Breathe Easy

How To Clean Your CPAP/BiPAP Equipment

1. CPAP Mask or Nasal Pillows:

   You should clean your mask or nasal pillows every day. You can either clean your mask where it touches your face with a baby wipe or clean with mild soap and warm water. The soap that you use should not contain perfumes, dyes, or moisturizers or ALCOHOL. If you have an allergy problems while using your equipment, try switching to another cleaning product. Recommended cleaning products are clear dishwashing liquids, baby shampoo, the shampoo you currently use, or Neutrogena soap. Clean the mask or pillows with the mild soap where it touches your face or nose to clean the facial oils off the seal. Rinse with warm water and sit on a paper towel or hang to let air dry. You may also hook the mask back to the CPAP and turn on to let the air pressure dry out the mask. If dishwashing liquids bother your sinuses, simply switch to baby shampoo. If your skin becomes irritated try switching to Neutrogena.

2. Humidifier Chamber:

   You should empty the water chamber of the humidifier daily to prevent bacteria growth. Let the humidifier cool for about 15 minutes before cleaning. If you want, you can clean the chamber with dish-washing liquid. Squirt a little into the chamber along with warm water, cover the holes and shake. Rinse with warm water and let air dry to let your machine blow air through to dry. Make sure you refill the chamber with distilled water on a daily basis.

3. Tubing:

   We recommend you clean your tubing daily only if using a heated humidifier and there is water in your tubing. If there is no water in the tubing you can wait and clean once weekly. If water is in the tubing, clean with the same type of soap that is used to clean the mask and humidifier. Clean the ends off with the soap and run soapy water through the tubing. Rinse with warm water and hang to air dry. You can also hook this up to your machine and run the air through to dry. You may opt to clean the tubing in the shower and simply hang it over the shower rod to dry.