shampoo off.

Every month, I fill one of the largest pots I own with warm water and add the proper amount of disinfectant. I then soak all hoses and masks that I used during the past thirty days in the disinfectant for ten minutes. After this, I repeat washing each CPAP part; hose, masks, headgear, etc... in the sink with warm water and baby shampoo and repeat the cleaning as previously mentioned.

I do the disinfection in this order as I found that cleaning afterwards with the shampoo entirely gets rid of the disinfection smell which can be strong.

I have no affiliation with this but there is a great website called CPAP.com. Go under the cleaning supplies and you can purchase the wipes for daily cleaning, disinfectant for monthly use, and the very long brush that perfectly fits the hoses so you are able to scrub the inside of the hoses easily.

This may seem like a lot of work but it really isn't once you get into it. You will develop a routine and it becomes second nature.

Don't forget to check your CPAP filter at a minimum of every thirty days and change it if is is discolored (not white any longer).

Do not use this advice to override any suggestions made by the company who makes your machine and parts.

Best regards,
TheWino

I soak my mask and airhose in warm soapy water, ( mild detergent and not hot water) also suck the water into airhose
then gently wash and rince

I use vinegar diluted with water. It kills bacteria, and doesn't smell too bad.

My partner was told to use denture cleaning tablets. When he got the machine he use to clean it everyday but now every couple of days.