Cleaning equipment!! and Distilled Water??

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by paula jones on July 11, 2011 at 16:36

ohhhhhh yeh no probs!! i will buy direct!! wheres the link on this site to your shop?? cant find it!! Thanks x x

Kath Hope said:

It's better to buy the products from the website though Paula, as some of them are cheaper due to Ebay's selling charges + you can also pay by Paypal on the website.  The choice is yours though, as I know some people prefer shopping on Ebay (I certainly like my bargains on there lol).
paula jones said:

iv found u on ebay,iv added u as a fav seller,so i will be looking..thanks x x ohhh my name on ebay is paulaj5319

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Permalink Reply by paula jones on July 11, 2011 at 16:37

hi been tesco today and got some ashbeck water so hopefully it will be good for me!! Thanks x x x

paula jones said:

Thanks,thats really helpful..u have spring water r mineral water!1 r these any good,been asda today and they have so many different ones,but most r spring r mineral..iv written the one u said down and i will get some,but just wondering Spring r mineral r none...iv used baby shampoo for my hose,so i will buy some white vinegar..Thanks x x

Tigers Fan said:

Warm water and washingup liquid for the headgear (straps) - rinse well.

White vineger or a proprietry scale remover for the humidifier - rinse well.

Distilled watetr not necessary in UK. Brita filtered tap water, supermarket bottled water at about £2 for 12 litres, not the expensive stuff.

Lots of folk do it differently but those items have worked well for me for three years.

 

Come to think of it, Tesco's Ashbeck water is slighhtly acidic so it would keep your humidifier scale free as well as clean what is already accumulated.

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Permalink Reply by Julie on July 11, 2011 at 20:02

Hi Paula

 

I've been using CPAP for over 2 years now so I know my regime works but everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Every morning I wipe down my mask liner (which is the part that sits next to your face) with Cittrus CPAP mask wipes then I leave it to air dry. This removes any oil residue from the previous nights use and leaves the mask liner fresh for the night ahead. Once a week I fill my sink with hand hot water and a squirt of fairy liquid (I use the antibacterial one) and place everything in to soak for around 5 mins. This includes the plastic mask (all bits), mask liner and hose (making sure the hose is filled with the water from the sink). After soaking for 5 mins I then squirt a little fairy liquid onto the mask liner and rub over the liner using my fingers then soaking it in the water again for a minute or so, this will remove any further residue on the mask. I then remove everything, empty the sink and refill with hand hot water again and soak for another minute or so. I remove the hose and hang it over my shower head, everything else is left on a towel to air dry making sure the mask liner is ridge side down ie the part that touches your face is facing up the way. I wash the headgear separately again in fairy liquid and rinse well then place over a towel rail.  I must admit though, Kath is right re the fairly liquid, it does leave a residue so I’m going to change that and try the baby shampoo instead.   I suffer with eczema so using a cheaper fairy liquid will just irritate that. 

The tub of Cittrus CPAP mask wipes cost around £10 and you get approximately 62 wipes per tub so it should last you two months. I buy mine from Kath at Hope2sleep.co.uk.   One further thing to remember is wash your face at night with an oil/moisturiser free soap or cleanser as this will help your mask seal on your face. I use a facial wash which is non oily of course this was after buying a really lovely one which unfortunately contain oil and I can't use it so now going to have to give it away ahhhhhh!  Also remember your headgear will stretch with use so it's worth reajusting from time to time.   I had mine too slack at one point and I was waking up during the night with mask leakage.  I don't have a dehumidifier and have never used one so can't comment on that.  

Hope this helps.

Julie

 

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Permalink Reply by paula jones on July 12, 2011 at 0:01

Excellent .Thanks..will look at this shop site thingy defo..Thanks i have lots of different ways of cleaning now so i will have a good go at a few and see wots best for me!! Thank u very much for sharing with me!! its good to know people who have been through this..i felt so alone at the begining...Thanks x x

Julie said:

Hi Paula

 

I've been using CPAP for over 2 years now so I know my regime works but everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Every morning I wipe down my mask liner (which is the part that sits next to your face) with Cittrus CPAP mask wipes then I leave it to air dry. This removes any oil residue from the previous nights use and leaves the mask liner fresh for the night ahead. Once a week I fill my sink with hand hot water and a squirt of fairy liquid (I use the antibacterial one) and place everything in to soak for around 5 mins. This includes the plastic mask (all bits), mask liner and hose (making sure the hose is filled with the water from the sink). After soaking for 5 mins I then squirt a little fairy liquid onto the mask liner and rub over the liner using my fingers then soaking it in the water again for a minute or so, this will remove any further residue on the mask. I then remove everything, empty the sink and refill with hand hot water again and soak for another minute or so. I remove the hose and hang it over my shower head, everything else is left on a towel to air dry making sure the mask liner is ridge side down ie the part that touches your face is facing up the way. I wash the headgear separately again in fairy liquid and rinse well then place over a towel rail.  I must admit though, Kath is right re the fairly liquid, it does leave a residue so I’m going to change that and try the baby shampoo instead.   I suffer with eczema so using a cheaper fairy liquid will just irritate that. 

The tub of Cittrus CPAP mask wipes cost around £10 and you get approximately 62 wipes per tub so it should last you two months. I buy mine from Kath at Hope2sleep.co.uk.   One further thing to remember is wash your face at night with an oil/moisturiser free soap or cleanser as this will help your mask seal on your face. I use a facial wash which is non oily of course this was after buying a really lovely one which unfortunately contain oil and I can't use it so now going to have to give it away ahhhhhh!  Also remember your headgear will stretch with use so it's worth reajusting from time to time.   I had mine too slack at one point and I was waking up during the night with mask leakage.  I don't have a dehumidifier and have never used one so can't comment on that.  

Hope this helps.

Julie

 

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Permalink Reply by Julie on July 12, 2011 at 19:56

You are very welcome Paula....  Just try the different suggestions and see what suits you although for me the wipes are a definite must as they just save so much time.   I only wash my gear at the weekend and use the wipes every moning all week.  Before that it was a hastle trying to clean the mask with water each morning.

 

Must admit that when I was diagnosed with SA I was totally frustrated and fed up as getting used to the mask was an absolute nightmare for me.  Now I can't sleep without it.  I've dosed off on the couch a few times but wake up gasping for breath only now I realise I'm doing it whereas I didn't know before.   There were a number of people who were being tested at the hospital on the same night as me who were dying to get their hands on the equipment but only 3 of us were diagnosed and to be honest if they had said only two could have the treatment then I would happily have passed it over.  One thing that did annoy me was that the nurses tried to encourage me to give high numbers for the questionaire they asked me to complete and said that unless I got over 12 they wouldn't treat me.   I'm not one for obeying rules if I feel it's not right, I always use my own instincts. I only got 8 and they treated me anyway. 

 

Anyway let us know how you get on.

 

Julie

xxx

 

 

paula jones said:

Excellent .Thanks..will look at this shop site thingy defo..Thanks i have lots of different ways of cleaning now so i will have a good go at a few and see wots best for me!! Thank u very much for sharing with me!! its good to know people who have been through this..i felt so alone at the begining...Thanks x x

Julie said:

Hi Paula

 

I've been using CPAP for over 2 years now so I know my regime works but everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Every morning I wipe down my mask liner (which is the part that sits next to your face) with Cittrus CPAP mask wipes then I leave it to air dry. This removes any oil residue from the previous nights use and leaves the mask liner fresh for the night ahead. Once a week I fill my sink with hand hot water and a squirt of fairy liquid (I use the antibacterial one) and place everything in to soak for around 5 mins. This includes the plastic mask (all bits), mask liner and hose (making sure the hose is filled with the water from the sink). After soaking for 5 mins I then squirt a little fairy liquid onto the mask liner and rub over the liner using my fingers then soaking it in the water again for a minute or so, this will remove any further residue on the mask. I then remove everything, empty the sink and refill with hand hot water again and soak for another minute or so. I remove the hose and hang it over my shower head, everything else is left on a towel to air dry making sure the mask liner is ridge side down ie the part that touches your face is facing up the way. I wash the headgear separately again in fairy liquid and rinse well then place over a towel rail.  I must admit though, Kath is right re the fairly liquid, it does leave a residue so I’m going to change that and try the baby shampoo instead.   I suffer with eczema so using a cheaper fairy liquid will just irritate that. 

The tub of Cittrus CPAP mask wipes cost around £10 and you get approximately 62 wipes per tub so it should last you two months. I buy mine from Kath at Hope2sleep.co.uk.   One further thing to remember is wash your face at night with an oil/moisturiser free soap or cleanser as this will help your mask seal on your face. I use a facial wash which is non oily of course this was after buying a really lovely one which unfortunately contain oil and I can't use it so now going to have to give it away ahhhhhh!  Also remember your headgear will stretch with use so it's worth reajusting from time to time.   I had mine too slack at one point and I was waking up during the night with mask leakage.  I don't have a dehumidifier and have never used one so can't comment on that.  

Hope this helps.

Julie

 

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on July 29, 2011 at 23:33

Sorry to all those who tried to buy the Wipes and Sprays.  We had a massive surge of sales and completely ran out of both, but I'm pleased to say they're now back in stock on the website www.hope2sleep.co.uk

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Permalink Reply by Katrina Wray on August 1, 2011 at 7:11

Just to add my 2-pennorth - I put my hose in a weak solution of mint Listerine once a week - smells lovely!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by paula jones on August 1, 2011 at 10:25

Wow thats a new one,Will try it,Thanks x x

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Permalink Reply by Arie Klerk on January 27, 2013 at 19:45

As a chemist I can assure you all that deionised water is just good for your humidifier (as well as for accumulators!). The story below is a famous misunderstanding of chemistry: if one mixes hydrochloric acid and caustic soda the liquid starts to boil indeed and what is made, is pure salt water... Yes sodium chloride, kitchen salt.  So this story is not about the  deionised water, but the treatment to the saturated filters (ion-exchangers) after passing hundreds to thousands of gallons of water through them!

A better and less invasive (cheaper) way is to use Brita filtered water. The filters can be used longer than stated by the manufacturer and you will find cheaper suppliers too, just look around!

Kath Hope said:

..... Re which water to use, distilled would always be first choice if you can get it (one day I intend to treat myself to a distiller) but again like TF says, bottled will suffice.  DO NOT use deionised water like I was recommended to do, and used to until I read this:-

"I used to work in a factory that made deionised water. Whilst doing so I had to wear rubber wellies, a full length rubber apron, rubber gauntlets and a full face gas mask. (very alluring I looked too, not!)

It is tap water that has hydrochloric acid and caustic soda passed through it. Lethal fumes each but if the two mix....
it is for car batteries, please please no one ever use it in their humidifiers."

 

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Permalink Reply by diane lester on April 23, 2013 at 13:40

i just use warm water and liquid soap not had any problems in ten years

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