mmrrzz, everyone has a different idea on how often equipment should be cleaned, there is no right answer. I do mine as follows, humidifer and hose twice a week, Wed and Sun, straps and filter ever second week. I use a full face mask so it's different to your pillows but normally once or twice a week depending on if I dribble. Your nasal pillows may need doing daily. I just put mine in the basin after I have shaved and leave it to soak while I have a shower. I hang them up or leave the parts on a towel and wipe them out a few hours later. I use a fragrance free liquid soap. It really depends on how hygenic you want to be. I have never had any problems doing this but some will clean them daily and some weekly or more. If we wash things too often they don't last that long. On the water, I empty it twice a week and top up each day, I buy distilled water from the supermarket. You shouldn't use tap water unless it's boiled first. It is really up to each person as there is no right answer. Hope this helps, it is annoying but the benefits in the long run out weigh these small hassles, keep at it.

Thanks for the info Tez62 - I think I'll try the soaking in the basin idea. It should get things cleaner than just finger scrubing them with soapy water.
Mitch

I agree with you, it seems like I may just be making matters worse by cleaning , my rep said to use vinegar water so I use that in the water basin. I don't know if this seems weird to others, but I rinse the nasal pillows well under the tap, dry as best I can with clean paper towel, then I put it back on the machine, turn it on briefly to help dry interior. I would also like to know other tips on cleaning.

Kathy, some people use vinegar especially on the humidifier, I use a liquid soap with no fragrances. A lot suggest you just put them in the shower with you, I have mine on long enough so don't think I need to take it in the shower with me lol.

Hi Kathy, I assume you do not have a vinegar smell when you use the CPAP. When I got my machine the tech told us that someone had used bleach to clean the humidifier and became ill with the fumes that night. I think I'll stick to soap and water. I do dry things out by running the machine before I put the thing on.
Mitch

hi. i am on night 4 of machine and having some problems. the rep that delivered the equipment told me one thing on cleaning and then i looked up the cleaning instructions from the manufacturer which were a little different. I read that if you dont clean out the water chamber in humidifier daily it could get mold. Also, manufacturer says to use "pure soap". Cant figure out what that is. Even Ivory has stuff added.

I read somewhere

Roch369, there is no correct answer, I posted this earlier and others will have different idea's. Personally, I empty the chamber twice a week and top up each night. How's everything else going? Normally leaks are the biggest problems.

"everyone has a different idea on how often equipment should be cleaned, there is no right answer. I do mine as follows, humidifer and hose twice a week, Wed and Sun, straps and filter ever second week. I use a full face mask so it's different to your pillows but normally once or twice a week depending on if I dribble. Your nasal pillows may need doing daily. I just put mine in the basin after I have shaved and leave it to soak while I have a shower. I hang them up or leave the parts on a towel and wipe them out a few hours later. I use a fragrance free liquid soap. It really depends on how hygenic you want to be. I have never had any problems doing this but some will clean them daily and some weekly or more. If we wash things too often they don't last that long. On the water, I empty it twice a week and top up each day, I buy distilled water from the supermarket. You shouldn't use tap water unless it's boiled first. It is really up to each person as there is no right answer. Hope this helps, it is annoying but the benefits in the long run out weigh these small hassles, keep at it"

Rochelle - I was told to wash the humidifier and mask every day and the filter and hose once a week. I wash the mask and filter with dishwashing liquid soap and rinse it very well. I get no smell at night. I rinsed the filter in warm water only and took the hose into the shower with me. I tried putting soap in it but I don't think it did any good. I intend to use only warm water next week. I hang it over the top of the shower doors to dry.
Mitch

We all know that keeping the equipment clean can improve the seal and make it easier to fit each day.

In an ideal world, we would all wash our equipment with soap and water everyday, Tubing and masks and humidifier chambers would be cleaned daily, everything would be dry at the end of the day and it would all last forever, we would never be pushed for time. (That is the fairy tale)

The reality is more like this, You have two minutes before you leave the house, Throwing some of your equipment (humidifier bits and pieces) into the top shelf of the dishwasher. You are swiping the silicone bits of your mask, using un-fragranced baby wipes as you do not have time to take your mask apart this morning. You look at the tubing, thinking, hmmm maybe tomorrow. as you race out of the house.

Providing you have some type of schedule to keep things clean, you are doing well. Everyone is different. Do not beat yourself up, just do what works for you.

DoveinOz,

reply #9 was so realistic and honest. I have often wondered how people find the time, energy and discipline to take the cpap apart and do it all daily and have it all dry at night.

My spouse and I both use cpap, and we do not follow the recommended daily everything cleaning schedule. We do the best we can. Due to budget restraints, we are not replacing our water cannister, tubing or masks as often as we were for the first few years, every 2 month, 3 month, 6 month, ..etc. .... we are just continuing to clean them on a reasonable basis and try to stretch the use a little longer.

I was worried about infections, but, neither of us have had respiratory infections, flus, or viruses nearly as much as we did in our pre-cpap days. I think breathing humidified water instead of dry air is the reason we have been respiratory infection free and less allergy symptoms, too, from using the humidied air cpap at night.

When we got them, we were told we could use it without water humidifier, but not recommended....I don't think I could tolerate the force of the cpap at 18 and dry air....thankful for the humid air!

Thanks for your no nonsense realistic approach to this subject.

You said it best... don't beat up on ourselves, just do what works best for us as individuals.

I have been using my CPAP now for about 3 weeks and this is what the Tech told me when I got my machine. I must use distilled water so there are no mineral build ups and from what I have read ... boiling doesn't distill so paying a few dollars a month is reasonable. Second, she told me that I should get for my nose pillows, non scented no oil type wipes ( they had some so I bought them but will probably just buy a baby wipe that has nothing in it for my next purchase.) Just wipe the pillows out each morning. Then I take the water tank out and empty it .. dry with paper towels then put it back in the machine. The tech told me then to attach my hose and headgear and put the machine on warming... this drys out EVERYTHING and there is no need to worry about cleaning out hoses etc as there is no moisture to make mold (this was my main concern ) and the pillows are clean and this makes sure they are dry inside as well. The wipes don't make it wet anyway.
I bought some baby head to toe wash and will use that when I do decide to do any cleaning but it appears that my main fear was moisture causing mold and my tech said drying it the way I do will not leave any moisture... so NO MOLD. Of course each tech may tell some of us different, but the office I go to has been in business for 27 years so I think they know what they are doing. I will confirm everything again on my next visit but I ask several times to make sure this actually could be this easy to maintain my machine. Check with you tech and see what they say. I have to say..... it is nice to stay awake all day and no naps even in the evening which had become natural for the past couple of years.

Auburn2000, thanks for your information. Now that I've been using the equipment for about a month I'm used to the cleaning cycle. I decided that dishwashing soap was easily rinse-able so thats what I use for the humidifier chamber and nose pillow. I just squirt some into the chamber, reassemble it and shake it, then disassemble and rinse. I dry it as well as I can with a paper towel and leave it to air dry. Same for the nasal pillow. It's become a habit now so it's easier. I blow air throught the assembled mess for about 5 minutes at night to dry it or chase the spiders or whatever. I was glad to hear that the machine is making a difference for you. I'm still getting used to mine and sometimes still falling asleep in front of the TV late at night. Maybe that has more to do with age (74) than apnea.
Mitch

You said your nasal pillows are attached to a short hose... the short hose does detach and you can get your fingers into the pillows and wipe them out.. that is where I use the wipes. Just in case you didn't know. I think I would ask your tech about using dish washing soap... mine told me no fragrance or oils ... I ask if I could use Dawn and she said No that was not a good thing to use, just use baby soap.. I think deterents adhere to the hose or the hose absorbs the materials into the rubber. I was so tired that after I ate breakfast I would fall asleep in my chair then when we would go out of town about 40 min. away I would sleep all the way.. I just could not make it through the day unless I was busy all the time. If I sat down I would fall asleep. That is not happening any longer. Sometimes it takes awhile maybe to get used to the machine and how it works. Sometimes I wake up and adjust the nasal pillows but I fall right back alseep. I have gotten to where I know I have to be able to feel the air coming in before I know they are correct. I was getting it too snug and now after trial and error I think I am getting the fit down. I am waking maybe one time during the night if I hear air leaking but otherwise I don't. You probably are very busy during the day and it is probably normal to be tired and fall asleep in front of the tv... I used to stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. and now I find I am ready for bed much earlier most nights, I still stay up some nights late but it's nice to be tired enough to go to bed and actually sleep rather than waiting until I was so exhausted that I fell sleep in front of the tv before I was ready for bed. The reason being that I had taken so many naps during the day I wasn't tired until later at night. Good luck with getting good rest.

Hi - It sounds like using your CPAP has really changed your life - that's great. I have since found out how to detach the short hose. I'll have to check into the choice of soap. The stuff I'm using is odorless but it may have some undesireable quality. Thanks.