A Humidifier Cleaning Tutorial

Posted on December 5th, 2008 in Guides by Humidifier Guide

A humidifier is an appliance used to increase the humidity or amount of water vapor in the air. If you use a humidifier only on occasion, you do not need to clean it that often. But if you use it everyday, you should clean your humidifier every week.

First and foremost, make sure you read the owner’s manual of your humidifier. Too often we are too lazy to read the directions. But this is important as a general humidifier cleaning guide like this tutorial may not apply correctly to your model. Further if you tinker with your humidifier on your own, it may void the warranty if it gets damaged.

Humidifier Cleaning: Overview

For cool mist: Unplug this humidifier first of all. Remove the filter and put it aside. Then clean out the mineral deposit. Disinfect the appliance. When you are done, reassemble the humidifier.

For warm mist: As with the cool mist humidifier, unplug the item first. Remove mineral build-up according to directions. Then clean the heating part by applying vinegar to the humidifier’s base. Put the misting chamber onto the base. Leave the vinegar for half an hour. Afterwards take the unit and wipe off the mineral build-up with a soft brush. Do not use any metallic or pointed object to do this as it can damage the humidifier.

Next step in warm mist humidifier cleaning is to pour cool water on the base. Put the misting chamber in it. Again wait some more time to let any remaining dirt to come off. Wipe it off the chamber with a clean, gentle cloth. Drain out the water. Then you finish your humidifier cleaning by disinfecting it.

Removing the Mineral Deposit

You should always remove the mineral deposit during a humidifier cleaning. To do this, first pour a cup of pure vinegar into the water container of the apparatus. Vinegar is an excellent and natural disinfectant that won’t damage your humidifier or leave any toxins. Let it soak for half an hour at least, or a full hour if you want to be sure. Gently turn the container this way and that to stir the vinegar and facilitate the humidifier cleaning. Now pour out the vinegar along with the mineral deposit. Wipe out the build-up and wash the container repeatedly until there is no more residue.

Disinfecting Your Humidifier

It is simple and easy to disinfect your humidifier. Cleaning it with bleach is the easiest way. Just pour water with a little bleach into the humidifier’s water receptacle. Do not add a lot of bleach. A ratio of one tablespoon for every gallon is enough. Leave for thirty minutes. Drain carefully. Rinse very well until you can no longer smell the bleach.

Caution: Always make sure there are no traces of vinegar and bleach after a humidifier cleaning. And do not forget to unplug the appliance first.