Why should we not use anti-bacterial cleaners? I use the Hybrid mask and this is my nightly ritual:

Dial anti-bacterial hand soap for one minute and triple rinse.  Hand soap again and triple rinse. I chase that with Glass Cleaner w/ammonia and rinse for at least two minutes. I shave/rinse then wash with Dial/rinse.

I've done this for three months and have seen no discoloring and no problem with elasticity of the mask.

Mask always fits snugly to face with no leaks and no mask marks, as I don't need to have the headgear tight at all. I think probably because my mask and face are completly clean that everything works so well.

Am I doing somthing I shouldn't be doing - other than being anal?

I would be concerned about wasting that much water.   The use of anti-bacterial soap is controversial and may cause environmental problems.  I can't imagine why window cleaner would be used on a CPAP mask.  One wash with soap would be sufficient to thoroughly clean a mask..

Actually, the ammonia removes any residual surfactants in the soap. I understand what you're saying about environmental problems with anti-bacterial soaps though - point well taken.  No need to use it.  Thanks.

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They recomend it.  I'll stop using it.

I was told that antibacterial soap will make the silicone masks crack;dry out and harden.


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I don't know about the safety of using Windex on mask soft parts as it contains isopropyl alcohol.  The amount of ammonia in Windex is very small and it is added more for the scent than for cleaning.  If you want to use ammonia, it would be better (and cheaper) to use diluted clear ammonia.  

Neither Windex nor ammonia would be recommended by the mask manufacturer for cleaning masks.

My niece is a research scientists and rants & raves about the plethora of anti-bacterial products out there.  She claims that unless you are planning on doing surgery in your kitchen, they are totally unnecessary and do far more harm than good.  She claims we are basically creating super-bacteria in our own homes.