How to Clean Your CPAP (The Way Manufacturers and the FDA Actually Recommend)

CPAP cleaning is the most over-complicated topic in this entire hobby, largely because there is money in selling gadgets to do it. The actual answer is boring: warm water, mild soap, and about ninety seconds a day.

Why it matters at all

You are breathing through this equipment for eight hours a night. The mask collects skin oils and sweat, the hose collects condensation, and the humidifier chamber is a warm reservoir of standing water. None of that is dramatic, but left alone for months it degrades the silicone, makes seals worse, and can start to smell.

Clean equipment also lasts longer, which matters when a cushion is a consumable you replace on a schedule.

The daily routine

The mask cushion. Wipe it every morning with a damp cloth or an unscented wipe. Skin oil is what breaks a seal, and a thirty-second wipe genuinely reduces leaks. This is the single highest-value habit in the whole routine.

The humidifier chamber. Empty any leftover water every morning — don’t top it up. Rinse it and leave it to air dry. Standing water in a warm chamber all day is the thing you’re avoiding.

Refill with distilled water. Tap water leaves mineral scale that clouds the chamber, reduces humidifier efficiency, and eventually ruins it.

The weekly routine

Once a week, take twenty minutes:

1. Disassemble the mask — cushion, frame, headgear.
2. Wash the cushion and frame in warm water with a small amount of mild, unscented liquid soap. Rub gently with your fingers, no brushes.
3. Rinse thoroughly. Soap residue irritates skin and airways.
4. Wash the hose by running warm soapy water through it, then rinsing. Hang it over a shower rail or door in a loop so it drains and dries. A damp hose is the most common source of a musty smell.
5. Wash the humidifier chamber the same way. Check the manufacturer’s instructions — some chambers are dishwasher-safe on a top rack, many are not.
6. Wash the headgear by hand, less often, and let it dry flat. Don’t wring it — the elastic is what holds your fit.
7. Air dry everything out of direct sunlight. UV degrades silicone and makes it brittle.

Filters are not washed, they’re replaced. Disposable ones typically go every two to four weeks depending on your home and whether you have pets; reusable foam filters get rinsed and dried. Check your machine’s manual for its specific schedule.

The ozone and UV sanitiser problem

You will see these advertised constantly: a box or a bag that promises to sanitise your equipment without water, using ozone gas or ultraviolet light.

The FDA has looked at them and concluded they are “not legally marketed for this use” and that “it is unknown if these CPAP cleaners are safe and effective”¹ .

The specific concerns:

• Ozone. The FDA reported that “exposure to high levels of ozone gas may worsen a patients’ existing chronic respiratory diseases or increase the chance of a respiratory infection”¹ . Between 2017 and 2019 the agency documented adverse reports from patients experiencing cough, difficulty breathing, nasal irritation, headaches, and asthma attacks after using ozone-based products¹ .
• UV light. The FDA noted these “could cause burns, eye damage or increase the risk of skin cancer due to over exposure”¹ .

The agency’s own recommendation is to “follow the cleaning instructions provided by the CPAP manufacturer,” which “normally include regular cleaning with soap and water”¹ .

There is a reasonable argument that a sanitiser you use is better than a soap-and-water routine you don’t. There is not a good argument for one that regulators say has unknown safety and has generated respiratory adverse reports in exactly the population using it. Full detail in ozone and UV CPAP cleaners.

Things people worry about that don’t matter much

“Do I need to sterilise it?” No. This is your equipment, breathing your own flora, in your own bedroom. You are cleaning it, not preparing it for surgery.

“Is once a week really enough for the hose?” For most people, yes, provided you’re letting it dry properly. If you run high humidity or live somewhere humid, twice a week is reasonable.

“What about the machine itself?” Wipe the exterior with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Never put water inside it. Keep it off the floor and out of dusty corners — that’s what the filter is fighting.

The realistic version

If the full weekly routine is not going to happen in your life, do these three things and you’ll capture most of the benefit:

1. Wipe the cushion every morning.
2. Empty and rinse the chamber every morning, refill with distilled water.
3. Wash the hose and mask properly once a week, or at minimum every two.

A routine you actually follow beats a perfect one you abandon in March.

When to stop cleaning and start replacing

No amount of washing restores silicone that has gone soft, tacky, or shiny. A worn cushion leaks regardless of how clean it is, and a hose with cracks is a leak you’ll never fit around. Replacement schedules exist for a reason and your insurance likely covers more than you’re claiming — see the CPAP replacement schedule.