Headband cleaning with Rubbing (Isopropyl)...

published by GroundLoop on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 20:53
English

My headband sensor pad gets pretty oily after a while, and the Woolite washing is less than convenient.  It takes a while, adds physical wear to the pad, and then takes all day to dry.

Since the sensor pad seems to wick skin oils pretty quickly, my goal is to get those out and return the pad to dry/clean condition for longer use.  One of the cheapest and least toxic solvents is simple rubbing alcohol.  It evaporates quickly, leaves no residue, and is widely used for dissolving liophilic contaminants.

Typical drug-store rubbing alcohol is 70%, with 30% water.  For faster drying, I got some 95% Isopropyl from Fry's and have been using it every few days.

I remove the electronic module from the snaps, of course, then soak the sensor pad in alcohol.  Quickly, I then roll it up into a paper towel (flat) and squeeze gently.  This works amazingly well!  All the ick wicks right into the paper towel.  Roll and squeeze a few times, and the pad is clean as new.

I know it's not orthodox, but man, it's much faster and easier than Woolite.

Steve@Zeo's picture

Steve@Zeo

Tue, 11/09/2010 - 05:58

Hey Groundloop - that's an interesting suggestion. I've checked in with our fabric experts and will see what they think. The only issue I would worry about is whether the alcohol would damage the silver or nylon fabrics. Will keep you posted... but my guess is that this would work just fine, if not better than regular detergents.

Patrick McNamara

Thu, 01/27/2011 - 09:47

Hey Steve, what did your fabric experts think about cleaning with alcohol?

My Zeo has started telling me to change the sensor pads; but since I haven't cleaned them at all so far, I thought I'd check on cleaning first, and all I can find is this post.  The Headband Care instructions that came with the Zeo say to wash the headband in a delicate fabric cleaner and cold water, but they don't specifically cover the sensor pad -- apparently, that applies to the pad too.

I'm wondering whether the alert to replace the sensor pad is based on actual sensor performance, or is based on a lapsed time period.  I suspect it may be the former, as my sleep graph shows several wake times during the night, whereas before they did not usually, and I don't recall these wake periods.

I think I'll try the detergent first, and see if the replacement message goes away.

But, I'd appreciate a little more information and feedback regarding this topic.

Thanks.

 

PatConfused

Steve@Zeo's picture

Steve@Zeo

Tue, 02/01/2011 - 06:03

Hi Pat,

 

So here's an update: we have no evidence that isopropyl alcohol would damage to sensor (and suspect that it would be okay, as long as you weren't leaving the fabrics to bathe in the alcohol), but we don't really have evidence to the contrary, either. I suppose it would be worth a try, but don't get too worried if it doesn't seem to work.

For clarification, the replace sensor pad message is based on elapsed time - specifically, 90 nights of data since you indicated the pad was replaced - when you get a new pad, go through the settings to reset the timer. For some people, the headband can actually function for much longer, but you may notice some reduction is signal quality. For others, they really do need a replacement after about 90 days.
I hope that helps!

Paradise

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 13:11

Another sensor pad cleaning question!

After reading this thread, I used a 70% alcohol towelette to gently wipe the pad clean yesterday. When I redocked it I got the replace sensor pad message. I removed it and thoroughly dried the pad with a diffused hair blow dryer on cool. Still got the replace pad message when it was redocked. I'm 14 days away from the standard 90 day replacement. Does a warning start at that time frame and I would've received a warning that day regardless of the cleaning? Or, does the warning indicate the need for an immediate change? Did the cleaning do some damage? The pad seemed to work fine last night but I'm still getting the warning. Mahalo in advance...

GroundLoop

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 14:34

I believe the Replacement warning is just timer-based (days of use).

If your pad is clean enough, and working fine (not too many false wakeups), then you can lie to it and say you installed a new one.

 

With cleaning and care, I get about 60 extra days out of them.

Eventually they delaminate at the edges and fall apart.  I don't know if the alcohol contributes to this, or the vigorous pressure during cleaning, but they've all suffered the same fate eventually.

Paradise

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 18:31

Thanks, GroundLoop. So, excessive false wake-ups are a sign the pad is failing? Funny, because my Zeo shows 0-1 wake-ups pretty consistently while I write down all the wake-up times as they occur...usually at least 4 per night and all over 2 minutes! If the Zeo showed that number, I'd believe it!!! I was half tempted at the 45 day point to change the pad to see if that was the cause of my wake-ups not registering but decided to just wait for the full 90 days. With the 2nd pad I'll try your suggestion to see if I can extend it's life, especially if I see the same sleep pattern.

Ah jeez...I thought I'd read the entire thread before I asked my question. I just noticed Steve had already answered it! Ugh! Sleep deprivation!