Warm mist humidifers use a heat source to vaporize water, producing a warm steamlike mist to increase the moisture level in a room. As your humidifier operates, minerals in the water used in the unit can precipitate, forming a fine white scale. This scale can keep the unit from operating efficiently. Regular cleaning can remove this scale, as well as any bacteria that may form in the humidifier. While there are different designs of warm mist humidifiers available, the cleaning procedure is basically the same for all units. The procedure is relatively simple and takes about an hour to complete.
Step 1
Turn the humidifier off and unplug it from the wall socket. Allow the humidifier unit to cool for 15 minutes before cleaning.
Step 2
Lift the water tank up and remove it from the humidifier base. Remove any additional parts, including medicine cups, water trays, cooling chambers or mineral absorption pads.
Step 3
Fill either the humidifier base or the removable water tray with undiluted white vinegar and let it stand for 20 to 30 minutes. Use the vinegar in the unit to clean the base or tray with a cloth or cotton swabs to remove any remaining mineral scale. Pour the vinegar out and rinse the base or tray with running water to remove the remaining vinegar.
Step 4
Mix a disinfecting solution of 1 tsp. household bleach with 1 gallon of tap water in the jug.
Step 5
Open the water tank and pour some of the disinfecting solution into the tank. Close the lid and swirl the water around in the tank to cover all surfaces with the solution. Shake the tank occasionally over the next 20 minutes.
Step 6
Add some of the disinfecting solution to the water tray or base of the unit. Allow the solution to sit for 20 minutes.
Step 7
Pour the solution out of the tank and tray or base and rinse them with running water until you no longer smell chlorine.
Step 8
Dry the base, tray and water tank with a clean cloth. Reassemble the humidifier.
Things You'll Need
- White vinegar
- Clean cloth
- Cotton swabs
- Household chlorine bleach
- 1-gallon jug
