How to Clean a Nebulizer Air Filter

Proper care and maintenance of your nebulizer are crucial to keeping it working as long as possible. Maintenance tasks like cleaning and changing out the air filter on your nebulizer are especially important when you or a family member is already in respiratory distress. Follow these steps to clean your nebulizer air filter quickly and easily and keep your machine in top form.

Things You'll Need

• Warm, soapy water
• Dry towel

Instructions

1. Clean the filter as often as necessary. The timing will depend on how often you use your machine. If you use your nebulizer every day, you should clean the filter about once a week. If you use it only on occasion, then once a month is probably fine.

2. Locate the air filter. This is usually right behind the hose connection on the compressor, so gently pry the cover off to expose the filter underneath. The filter should be fairly small, about the size of a quarter in most machines.

3. Wash the filter in warm, soapy water. Gently squeeze the filter a few times to get the soap deep inside the filter. Then run the filter under tap water for a minute or two until the water runs clear and stops bubbling from the soap.

4. Shake off the excess water, then lay the air filter out on a clean, dry kitchen towel for an hour or two to air dry. You need to make sure that it's completely dry to avoid mold and mildew from forming in your machine.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to read the directions that came with your nebulizer, as different models may have slightly different methods for cleaning the air filter.