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Humidifiers can become quite essential in regions with dry air environments. Dry air comes with its consequences, and to combat those and the allergies caused by them, air humidifiers are used. The people who use humidifiers often ask about how to clean humidifiers. Cleaning a humidifier is very important because, after a certain time, it might start creating molds that will affect your life quality and health.
A clean humidifier ensures that you are provided with healthy air because an uncleaned humidifier will promote bacteria's introduction into the air and mould production. Therefore, it is recommended to clean the air humidifier in your house frequently, at least once a week. If any of your family members suffers from respiratory disease, cleaning the humidifier more frequently is important.
This article is the ultimate guide on how to clean a humidifier and a list of humidifier cleaners that will help you in this process. We have provided you with a step-to-step guide on cleaning humidifiers that is extremely convenient.
Things that you will need
Below is the list of things that you will need for cleaning the humidifier. For how to clean a humidifier, you will need the below-mentioned elements that are easily available and might already be at your home;
- A soft brush (make sure not to use hard abrasive brushes)
- Chlorine bleach (liquid)
- White vinegar (distilled)
Step-by-step humidifier cleaning guide
Below, we have assembled a step-by-step guide on how to clean a humidifier, and let's dig into the guide without wasting any time.
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The very first step done to clean the humidifier is to unplug it and then empty it. To empty the remaining water, make sure to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. This is important to avoid water contact to any other part of the humidifier, especially the motor.
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Now for the tank or base of your humidifier, you don't want any detergent or anything. This element is readily available in your kitchen cabinet. Take a measuring cup and add a good amount of full one to two measuring cups of distilled and undiluted white vinegar in the tank. Make sure that the vinegar wets all the base area. White vinegar is a very effective humidifier cleaner, and when left on a surface for a while, it helps take out all the moulds and contaminants easily.
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Let the distilled white vinegar drain into the reservoir and sit there for about twenty minutes. This white vinegar will trigger the mineral build-up, and it will eventually loosen up.
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After you have let the white vinegar set onto the base surface for a good twenty minutes, now is the time that you empty the tank of your humidifier. When the tank is empty of the white vinegar, take a soft brush and scrub off the stubborn mineral build-up particles. Make sure not to scratch the surface hard to avoid any scratches on the surface.
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Now, you have your tank and base all cleared and clean. Take a cloth and soak it with clean water; use this cloth to clean all the residues from the base.
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Now take a cloth and soak it in high-strength white vinegar; clean the smaller parts of the humidifier, too, including the cap of the tank.
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After all the cleaning, rinse the humidifier thoroughly as instructed by the manufacturer, ensuring that water doesn't enter the electronic parts or components of the humidifier.
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The last step is to dry the humidifier before reassembling it into its original working form.
Washing the wick filter is not recommended at any cause and should be replaced when necessary. This is because when the filter is washed, it can damage the antimicrobial coating and the paper-like materials of the humidifier.
Here’s a video that can further help you understand how to clean a humidifier:
Disinfecting the Humidifier
Although the guide as mentioned above is appropriate if your humidifier does not need much deeper clean. But if you want to clean the humidifier deeply along with all the disinfection, consider following the below-mentioned guide that will help in disinfection and cleaning the humidifier. Bleach solution is an effective humidifier cleaner that assists in the disinfection process. Now, let’s get to the step-by-step guide on how to clean a humidifier along with the disinfection.
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Before disinfecting, make sure that you have cleaned your humidifier. To clean the humidifier, follow the above-mentioned step-by-step guide.
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After you have your humidifier all cleaned, now is the time to disinfect it. For disinfecting, mix almost one gallon of water with one teaspoon of chlorine bleach in liquid form. Now add half or three-fourth of the liquid chlorine solution into the tank of your humidifier.
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Now, set the tank to the humidifier base and let the bleach solution reach the water reservoir. Let it sit this way for about twenty minutes.
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After letting it sit for twenty minutes, remove the bleach solution from the tank and the water reservoir.
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Rinse the tank and the water reservoir thoroughly until it is cleared from the bleach and its strong smell.
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Take a piece of a soft cloth and wipe the whole humidifier until it is dried down.
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The last step is to reassemble the humidifier.
Conclusion
We have provided you with an ultimate guide on clean humidifiers and have mentioned some of the best humidifier cleaners. Avoid using detergents for this purpose as they tend to damage the surface of the humidifier and are not even as efficient as bleach or white vinegar. Also, the maintenance of a humidifier is very much important. Otherwise, it can give rise to certain bacteria that can cause infections.
To ensure that your humidifier fulfills its purpose, empty the tank from the water when you are not using it. Along with this, replace the humidifier filter at regular intervals to increase the lifespan of your humidifier and ensure that you are being provided with healthy air. Also, while maintaining the humidifier, keep it dry and clean it frequently.
