It’s essential to ensure that you do the necessary maintenance and clean-up as a nebulizer’s owner and user to ensure that the medical device is operating correctly. However, replacing the nebulizer’s components is often essential to provide the best efficiency and hence the most effective treatment.
Early Learning Practitioners often have concerns about the use of nebulizers taken into the center by parents or for units kept in the center. We all know germs prefer dark, humid, and warm environments to grow and thrive. It is easy for bacteria and mold to be able to expand on equipment if not cleaned and disinfected correctly and could cause respiratory problems for children with asthma.
It is good to know that keeping your nebulizer’s equipment can be quick and straightforward. It is possible to perform daily and routine maintenance using a couple of household items you already have. Manufacturers will also give you instructions on maintaining and cleaning your equipment. This is a comprehensive guide to keeping your nebulizer to ensure the best performance.
What Is a Nebulizer?
Nebulizers convert the medication from liquid to an aerosol that you inhale into your lungs.
Nebulizers are available in homes (tabletop) as well as portable models. The home nebulizers are more substantial and require you to connect them to electrical outlets. Batteries power portable nebulizers, and you can connect them to an outlet in your car. They are a little larger than a deck of cards, which means they can be carried in a briefcase or bag.
You may require an appointment with a doctor to get the nebulizer, or you can purchase one from your pediatrician’s office. A lot of people also receive breathing therapies at the doctor’s office.
Cleaning After Final Treatment
After the final cleaning of the day, you need to take off the nebulizer and mask or mouthpiece. Clean these components with soapy water, using mild detergent. Set the pieces aside to dry in the air.
Care of Nebulizer
The process of cleaning and disinfecting the equipment you use is easy yet vital. Cleaning should be conducted in a clean and smoke-free environment and away from windows with open windows. Here’s how to get your equipment clean:
After each session, wash the nebulizer using warm water. Shake off any excess water, then let it dry.
When you are done with your period, the mask or mouthpiece must be cleaned in warm soapy water with mild detergent, then rinsed thoroughly before drying in the air. The reusable Pari Nebulizer is dishwasher-safe; run through the cycle using the top rack inside a small-parts bin.
Note that it is unnecessary to wash the tubing that connects the nebulizer and an air compressor. Don’t put these components in the dishwasher.
To clean the nebulizer, you can follow this simple routine:
After each use, rinse the nebulizer bottle mask or mouthpiece thoroughly using warm water. Shake off any excess water, and let the air dry.
After each day, the nebulizer mask or mouthpiece must be cleaned with warm soapy water, rinsed with clean water, and then placed on a clean towel for the night for drying.
Every week, Wash your hands with soapy water. After washing thoroughly, disinfect using white vinegar; for vinegar, solutions make a mixture of 1/2 cup of white vinegar and one and a half cups of water. Soak the equipment for 20 mins, then rinse it under a steady water flow. Shake off any excess water and let it air dry on a towel. Make sure the equipment is arid before storing it in the bag with zippers made of plastic.
Disinfecting After Cleaning
Every three days, following washing, clean the machine. There are several ways to clean the non-disposable and disposable nebulizers:
Mix a solution consisting of one-part white vinegar and three parts water in a clean bowl, and soak the nebulizer bottle and mask or mouthpiece in the solution for 30 mins.
Incubate the apparatus in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol for five minutes.
The equipment should be soaked in the hydrogen peroxide solution for 30 minutes.
After disinfecting, wash the areas thoroughly using warm water. Allow drying in the air.
Other suggestions
Always keep an extra nebulizer and mask or mouthpiece available. If you are receiving breath-taking treatment at your doctor’s office, ask you for the tubing, cup, and mask.
Follow the instructions on equipment for cleaning, checking, and changing the filter on the air compressor.
