Okay, so today I tackled cleaning my Apria CPAP machine finally. Gotta be honest, I’d been putting it off ‘cause the hose and water tank always seemed like a hassle. But after two weeks of that faint mildew smell hit my nose every morning, nope – time to get this done.

Gathering my stuff

First thing, I unplugged the whole setup from the wall. Safety first, right? Then I yanked off the hose from the machine and mask. Dug around under the sink and grabbed:

• Some dish soap (the plain blue kind)
• White vinegar – leftover from Easter eggs, works miracles
• Clean towel
• Big plastic bowl

Breaking it down

Pulled the water tank out real easy – just lifted it straight up. Popped the lid off and dumped any leftover water in the sink. Noticed some weird cloudy spots at the bottom, ugh. Detached the rubber seal around the top too; that thing traps gunk.

Next, that dang hose. Unhooked it from both ends and stretched it out on the counter. Shined my phone flashlight through it – yeah, definitely some moisture spots clinging inside.

The scrub-down

Filled the plastic bowl with warm water and a solid splash of dish soap. Dunked the tank, lid, rubber seal, and my mask cushion in there. Let ‘em soak for like 10 minutes while I scrubbed the tank with my fingers. Used an old toothbrush for the tank’s corners – nasty mildewy film came right off.

For the hose? Poured half vinegar and half warm water into the sink. Held one end shut with my thumb, filled it halfway, then plugged the other end and shook it like a cocktail. Swished it around real good for a few minutes until my arms got tired. Dumped the vinegar mix out and rinsed it under the tap until no more vinegar smell.

Drying game strong

Shook every piece like a dog shaking off water – mask, hose, tank, all of it. Wiped ’em down with the towel but didn’t rub too hard. Left everything spread out on the towel near a sunny window. Seriously, air drying is key – took almost 5 hours before the tank felt bone dry inside. No shortcuts here unless you want musty air blasting your face all night.

Putting Humpty Dumpty back together

Snapped the rubber seal back on the tank, clicked the lid shut. Reattached the hose to the machine first, then plugged the other end into the mask. Slid the tank back into the machine until it clicked. Double-checked all connections weren’t loose – heard that whistling sound once when I rushed this.

Tested it dry first: turned it on without water to check airflow felt smooth. Then added distilled water (always distilled!), ran it 10 minutes to humidify. Took a test breath through the mask – crisp, clean, zero funk. Victory dance moment. Feels like breathing mountain air now instead of basement air. Do this weekly now – takes 15 minutes tops once you get the hang of it.