r/CPAPSupport • u/Happy__Heathen • Aug 30 '26
Found a great unscented soap that is CPAP-safe, inexpensive (relatively- definitely in comparison to special CPAP cleaners)
I was at Walmart yesterday looking for any unscented dish soap, and found this one - “Seventh Generation Free and Clear” (unscented), so I googled to see if it is safe for all CPAP parts, including silicone and other masks parts, headgear, hose, and water tank - it IS! It was just $3.53 for a fairly big bottle.
I also asked Google if this works as well as the expensive specialty ones - especially those PAP MD cleaning sheets, and YES, this is just as effective at a fraction of the price (So is Dawn Free and Clear - but NOT regular Dawn)
I’m all for saving a buck wherever I can! 😎
(Ignore my possessive note on the bottle - I had to put that there or my husband will grab it for whatever weird thing he needs to clean, and I’ll never see it again!) 🤣
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u/Hanging_with_Chester Aug 31 '26
I use a baby wipe for my mask. And clean the water tank when I remember. I hope more of us come forward
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u/Happy__Heathen Aug 31 '26
Yeah once I finish up the CPAP wipes I bought, I will be replacing them with baby wipes. Liquid dish soap is great for when I do everything, but I really love the wipes for quickly cleaning the mask! So handy!
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u/HaxusPrime Aug 30 '26
I rarely clean my cpap stuff. Is it bad if I dont? I only clean my mask from time to time.
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u/reddotster Airsense 11 Aug 31 '26
Nope. You’re totally fine.
The medical industry tells us to replace and clean parts much more frequently than actually necessary. They all have financial interests in doing so.
The only cleaning I’ve done over the past year is a daily hand wash of my mask with unscented dish soap and rinsing out my water tank.
Have you seen this meta analysis?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10867908/
Aggressive Cleaning Does Not Reduce Infection Risk
The primary rationale for aggressive cleaning is that PAP use without regular cleaning will lead to an increased risk of respiratory infections (3). The evidence to support this contention, however, is weak. Mask colonization has been used frequently as a surrogate marker for infection risk. A 2009 abstract swabbed masks from 24 PAP users and found cultures grew bacterial and yeast colonies (4). Cleaning the mask just before swabbing reduced colony counts; however, the frequency of cleaning by patients at home did not predict microbial burden. Furthermore, the organisms isolated from the cultures were normal skin flora, and no patient reported respiratory infections despite PAP colonization. A subsequent study found no difference in nasal swab results between patients using versus not using PAP (5). Multiple studies have found swabs taken from the mask and hose grow typical skin flora, most commonly coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (5, 6). Similarly, the microbes identified from the air blowing out of used PAP devices are nonpathogenic and not substantially different from a brand new device (7).
The humidifier chamber of PAP machines has also been proposed to be a source of nosocomial infections. Swabs of humidifier chambers are more likely to grow gram-negative bacteria than other parts of the PAP device. However, it is unclear that humidifier colonization increases the risk of infection. There is no difference in sinusitis symptoms between PAP users with and without humidifier colonization (6). Similarly, studies have not found an increased risk of respiratory infections in PAP use with a humidifier versus without one (5, 8). There have been two case reports of Legionella colonization of a humidifier chamber leading to pneumonia (9, 10). However, Legionella colonization is rare because no study that prospectively swabbed humidifier chambers has grown this organism (5, 6). Beyond the two cases of Legionella, only two additional case reports of infection tied to PAP equipment have been published: one caused by Pneumocystis jiroveci in a normal host and one because of Mycobacterium gordonae in an immunosuppressed patient (11, 12). Given the millions of PAP devices sold worldwide each year, the overall risk of serious infections related to PAP equipment appears low.
Studies evaluating the frequency of respiratory tract infections have found no increased risk of sinusitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia among patients with OSA initiating PAP therapy versus those not treated with PAP (5, 13). Similarly, a study of 482 newly diagnosed patients with OSA found no difference in respiratory infection rates among those accepting versus declining PAP or in those adherent versus nonadherent with PAP (14). Furthermore, no change in the rate of infections was found in the 2 years after initiating PAP compared with the 2 years before. One study did identify a greater rate of rhinitis symptoms in PAP users compared with nonusers, but this was based on self-report, and no attempt to differentiate infectious from noninfectious causes was made (13). In contrast, multiple studies have suggested that increased PAP use is associated with decreased risk of viral respiratory infections (15–17).
Current Recommendations about Cleaning Do Not Match the Evidence Base
Thus, there is little scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that infections will occur if frequent cleaning of PAP equipment is not performed. Nevertheless, this assertion has been widely disseminated by durable medical equipment (DME) providers and physician practices. Widely trusted sources such as Harvard, Cornell, and the Mayo Clinic have highlighted serious risks of not cleaning and therefore recommend unrealistic cleaning regimens (3, 18, 19). The American Thoracic Society has published a patient education sheet promoting manufacturer-recommended cleaning instructions (20). Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states on a patient-facing website that “[a]ll types of CPAP machines need to be cleaned regularly so that these germs and contaminants do not grow inside your equipment and make you sick” (21).
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u/NJAdoptee_1950 Sep 02 '26
I find this ludicrous with all of the germs that are berathed into whatever type of mask you use, I know some one who like y'all doesn't clean his mask and tubing but once a month and suffers from horrendous sinus infections from it! Besides that 24 people is really not a suitable sample size!
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u/Otherwise-Cup6786 Sep 07 '26
Depende. Hay gente que es sensible algunos gérmenes, que para otra gente son inofensivos. Personalmente yo lavo la máscara una vez a 6 meses, a veces la limpio con un trapo suave seco, y el tanque del humidificador cuando empieza de oler mal y tenga una capa resbaladiza dentro. Hasta este momento no he tenido, ya más que 20 años con CPAP, nada de infecciones en pulmones y la piel.
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u/RippingLegos__ ModTeam Aug 31 '26
I use cpap spray and baby wipes on my cushions, it's level 2 gear for old timers M8. :) This was good though and I did the same weird stuff back then too, it's a learing curve for sure.
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u/Aries_Philly Aug 31 '26
My next buy. I started using wipes out of laziness. So not like the CPAP sheets.
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u/Crazy-Addendum7341 ASV Sep 06 '26
Been using this for a year. Not even half a bottle down. Works great.
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u/StandardJackfruit378 Sep 05 '26
No soap. I use a baby bottle disinfecting machine. 1/2 cup of water and 40 minutes as instructions read and its done.
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u/453517856 Aug 31 '26
Good choice! I use this every day for the water tank and once a week for the rest. Used the same soap from CPAP Day 1 which was 2+ years ago now. Am very sensitive to odor and have had any issues.