Left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of serious health issues including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
PAP therapy is commonly used to treat obstructive sleep apnea by delivering pressurized air through a mask worn while you sleep to keep the airways clear of obstruction from collapsing throat muscle tissues.
Tubing delivers the pressurized air from the PAP device to the mask. The effectiveness of the treatment depends on regular maintenance of the equipment and its constituent parts. When it comes to cleaning the tubing, a CPAP tube cleaner brush is an effective aid.
Why You Need To Regularly Clean Your Tube
The air you breathe each night and all night with PAP is delivered via a tube. Therefore, the effectiveness and hygiene of the treatment depend on the integrity and the cleanliness of that tube.
Moisture can build-up within the tube which can lead to mold and algae. Without regular cleaning, this buildup of mold and algae increases your risk of illness. You could find you develop a cough, runny nose, sore throat, or possibly headaches.
Dirt and dust can also start to accumulate in the tube if it is not cleaned regularly. As well as not being pleasant to inhale and possibly making it harder to breathe, dirt and dust particles can cause damage to the device.
This may impact the effectiveness of the treatment as well as prove costly as you may have to replace the device earlier than would otherwise be necessary.
So what constitutes regular cleaning for the tube? You should clean the tube at least once a week, and this is where a CPAP tube cleaner brush can prove beneficial.
Best CPAP Tube Cleaner Brushes
It is important to find the most suitable cleaner brush for your device and tubing. The reliability and features offered also need to be considered.
The 2 in 1 Premium CPAP Hose Brush
This multi-purpose brush is equipped with soft nylon bristles designed to help you clean both standard and slimline tubes. The flexible brush is cylindrical in shape and uses soft nylon bristles to gently scrub the tube without damaging the material, while also containing a microfiber cloth tip to help dry the tube.
Further features include:
- six-part stem for easy assembly and taking apart
- sturdy carbon stem
- convenient to store after use
- two microfiber cloth tips to aid in drying
- cleans and dries tubing in a matter of minutes
Once finished, the brush is disassembled to be easily stored away in its case. For just a few minutes each week, this flexible brush will help keep your tube clean from bacteria, mold, dust, and dirt particles.
Points to Consider When Buying a CPAP Tube Cleaner Brush
Not every brush may be compatible with your tubing. Indeed, there are some key considerations you should take into account to help ensure you buy a CPAP tube cleaner brush that works for your tubing and within an affordable budget.
- Compatibility
While there are standard widths and lengths for tubing, some products offer variations. Therefore, you need to ensure a cleaning brush is compatible and capable of fitting your tubing and cleaning its whole length to provide an effective cleaning.
- Durability
The better the quality of the materials the longer it will last, the more effective the clean, and the less likely it is to damage the tubing.
- Price
Price is always important, but so is value. Look for a brush within your budget that will still effectively clean your tube.
- Flexibility
If the brush is flexible it will be able to clean all parts of the tubing without you having to resort to bending or maneuvering it in other ways for access.
- Single or Kits
You may want to consider kits that contain different brushes with different types of bristles if you need to clean more than one tube type as well as other accessories.
Using Your Cleaning Brush
A PAP tube cleaner brush is ideally used to bolster your tube cleaning. Once you have switched the PAP device off and separated the parts, you rinse the tube out and wash in a sink filled with warm water and a mild soap.
You can then use your tube cleaning brush to give the tube a thorough scrub before rinsing through with warm water. This helps remove any of the soap from the tube. With the microfiber cloth tip you can aid the drying process removing beads of water before hanging the tube to dry.
A thorough cleaning of the tube every week will help remove pathogens and particles that could otherwise lead to illness or damage the device. A cleaning brush such as the 2 in 1 Premium Hose Brush helps provide just such a thorough clean.
Sources:
https://www.sleepapnea.org/cpap-cleaning/best-cpap-tube-cleaning-brush/
https://shop.sleepquest.com/products/2-in-1-premium-cpap-hose-brush?variant=43809540407535