How to Clean Your Humidifier

To ensure that your humidifier functions properly, you will need to clean it a minimum of one time each week. The good news is that you can actually use regular vinegar along with other tools for basic cleaning. Your humidifier will be purged of filth effectively just with the use of vinegar. This makes the weekly cleaning requirement easy to accomplish. Remember that when you decide to clean your humidifier for the first time, keep this on a stable, flat surface away from all types of fabric. The area around the humidifier should be dry as well. Use a clean, dry towel to wipe your device dry after cleaning.

Step #1 – Taking Your Humidifier Apart

Your humidifier needs to be disassembled in order for you to clean it. When you’re cleaning your humidifier for the first time, the first thing you need to do is to unplug the device and prepare it for cleaning. Make sure you have shut off the humidifier as well. Next, using the owner’s manual of your humidifier as a guide; take the device apart starting with the tank. Once you safely detach the tank, remove the filter of the humidifier the way it says in the owner’s manual. If there is a detachable motor in your humidifier, make sure you remove this as well. Basically, taking apart humidifiers will vary depending on what model you have. This should not require any tools. If you happen to have misplaced the owner’s manual of your device, you can usually find disassembly instructions that are comprehensive online, generally.

Step #2 – Scrubbing the Tank

Next, you will need to give your humidifier a good scrubbing. To accomplish this step, begin by combining one cup of warm water with one cup of vinegar in a spraying bottle. The next step is to remove the cap of the tank and empty this into one of the drains of your home, before proceeding to apply the newly created cleaning solution to the tank’s interior. Let this solution sit a bit for a few minutes. Next, using a toothbrush, scrub brush, wash cloth or sponge, scrub away any mineral deposits or dirt. This process needs to be repeated on the exterior of the tank before you rinse and subsequently refill the fresh, clean tank.

Step #3 – Clean Your Humidifier’s Base and Filter

Now that you have cleaned your tank thoroughly, the most laborious part of the cleaning process has been completed. Essentially, the third step on how to clean a humidifier requires you to essentially soak the filter of the device and scrub its base gently. You can start by placing the filter of your humidifier in a bowl or sink filled with a mixture of white wine vinegar and water and let this sit for about an hour or at the very least, forty-five minutes. The next thing you need to do is to take the device base and pour a small amount of vinegar, letting this sit for the amount of time previously specified. After these parts have been soaking for an ample amount of time, use a toothbrush, scrub brush, washcloth or sponge to remove any remaining bits of mineral residue or filth. You can give the parts a thorough rinsing as a follow up and make sure they are dried completely before you proceed to get your humidifier reassembled. The filter needs regular replacement but when you clean this by hand, it actually will help to improve the quality of air and extend its lifetime. This method works with most humidifier filters but remember that you won’t be able to clean a paper filter. Filters that have been regularly soiled and show signs of growing mold needs to be replaced rather than cleaned. You might also want to check the owner’s manual for special instructions to clean the filter of your humidifier. Check the website of the manufacturer for this as well, if yours is lost. If you have hard water in your home, you might need to clean your filter and tank more frequently than once a week. As a general rule, however, your tank will need more frequent cleaning than your humidifier. By using distilled water in your humidifier, you will need to clean your humidifier less often than if you had hard water.

Step #4 – Disinfecting the Humidifier

Once you are done cleaning your humidifier, it is time to think about disinfecting it. One way you can disinfect your humidifier is by using liquid chlorine. To disinfect your device, fill the base or water reservoir with clean water and for every gallon of water you use, add one teaspoon of liquid chlorine. For about thirty minutes, let this solution soak and sit. To get the base evenly coated, occasionally swish the solution gently. Once thirty minutes has passed, pour the solution of bleach down the drain, carefully so as not to spill any of it. Make sure you rinse the base more than a few times so that the bleach smell disappears. After reading this guide on how to clean a humidifier, we’ll hope the next time you clean your humidifier will be a breeze 🙂