Looking to learn how to clean a humidifier? It is important to have a humidifier if you live in your parched places such as Denver, Colorado, Las Vegas, Nevada, Phoenix, Arizona, etc. The aim of this appliance is to add moisture to the dry air in your home. However, continuous moisture can turns your humidifier into a perfect breeding ground for mold, bacteria, viruses, as well as various indoor allergens. As a result, your unit would need to be cared and maintained regularly. On top of that, if your humidifier has a filter, that filter also needs to be kept clean. This manual details a thorough process on how you can keep your humidifier in perfect working condition.
What Do I Need to Clean Humidifier?
- Warm water
- White vinegar
- Brush with soft bristles
- A spray bottle
- Gloves
- Cleaning towels
- Household bleach or hydrogen peroxide
- Dish soap
Why It’s Important to Keep Your Humidifier Clean?
Mold, bacteria, and viruses in the air are the first reason why you should clean your humidifier. A humidifier simply adds to your air humidity. This means if there are bacteria in the tank, it would spray these bacteria with its mist into your home. Some of the tiniest bacteria and viruses cannot be filtered out. Therefore, this appliance must be kept clean all the time, so that there is no risk of you inhaling such.
A humidifier is a device that contains intricate parts that require cleaning. You can install clean humidifiers and keep your indoor humidity at the required level effortlessly. Humidifier also last a long time if it’s well cared for. This means that you don’t want to be buying a humidifier every other year. Take care of the one you already have, and you will be rewarded with a long time of use.
Your humidifier tank is full of stagnant water. It stays too long without changing and this allows bacteria, viruses, and mold to grow within it. When you turn the humidifier on and forget to use it, it will not only dispense the mist, it will also disperse the bacteria. But it's always safer to use a warm mist humidifier (not a cool mist one) that boils water. Nevertheless, recall that certain allergens and viruses are heat resistant. A cleaner humidifier is a better bet for breathing in healthy air.
You can clean the humidifier and you also can disinfect it. The latter is used for killing bacteria, mold, and viruses.
How to Clean Your Humidifier?
Step 1: Prepare your cleaning station
Before you clean the humidifier, prepare the place where you’re going to clean the humidifier. It can be on the kitchen sink. Only make sure there’s enough room. You can also clean it on the kitchen counter, though be sure to clean the counter later because germs from the tank could be left behind on it. The bad part is that humidifier has quite a few small parts so they can get lost very easily.
Step 2: Unplug the humidifier and remove the water tank
Turn the humidifier off at the power source. If you have prepared a workstation, then take it to the workstation. Unload the water tank from the humidifier. Look to see if the humidifier has a filter that can be taken out along with it. And you clean those two thoroughly. Also, make sure to have a look at the user manual it came with so that you correctly remove the water tank. You do not want to damage your water tank.
Take apart all the bits that can be taken apart. All of them will need to be cleaned. You can even clean some of them in the dishwasher and save yourself a lot of time.
Step 3: Clean the filter
Clean the filter/s. This is easy. You can simply run it through cold water then dab any excess water with a towel. Then put them away where they can dry out. It is important to be careful that they cannot collect dust or any other contaminants, as then the entire purpose of cleaning them will have been defeated.
You can replace it with another one like this if the filter is not in good condition.
Step 4: Add water and white vinegar to the tank
There is a fill cap under the tank. Remove the plug and add warm water with vinegar solution into the tank. The mixture should be 50/50. Add approximately half of the tank capacity of solution. If you scrub regularly, shake the tank thoroughly and set it away to soak for about 30 minutes. If it has been a while since you cleaned the humidifier, let it sit for around 60 minutes.
Step 5: Soak the small parts in a bowl of water and vinegar
Pour water and white vinegar in 50/50 ratio into a large medium sized bowl. So it could be 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of water. Soak all the small parts in the bowl.
Step 6: Treat the base with vinegar
Spray vinegar on the base of the humidifier. If it has some, pour the water out first. Then you can fill it with white vinegar alone, not a water-vinegar solution. If you have been in contact with water for too long, use undiluted vinegar to kill all the germs. Let it stay for some time.
Step 7: Rinsing the components
30 minutes later, it will be high time to follow up on your work. Pour the vinegar to the base first. However, do not rinse it yet. Later, you can remove all traces of vinegar.
Remove all stuck dirt on the soaked parts with your soft bristled brush. Check the base. Sweep away any stuck dirt with the brush. If the base has been left untouched for a long period of time, usually the mold will already caked on the base. Also, soak the small parts you brushed in a vinegar-water solution, and then brush those off.
And this is the time to rinse the tank. Shake again thoroughly, then pour off the vinegar and water solution. Now, you pour in warm water and shake it all again. What you want to do: All traces of the vinegar must be eliminated. Rinsing the tank with clean, cold water can also serve as an option for you. It will work just fine.
Wash the base well in cold water. Dab the rinsed parts with a towel. You can also get rid of the excess water that way. Once you've air dried them, assemble your humidifier.
Step 8: Put everything back together
If you took the parts apart the same way, put them back together the same way. If this is difficult, have a look at the user manual again, or you could search for a video on YouTube. And it should be easy though, the more you clean the more you get used to the job. Plug it back in, fill the tank with mineral free or distilled water. It is an idea to watch it for some minutes to confirm that it is running properly. You can then relax knowing that your appliance will be ready to raise your indoor humidity whenever you need it to.
How to Disinfect Your Humidifier?
It is a good idea to disinfect the humidifier after every so long because over time your appliance collects mold, bacteria, germs, fungi, dust, dust mites and other nasties that you don’t want to expose your family to. Disinfection is inevitable because the water will stay stagnant in the tank for some time. Follow the following steps:
Step 1: Check the care instructions
You will use special products to disinfect the humidifier like bleach. But be careful to read the care instructions in yours, as some manufacturers warn against using bleach and similar products.
Step 2: Unplug the humidifier
Unplug the humidifier and part it apart. Now follow the steps from above for cleaning the humidifier. But here, the vinegar won’t disinfect the tank and the base, so you need to add bleach in this case. However, in this case, you shouldn’t add vinegar as they shouldn’t be used at the same time with bleach. The two mixed together can have a chemical reaction. Also, do not overload with bleach. That's only one tablespoonful.
Step 3: Wipe everything with a microfiber cloth
Once you are finished cleaning with a brush, bleach and warm water, go ahead and dry off the whole thing with a microfiber towel or cloth. The fine fibers of the scratching pad will not leave any abrasions on the tank.
How to Prevent Bacterial Growth?
There are many ways to prevent the growth of bacteria in your humidifier. Here they are:
Regular cleaning – If you clean your humidifier only when you notice some dirt and dried mold, then you are doing it too late. Do not clean it because it is dirty, but because you wish to increase the quality of your mist.
Don’t use mineral water – If you’re in an area where the water is hard, don’t use the water in the humidifier. The growth of bacteria and even mold will be encouraged by the minerals. Distilled or demineralized water is also something you can use.
You need to change the water occasionally — especially if you don't use the humidifier often. Use it a few times per week and change the water before you start it. If you don't get around to changing it, it’ll probably use all the water before you manage to do it in the next 24 hours if it’s a daily or nightly hang.
Check the filter – If your humidifier has one, then check its condition periodically. It can be cleaned in running cold water. Get a similar model online and replace if it needs to be done.
Humidifier Maintenance Tips
It is very essential to keep the humidifier well maintained. Here are a few things that you can do to ensure yours stays in top condition all the time:
Always keep the humidifier away from danger zones – Always keep the humidifier far away from areas where children and pets can dangerously get to it.
Store the humidifier clean and dry – If you’re done with winter and don’t need the humidifier, don’t just empty it and store it. Put it in a box, clean it up dry it thoroughly, and store it.
Take a close look at the user manual – you have to make sure that you do not void the warranty, so take a close look at the user manual to ensure you do not damage the product in any way. Don't use bleach if the manufacturer says not to.
How Often Should I Clean My Humidifier?
Clean as necessary – If you use your humidifier daily during winter, clean it daily, or at least every time that you have to refill the tank. The longer you use the humidifier, you will need to clean it more.
However, if the humidifier is not used often – If you use the humidifier a couple of times a week, you can clean it two times a week.
During Storage – Avoid storing the humidifier when still filled with water. When you take it out of storage, you need to clean it before using it again.
Final Verdict
Having a humidifier is a great appliance to keep the level of humidity in your home stable. However, like anything, even this one requires regular care and maintenance. So, you should know how to clean a humidifier. You know how to clean and disinfect one. You now know how often you should clean it. But, with proper care and maintenance, the humidifier can continue for a long time and every time you flip the switch it will mist the room.
