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CPAP Health Cleaning The tube

My CPAP health cleaning the tube to be specific came to the surface recently. It all started when I noticed these commercials dealing a machine that guaranteed the mask, hose and everything in the system would be cleaned of bacteria. It looked so simple just drop the mask in the machine, set a timer and walk away. I had to see what they wanted for this piece of equipment. So a quick google search knocked my socks off. Three hundred dollars for this piece of equipment seems to me to be a bit too much, in fact, a lot too much for my frugal wallet.

Now I know that when you have a patent on something you have the market tied to your price and no one else can copy and dictate a lower price. It seems to me that this is what the case is with this piece of equipment. Now don’t get me wrong. I believe that these people developed this equipment and deserve what they want for it no matter how much I think it is way overpriced.

How it works

So I started looking into what this thing was doing. I asked my pulmonary CPAP tech what he knew about the equipment. He told me that they were using ozone to clean all the CPAP equipment of bacteria. He suggested I wash my hose with soap and water and some vinegar to remove any bacteria in the hose.

ozone
a form of oxygen, O 3, with a peculiar odor suggesting that of weak chlorine, produced when an electric spark or ultraviolet light is passed through air or oxygen. It is found in the atmosphere in minute quantities, especially after a thunderstorm, is a powerful oxidizing agent, and is thus biologically corrosive. In the upper atmosphere, it absorbs ultraviolet rays, thereby preventing them from reaching the surface of the earth. It is used for bleaching, sterilizing water, etc.
ozone. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ozone(accessed: December 5, 2017).

I had been cleaning the mask and humidifier tank with soap and water and that was really simple to do. Just like washing dishes. Everything was there and easy to get to. However, cleaning the hose/tube is another story. How am I going to clean the inside of a six-foot-long hose? Especially when it is only sixteen millimeters(approximately 5/8″) in diameter(inside). I think I am going to need a specialized brush for this job.

Looking for an alternative

So I searched and found what I think is an alternative to the high priced piece of equipment. I found a brush cleaner with a 6.5′ rod so it can clean the entire hose at one time without removing it from the hose. It’s called a CPAP tube cleaning brush. It comes in two diameters a 16mm and a 22mm version. It gets kind of confusing in that the hose/tube end connectors for both diameter tubes are the same size(22mm).

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If this is something you’d like to try you will need to measure the outside diameter of your tube not the tube end connectors. I measured mine and can tell you that my hose/tube is what is called a slimline hose/tube. It measured out at approximately 18.5mm outside diameter. That made the inside diameter 16mm. The tube cleaning brush in a 16mm version was what I ordered.

Here’s how I went about cleaning my CPAP hose/tube

Remove the hose/tube and gather up the brush and a mild soap.
Unwind the tube cleaning brush rod. Remove the bristle cover and save for later use.
Run water thru the tube until it is filled.
Put some mild soap in the tube end.
Wet the bristles and insert into the hose/tube
Push the tube cleaning brush into the hose until it reaches the other end of the hose.
Pull the rod out of the hose/tube a little at a time. Support the hose/tube as you pull by holding the hose/tube about a foot in front of the brush as you pull the brush.
Repeat the steps 3-7 if needed.
Flush the hose/tube with fresh water and hang for drying.
Flush the CPAP tube cleaning brush with clean water and pat dry with a clean towel.
Hang the brush to dry. Place the cover over the dry bristles and rewind and store the brush for later use.

CPAP tube cleaning brush with bristle protector tube

What I learned

I learned some things making this process easier for the next time I clean the hose/tube.

The brush bristles came with a plastic tube covering them. Save the tube to protect the bristles from contamination during storage.
The brush works best when the hose is in a straight line.
Put soap in the same end the brush will start to get the suds level started for the entire length of the hose/tube.
Wet the bristles before inserting into the hose/tube(it acts as a lubricant)
Pushing the brush into the hose/tube is the easiest method. I may pinch the end ring(currently bigger than the inside diameter of the hose/tube) down so that the entire rod can be pushed thru the hose/tube for a pushing not pulling cleaning process.
Pulling the brush thru the hose requires that the hose is supported a short distance ahead of the bristles to make it easier to pull the brush out of the hose/tube.

Conclusion

After my CPAP hose/tube dried and I used my CPAP it was wonderful. There was no longer a trace of muskiness, the smell of dust or anything else. The air felt fresh and clean, I am so glad my CPAP health cleaning the tube process is a healthy success.

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Author
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RayC.

Editor at Mybusyretiredlife.com

Trained in the mechanical arts. I have worked on anything dealing with a home from changing a light bulb to moving a load bearing wall. As for the recipes, they came about after I could not find what I was looking for and recipes that over a lifetime I have come to love and want to share with the world.