Yes, you can clean your CPAP aids with vinegar. Now, you’re scared. Won’t your pricey sleep enhancer go faulty? Would there be any side effects of using it?
Be calm; tell your inner critic to keep mum. You won’t lose your CPAP devices. Neither will you suffer any harm.
In this piece, we’ll guide you on the snackable hacks on using vinegar to clean your CPAP utilities. Not only that, we’d also enlighten you on why it is safe.
So, shall we get started?
Is Vinegar Safe For Cleaning Your CPAP?
Why You Should Consider Vinegar For Your CPAP
Vinegar is not only a safe cleaning aid for your CPAP utilities. It is also a natural and affordable medium.
About naturalness, vinegar is an extract from naturally-occurring resources. Your source could be fruit, cereal, or alcohol. Whichever way, you can rest assured that this resource is 100% safe.
Besides, you are already using vinegar at home as a cleaning aid. Since you’ve started using it, have you ever discovered any side effects? Perhaps it leaches your skin and eats through your fingers! Is there anything like that?
A resounding no is likely the answer.
In the same vein, vinegar wouldn’t hurt the tiniest bit of your CPAP devices. Moreover, it has extra benefits outside its cleaning effectiveness. It is a weak acid.
What can you say about acids? Are they friends with germs and bacteria? Perhaps they pamper and settle communal bacteria clashes! No, they don’t.
In a nutshell, acids stifle the life out of germs. And you can expect the same effects from your vinegar. It has enough combating strength to clear our germs without harming the minutest strand on your hair.
Now, are you still concerned about safety? No?
Then let’s proceed to what parts of your CPAP aids are vinegar-cleanable.
What Parts Of Your CPAP Setup Can You Clean With Vinegar?
Vinegar can clean almost any part of your CPAP gadgets. However, there are two exceptions to the rule. What exceptions?
First, vinegar can’t clean your CPAP machine? Why?
CPAP machines generally don’t fare well with liquids. Besides, the best way to clean it is by dusting. Just get a clean rag and dust away!
Second, vinegar isn’t suitable for cleaning CPAP filters. More so, filters have two different forms: the discardable, use once and throw out type, and the reusable kind.
For the reusable filter, soapy water is enough to clean it.
Asides from your CPAP machine and filters, vinegar cleans other parts of the setup adequately. Your hoses, in particular, benefit the most when you vinegar. How so?
Your hose connects directly to your airways. For that reason, they are often damp and habitat-ready for the minions of bacteria, mold, and dirt accumulation.
However, when you clean your CPAP hose with vinegar, you clear the minions away in an instant while also getting a thorough washout for your device. That would be you killing two birds with one stone.
Now, we have answered the “can you clean a CPAP with vinegar” question, as well as “what parts are vinegar compatible with?” What next?
Let’s get handsy. Let’s clean some CPAP aids. What do you say?
Snackable Hacks To Cleaning Your CPAP Devices With Vinegar
Here, we’ll highlight what you need to start cleaning your CPAP. More importantly, we’d list the steps to clean each of your CPAP parts.
The Ingredients
To start, let’s see what you’d need to clean:
- Water – since you can’t be sure of the safety of your water source, it is best to get a distilled water. Even at that, boil the water a bit.
- Your Vinegar – use the white kind; it has the most cleaning and sanitizing property of all.
- Soap – stick to liquid, scentless soap to get a mild wash for your CPAP utilities.
- Basin
- A cleaning brush
- A Dry Towel
Are the ingredients ready? Yes? Now, let’s prepare the mix in three simple steps:
- Sit your basin,
- Add about 2 cups of warm, distilled water, and
- Pour a cup of white vinegar into the water and mix until the solution is clear.
Now, you have the mixture you’d use for cleaning the parts.
Your CPAP Headgears & Masks
Disassemble your headgears and mask from the hose. Next, dip it into the water-vinegar solution, and allow it to soak for a max of 30 minutes.
At 30 minutes, remove the aids and scrub gently with a cleaning brush. Then, rinse the parts in clean water and dry with your towel. Spread the cleaned CPAP aid in a dry, free space to be use-ready.
Voila! Your devices are clean.
Note: for fabric headgears, don’t soak in vinegar. A gentle clean with a cleaning wipe is enough.
Your CPAP Hose
Indeed, your hose accumulates the most dirt. However, it is also the trickiest to wash because of the intricacies in its design.
So, for ease and optimal cleaning, use a hose brush to clear the inner compartments of your CPAP hose. Other than that, you’d follow the same protocol as you did while washing your headgears.
Your CPAP Humidifier
The first thing to do here is to dispose of any remaining water in your humidifier. Another thing: the humidifier needs a new cleaning mixture.
So, throw out the old and prepare this:
- Mix your vinegar to water in a 1:5 formula; a cup of the natural extract to five cups of warm, distilled water.
Once the solution is ready, soak your humidifier for about 30 minutes in it. After, rinse your device only in distilled water, and leave it out to dry.
Note: always seek the instruction manual of CPAP aids as regards washing with dishwater. That said, do not use a washing machine for cleaning your CPAP gadgets.
Now to the last part:
How Does Vinegar Fare Against Other CPAP Cleaning Alternatives?
Asides from vinegar, you can use either a soap or CPAP cleaners for cleaning your sleep apnea aids. So, which of the three methods is the best for tidying your CPAP gadgets?
Let’s find out.
Vinegar Vs. Soap
Affordability
Vinegar and soap are both affordable. Fortunately, you can use both cleaning agents for other general household utilities like your furniture and dishes.
Cleaning Effectiveness
Vinegar cleans your CPAP masks regardless of your soap. However, it can leave a rather unpleasant after-use odor. To wash that off, you need soap.
In the case of soaps, they clean your CPAP without any after-use smell. Well, unless you bought a strong and concentrated soap.
Safety
Vinegar cleans as well as sanitizes your CPAP. It clears off germs, bacteria, and even mold.
More importantly, vinegar is a weak acid. In essence, it lacks the power of harming your airways.
Soap, on the other hand, only cleans your CPAP. It doesn’t clear the bacteria.
Indeed, some soaps have antibacterial properties. Even at that, they don’t sanitize as much as vinegar.
Another thing is the acidity. When the compounds of soaps are of high concentrations, it could damage your CPAP aids. Worse: it could ruffle your skin and airways when you come in contact with any of the CPAP gadgets.
Vinegar Vs. CPAP Cleaner
Affordability
Vinegar is a natural resource, and your CPAP cleaners are machines. So automatically, it is cheaper.
Another thing is the variety of applications. For vinegar, it fits as a general cleaning agent for household items. The case is different for CPAP cleaners.
Other than UV-light cleaners that can sanitize small tools (like toothbrushes), ozone-activated type only focuses on CPAPs.
Cleaning Effectiveness
Indeed, the natural extract cleans and sanitizes your CPAP. However, CPAP cleaners are miles ahead for the two functions. How so?
For starters, CPAP cleaners are products of technological innovations. In other words, scientists invested time and money to develop the best method of cleaning.
Furthermore, CPAP cleaners use great precision technology such as UV light and ozone to sanitize up to 99.9% bacteria off your CPAP. Incredible, eh?
Safety
The technological advancements of CPAP cleaners come at a cost. Let’s start with ozone cleaners.
With ozone-activated aids, you face health complications. The FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) cites ozone as a toxic gas that at high concentrations can damage your lungs.
UV devices also attract the risks of radioactive elements. With such, you will always fear cancer in your airways.
Unlike the former methods, “vinegar” has no cancer or lung problems. It is natural and safe to use. Other than its after-use smell, you have nothing to fear. Even with the odor, you can clear it away by washing your CPAP in soapy water.
Our Take
The question should shift from “can you clean a CPAP with vinegar?” to “how can you secure enough vinegar for constant use?”. Why?
Vinegar is safe, relatively affordable, and multi-functional. Compared to other methods of cleaning CPAP devices, it remains one of the best.
However, to make the best decision on which of the cleaning agents or methods to use, consult your physician. But we can assure you that you have nothing to fear with the natural extract.
Or do you have any effects of using “vinegar”? Kindly let us know in the comment section.
