How to clean and sterilize nebulizer on a cruise ship?

Posted by lauraws @lauraws, Jun 8 7:45pm

Does anyone have tips on how to clean and sterilize a nebulizer on a cruise ship? Appreciate any information that can be provided.

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Put a plastic bag around the shower head that is filled with vinegar. Secure it with an elastic or other means. Leave there for 30 minutes, I believe.

If you can’t soak the shower head, at least leave the shower and bathroom doors open. Less stream!

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Princess Cruise will swap out the shower head for a wand. You may also request a Handicap room as most of them have a handheld shower wand. I find the wand much easier to use.

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@julienneh

I went to Africa in February this year and brought a thermos that could hold hot water and a collapsible bowl with a lid. At every place they had very hot water in a dispenser for tea. I could fill up the thermos and use that it disinfect with a bit of Dawn. I am not sure if this was a good choice, but it seemed to work for me.
My CT scan 3 months after I got back showed my brochiectasis stable.

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Thanks for sharing your ideas! Glad to hear your bronchiectasis is stable.

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@carolj68

I have travelled minimally since I've been on Arikayce for MAC (with underlying bronchiectasis), but have thought about how to handle the situation. I have nebulizer equipment that can be boiled and sterilized (Pari LC Plus and Monaghan AeroEclipse XL) and have a Procter Silex hot pot (also called an electric kettle) that can boil water, and thought that this would be a good solution when travelling. I see that there are now collapsible, space saving silicone kettles available as well (Amazon)! The nebulizer equipment provided by insurance generally cannot be boiled or sterilized without melting/deforming, so I switched to equipment used by CF patients, the gold standard in airway clearance, so that I could sterilize my equipment. I use a baby bottle sterilizer daily and then don't have to worry about adequate cleaning, rinsing with sterile water, etc. It makes life much simpler.

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Thanks for sharing your ideas and solutions!

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@tcd518

@lauraws, good for you to be going on a cruise! I hope you have tons of fun. When we cruise, I nebulize with the Pari Trek S and use my Aerobika twice a day and wash and air dry my equipment after each use; once a week, I sterilize using a 5-minute alcohol soak. For a two to three week trip, I bring a 2-3 ounce bottle of Dawn dishwashing detergent and two 16-ounce bottles of 70% isopropyl alcohol. You can use the ice bucket for a washbowl or even borrow a bowl from the kitchen (I tried a collapsible bowl but it was too shallow). I also bring my plastic LifeStraw 7-cup pitcher for clean water.

When you first meet your cabin steward, let him know you will have nebulizer parts laying on a desk or whatever and that they should not be disturbed. Also, most cruise ships do not allow you to boil water in your room - please respect this rule as it is for everyone's safety! While it would theoretically be easier to buy Dawn or isopropyl alcohol in port, they are not always available. We discovered (after many visits to many Boots) that isopropyl alcohol is simply not sold in Great Britain 🙂 Bon voyage!

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Thanks, Toni! Appreciate all the great tips and information.

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I'm traveling right now, just finished day 2 at NJH. I bought a small travel electric kettle, have a sputum container with Dawn and got a bowl from the hotel. I put fresh water in my uvbrite bottle, then boil, then clean and cross my fingers. I have a 3oz spray bottle of alcohol in my makeup bag and spray everything before I leave for the day, come back and rinse everything with distilled water (I have to have it for my cpap) not sure if it's perfect, but it seems to be working so far!

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Even when insurance won’t provide nebulizer cups and mouthpieces that can be boiled like the Pari ones. They come with tubing and are < $30 for a set online and don’t require a prescription.

You can soak in distilled vinegar, alcohol or boil, whichever works for your situation. You can likely get boiling water from dining room or maybe even room service.

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@hbcupcake

I'm traveling right now, just finished day 2 at NJH. I bought a small travel electric kettle, have a sputum container with Dawn and got a bowl from the hotel. I put fresh water in my uvbrite bottle, then boil, then clean and cross my fingers. I have a 3oz spray bottle of alcohol in my makeup bag and spray everything before I leave for the day, come back and rinse everything with distilled water (I have to have it for my cpap) not sure if it's perfect, but it seems to be working so far!

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Thanks for the information!

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@hicopd

Even when insurance won’t provide nebulizer cups and mouthpieces that can be boiled like the Pari ones. They come with tubing and are < $30 for a set online and don’t require a prescription.

You can soak in distilled vinegar, alcohol or boil, whichever works for your situation. You can likely get boiling water from dining room or maybe even room service.

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Thanks for sharing your tips!

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@tcd518

@lauraws, good for you to be going on a cruise! I hope you have tons of fun. When we cruise, I nebulize with the Pari Trek S and use my Aerobika twice a day and wash and air dry my equipment after each use; once a week, I sterilize using a 5-minute alcohol soak. For a two to three week trip, I bring a 2-3 ounce bottle of Dawn dishwashing detergent and two 16-ounce bottles of 70% isopropyl alcohol. You can use the ice bucket for a washbowl or even borrow a bowl from the kitchen (I tried a collapsible bowl but it was too shallow). I also bring my plastic LifeStraw 7-cup pitcher for clean water.

When you first meet your cabin steward, let him know you will have nebulizer parts laying on a desk or whatever and that they should not be disturbed. Also, most cruise ships do not allow you to boil water in your room - please respect this rule as it is for everyone's safety! While it would theoretically be easier to buy Dawn or isopropyl alcohol in port, they are not always available. We discovered (after many visits to many Boots) that isopropyl alcohol is simply not sold in Great Britain 🙂 Bon voyage!

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Hi Toni, I’m also curious about the Aerobika vs the acapella device. My doctor recommended the acapella. I’m seeing many people commenting about using the Aerobika and I’m wondering if I need that instead? Thanks for any information you can provide.

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