Last Updated: February 27, 2024
Humidifiers need regular maintenance and a cleaning ritual. Since they operate on water and steam/ mist, it makes cleaning all the more important! Here you’ll know all about how to clean humidifier
Comes the dry weather and you look up to your little best friends to combat the dry and lifeless air- humidifiers. Humidifiers are devices used to increase humidity or moisture level in a given space. They are a promise of fresh and moist air in your room or even entire building. On basis of the technology they use to humidify space and the extent of area they cover, the market has a variety of humidifiers to offer to you! These may be cool mist or warm mist humidifiers, ultra-sonic humidifier or evaporative humidifiers, portable or whole house humidifier or furnace humidifiers. Each has its own special features to offer but with its function being the same – to get rid of the dryness in the air! Excess dry air can give rise to skin infections, chapped lips, sore throat, stuffed nose respiratory problems and much more. To prevent these problems, installing a humidifier might be your best bet! It assures that your skin remains moist and your allergies stay at bay. It is a perfect solution for people with respiratory problems and skin diseases.
However like any other device, humidifiers need regular maintenance and a cleaning ritual. Since they operate on water and steam/ mist, it makes cleaning all the more important! You surely don’t want to compromise on your humidifier’s life, do you? If your answer is no, this is just the right guide here for you!
We got for you an in-detail guide on cleaning humidifiers – why you need to do it and all you need for it. Before that, let us clear off the myth that cleaning a humidifier is a huge task. It is not! It’s rather quick and easy that in-fact gets simpler with regular maintenance. So keep cool and grab the important tips!
- Why Clean a Humidifier?
- What all you Need to Clean a Humidifier?
- How to go about it?
Why Clean a Humidifier?
There are a range of expert backed opinions on why you need to clean your humidifier. However why not just think of a hot water machine containing month-old water. Now would you want a cup of water from it? Definitely not! Continue reading mate…
First off, humidifiers function as respiratory devices that provide a mist a fresh and moist air. Nowadays the last thing you want is contamination of any respiratory device in your space! Lack of proper cleaning of the device and stagnation of water encourages growth of bacteria, inhalants, dust, mites and mold that can ultimately land in the mist that is emitted. Breathing this bacteria-infused air may lead to a host of negative health symptoms like sore throat, asthma attacks, respiratory infections, lung inflammation, fevers, etc. Cleaning is a simple solution to avoid this from happening!
Moreover any device’s longevity is definitely a concern for the owner. Who would want to spend huge bucks on the same thing every season? Needless to doubt, cleaning is a promise for long life and efficiency of humidifiers. In the long haul, calcium can collect on the device’s evaporator block which can in turn cut down its efficiency. This in addition can also lead to consumption of more electricity than usual. So you got to treat humidifiers regularly if you want to want to extend their life and keep your money intact! In this scenario, it becomes important to know how to clean humidifier.
Check out our list of best humidifiers for 2018
What all you Need to Clean a Humidifier?
Once you have in place a cleaning schedule for your fresh air devices, you don’t need much else but just a couple of essentials to get down to the task:
- Instructions manual – This is the most important thing you need. It is the document provided by the manufacturers with information on usage, storage, even cleaning and maintenance of the humidifier. Referring to this in detail is crucial!
- Vinegar – This is the best cleaning agent recommended for your humidifier.
- Bleach – You will need this to thoroughly clean the water tank and base.
- Gloves – To protect your hands from getting affected by the cleaning agents
- Brushes and Sponge – Assure you have one small brush for the base; an old toothbrush might also do the work. A sponge will be needed just for wiping.
- Water – And lots of cold water to rinse the parts.
- Towels – You need dry and clean towels that the humidifier parts can rest on to dry.
How to go about cleaning a humidifier?
Now that you have all the necessary things, let’s get down to the task! You don’t need any professional experience or a hand in technical things for this. All you need to do is read our in-detail tips! So relax and let’s get going!
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- First and foremost, dig in the instruction manual. Go through the list of essentials provided, if any, warnings and things to take extra care for and the instructions. That evidently is your official guide for this task. So make sure you give full justice to it being added there for you!
- Next unplug the humidifier and disassemble it; unlock the removable parts and set each piece apart. Remove the water tank and empty it. If there is an air filter in the device, set it apart too.
- You’re going well! Now grab your air filter and rinse it with cold water to remove any impurities. If the need be, you may use a soft brush. Then keep it aside to dry.
- Next is the turn of the water tank. Pour out the old water and fill it again with cold water and 1 teaspoon of bleach or 3% hydrogen peroxide per each gallon of water. The tank must be atleast half filled with the solution. Next, swivel the solution so the water tank is coated evenly. Allow it to sit for minimum 30 minutes and maximum 60 minutes. Do not cross the time limit else the solution may damage the equipment.
- In the meantime, check the base of your humidifier for any deposits or mold. Spill in vinegar, enough to reach especially the areas that water comes in contact with. Gently scrub the area once with a small brush and leave it with the solution for next 30 minutes. In this time, the deposits will break down and it will be easier to scrub it off later with the brush.
- If the base is too compact and does not provide room for brush, just add in few tablespoons of rice with the vinegar solution in the tank. Close it, swish it vigorously for a minute and let it rest for next 30 minutes. It’s that easy!
- Optional Step: For an even deeper cleaning, you may plug the humidifier with vinegar solution in the tank (vinegar + water) outside your home in an open area. Let it run for an hour, then clean it, fill it with fresh water and let the humidifier run for another hour.
- Next, grab other parts of the humidifier and just wipe them clean with a wet sponge. You may dip it even in vinegar for better cleaning.
- Now you got to thoroughly rinse all the small parts, the water tank and the base with cold water. The smell of the cleaning solutions may initially be strong but will gradually clear away. Shake well and set them aside to dry.
- Congrats, you did it mate! Your humidifier is now thoroughly cleaned and disinfected! Now just assemble all the dried parts carefully, pour in fresh water and enjoy the mist!
Additional Important points for you!
- In any case, do not use a cleaning agent for the air filters. Chemical can leave a permanent adverse effect on the filters.
- If the instruction manual recommends change of air filter, you should better mark the dates and see if you rather need a new one.
- Avoid using any cleaning agent other than vinegar to clean the water tank of the humidifier. Since this is where the water is stored that is pumped out as mist, adding any other cleaner may have an adverse effect on the air quality.
- When using the humidifier with vinegar solution, make sure you do that in an open area outside. If done inside your space, the pungent smell of vinegar will spread.
- Experts recommend that you clean your portable humidifiers atleast after 3-4 uses. Additionally, don’t let the water sit in the tank for long periods of time as that can encourage mold. Replace it with fresh water (prefer filtered water) often so that your device pumps out a fresh mist every single time.
- Excess moisture can also serve as perfect condition for bacteria and mites to double up. So you got to keep the humidity under control! 30 – 50 % moisture level is generally considered appropriate. However, there may be a different need for different regions.
You see, cleaning your humidifier is not a massive task at all! It is rather very easy and can be done in a short span of time! Also you need not retort to in-depth cleaning just every time; you may take turns on simple cleaning with vinegar as well. So keep your humidifier clean! And keep your place fresh and moist!