5 Tips for Cleaning and Caring for Your CPAP Equipment

Cleaning and maintaining your CPAP equipment is a very important part of treating your sleep apnea.  You should have been taught how to clean and maintain your equipment when it was first delivered to you, but many people find that they could use a refresher.  If you have been using this equipment to manage your sleep apnea for awhile, it can be easy to overlook a step or two or forget important maintenance consideration all together.  If you are new to using a CPAP machine, you may feel a little overwhelmed and find that you don’t remember everything you were taught when you received your machine.  Regardless, it is a good idea to check in and make sure you are doing everything that needs to be done to keep your machine clean and operational.  To help, here are our top 5 tips for taking care of CPAP equipment used to treat sleep apnea.

 

1.     Make it a Priority

Taking care of your CPAP equipment takes time so make sure you are setting aside enough time to do the job right.  It might seem like you are spending a lot of time but just remember how much better you feel and how much more you can get done in a day when you treat your sleep apnea and the time required to clean the equipment may not seem like such a burden after all.

 

2.     Safety First

Make sure you unplug your machine before you start cleaning in order to avoid any risk of getting shocked.

 

3.     Tubing

Each morning when you wake up, you will need to take a couple minutes to do some quick cleaning.  The first thing that needs to be cleaned everyday is the tubing.  Unhook the tubing from the mask and machine and rinse it with warm soapy water.  Set it aside to dry and it will be ready for use again by bedtime.

 

4.     Water Chamber

Another area that needs daily attention is the water chamber.  Every morning the water chamber needs to be rinsed with warm soapy water and then with clean water so that it will be ready for use again by bedtime.  Additionally, the water chamber needs a more thoroughly cleaning every week.  For the weekly cleaning, make a solution that is one part white vinegar and two parts water and let it sit in water chamber for a little while before you remove it and rinse the chamber with distilled water.

 

5.     Mask

Your mask should also be cleaned on a daily basis.  The right cleaning procedure depends on the type of mask you use. You will need to remove the headgear, seal, and cushion from the mask’s frame before cleaning.  Once it is disassembled, wipe the foam cushion with a wet cloth.  Do not submerge this piece in water.  Use warm soapy water to clean the silicone seal and mask frame.  Leave everything to dry during the day.  The headgear should be washed with warm soapy water once a week. Make sure you allow the pieces to dry before reassembling.