# CPAP/BiPAP Tricks!



## LillyBBBW (Nov 15, 2007)

I love my CPAP but it sure is high maintenance. Anybody have any cleaning and or maintenance tips they want to share? What kind of solution do you clean your tubing with?


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## saucywench (Nov 15, 2007)

I confess I am lazy about cleaning. Ugh.

This past weekend I was forced to clean it. I got a new machine back in the summer when my old one broke, and the headgear and tubing were long due for cleaning.

I first clean out one side of the kitchen sink, spraying it down with some Clorox CleanUp or Fantastik antibacterial, scrub really good, and rinse out. Then I fill the sink about halfway with some hot (ok, very very warm) water, add a few drops of Dawn, take the mask apart, and throw it in to soak for a while. Once the soap has had time to break down the oils on the velcro-like straps, I get an old (but clean) toothbrush and scrub the straps really good. I rinse it off, try to squeeze out as much excess water as possible, then hang it on a towel over the shower curtain to dry. I dry the other mask parts with a paper towel and snap them back together.

Oh yeah, don't forget to check your filter. Be sure to clean and rinse it off as well, or, if it's really grody, make sure you have a replacement on hand.

Next I fill the tube up with warm water, then pour a TINY bit (less than 1/4 cup) of Clorox in it. I swish it around to distribute well, then curl the tubing up in the sink to soak, with the ends sticking up so the water doesn't drain out. After I've cleaned my mask parts, I drain the tubing, run fresh water through it, then hang it over the shower rod to dry, also.

The humidifier container is a little trickier. I put a drop of Dawn in it, fill it with warm water, swish it around, then let it soak. After soaking I empty the sudsy water then rinse it well with clear water. The problem is that I can't get all of the water out, so I leave it in the dish drainer and hope that the remaining water will evaporate before I fill it with distilled water to use later that night.

Oh, yeah, don't forget to check your filter. Be sure to clean and rinse it, or, if it's really grody, be sure to have a replacement on hand.



LillyBBBW said:


> I love my CPAP but it sure is high maintenance. Anybody have any cleaning and or maintenance tips they want to share? What kind of solution do you clean your tubing with?


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 15, 2007)

After about a week without cleaning, whatever it is that happens inside the tubing and/or the humidifying chamber will irritate my throat and lungs -- bad news for singers. I try to clean the thing every weekend. If I don't, by Tuesday I'll be wheezing. 

I haven't cleaned my chin strap at all since I've had it I admit. It's usually just the tubing and the humidifier chamber I clean. I have a huge Rubbermaid tub that I fill with hot water. I toss in some unscented laundry detergent and some bleach and I soak the tubes, nose pillows and chamber in the solution. 

I've rigged up this aparatus that I use to clean the invisible crud out of the inside of the tubing. I have a long piece of string. On one end I tie a knot and on the other I've threaded the spongy part of a sponge hair curler, then knotted the end of the string around a piece of cloth so that the curler won't pull off. I soak the aparatus in the bleach solution and then I use the string to pull the curler through the tubing allowing the sponge to clean the film out of the inside of the tube. Then I rewet the sponge roller in the cleaning solution and run it through the tube a second time the other way. I rinse everything really well and then hang it all up to dry. 

I've made a second aparatus with just a clean little piece of towel on the end. I pull that through when I'm in a rush and I need the tube to be dry right away.




saucywench said:


> I confess I am lazy about cleaning. Ugh.
> 
> This past weekend I was forced to clean it. I got a new machine back in the summer when my old one broke, and the headgear and tubing were long due for cleaning.
> 
> ...


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Nov 16, 2007)

They say you're supposed to clean the mask etc. for CPAPs every day, yet I don't know one single person that does this. I just wipe off the mask every night (unless I forget. Oops!) with a regular baby wipe. Then I go for the big cleaning once a week. I just put a big bowl in the sink and fill it with dish detergent and vinegar and soak my mask, tubes, filter, etc. in it for half an hour. Then I just rinse them with faucet water. I used to clean the straps and chinstrap in there too but now I just throw them in the washing machine. So far, so good.


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## lisabarlow (Jul 20, 2011)

Yes its true that everyone almost gets lazy in terms of cleaning but we can't do nothing about it but we have to clean it or else you will be allergic for the dust and dirty of your CPAP.


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## imfree (Jul 20, 2011)

Oh my!, I never clean my BiPAP mask and tubing and have never suffered any ill effects for the 6 years I've been using one. The VA periodically replaces the mask and tubing.

On a lighter note, I used my mask as a prop to do this Darth Vader spoof.


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