For CPAP patients, routine cleaning of your CPAP equipment is an essential part of your health and wellness. It also aids in preventing the spread of germs to others. Not only is it important to clean your equipment per manufacturer recommendations, but also sanitize on a regular basis. So many questions arise as to why, how, and how often you need to clean and sanitize your equipment. Below we are going to answer a few of those questions.
What are the benefits of cleaning and sanitizing your equipment?
In order to keep unwanted germs, bacteria, and viruses at bay, cleaning your CPAP equipment is crucial. Proper sanitization after an illness can prevent you from getting sick again. Cleaning your equipment properly can actually help avoid the spread of germs and bacteria in the first place. A regular cleaning and sanitizing routine is crucial to staying healthy while getting the most benefit out of your CPAP therapy.
Reduce the risk of illness.
No matter what type of CPAP mask you use, they are all in close quarters with your mouth and nose, which makes it the perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria. If you fail to clean your mask daily you stand the chance of becoming infected from yesterday’s germs, which will continue to snowball, increasing your chances of illness the longer you go with an unclean mask. By establishing a cleaning and sanitizing routine you are eliminating those pesky germs that will potentially cause you to become ill.
Reduce the risk of reinfection after illness.
The last thing you want to do when you are sick is clean. However, if you don’t clean and sanitize your CPAP mask and equipment effectively when you are sick, you run the risk of reinfecting yourself. This is particularly true for those who use nasal pillows. Because nasal pillows seal around your nose, bacteria is more likely to hang around when you are ill. Your nose is one of the main avenues germs use to make their way into your body and cause illness. If you don’t clean AND sanitize your mask when you are sick you are sure to re-infect yourself again or cause the illness to linger longer.
Cleaner Air
One of the keys to CPAP success is having clean air. What comes from your machine goes straight into your lungs, affecting your CPAP therapy one way or another- good or bad. The last thing you want your lungs to be processing is dust, allergens, germs, and bacteria. There are a few things you can do to limit the amount of harmful irritants in therapy air while using your CPAP. The first thing is to change your air filter regularly. The second is to properly clean and sanitize your CPAP equipment such as CPAP mask, hose, and water chamber.
Stay tuned for the next blog post on step by step instructions on how to properly clean your CPAP equipment.