A humidifier is one of the most useful pieces of equipment you can have in your home or workspace, particularly if you live in cool, dry conditions. Humidifiers add moisture back into the air, which is clean and helps to provide you with a number of health benefits, such as reducing cough and cold symptoms and helping you to sleep more easily.
However, there comes a time when your humidifier needs a clean to keep it working to its maximum potential. So, here are a few tips and tricks when you are cleaning your humidifier to make sure you have done it right, without damaging it.
Dismantle the Humidifier
The first thing you are going to want to do is dismantle your humidifier. Start by removing the water tank and make sure that all the water has been removed, to prevent any spillages. Then take a look at the manual that it came with this should show you exactly how to dismantle it correctly without breaking or damaging any components.
Place All Components in a Bowl of Vinegar
The next things you are going to want to do is put all your loose components in a bowl, then add some vinegar so that it is completely covered. After a short while drain the bowl, leaving the components within. The vinegar will help to clean the components and remove any build up of deposits. Then add vinegar to the water tank and the base to ensure that these are both clean as well. If you find that the vinegar is not getting rid of all the deposits that it can help to remove the vinegar and add some more vinegar afterwards, this is much better than trying to use a sharp object to try and scratch it out. However, only do this if the vinegar is not fizzing. If it is fizzing it is a sign that it is working and removing the deposits from your humidifier.
Brush Away Any Deposits
Whilst adding the vinegar helps to remove most of the deposits, some are still left. At this point you are going to want to get a small brush, your humidifier may have come with one, and if not then you will just have to find one. Then once you have your brush use it to simply dislodge any deposits that are stuck in any cracks or corners within any parts of the humidifier. This should ensure that your humidifier is completely clean and free of any deposits.
Rinse off All the Parts
Once you are completely satisfied that all of the deposits have been removed you need to begin rinsing the humidifier. Add water to all components and give them all a good shake to try and dislodge any last bits of deposits within the water tank or any other part of the humidifier. Make sure you rinse all the parts thoroughly to make sure that all the vinegar has been completely removed, including the parts that you removed and put in the bowl earlier.
Dry Humidifier and Put it Back Together
Then, once you have left all the components to drip dry you can begin to put back the humidifier to how it was originally. You should find that your humidifier will now work much better and should add more water back into the air over a longer period of time. It will feel almost brand new.
Conclusion
As for how often you should do this, I would recommend repeating this process every 1-2 months in order to keep it thoroughly clean and prevent large deposits built up within the humidifier. If you want to keep it super clean then I would suggest rinsing it every week with water and giving it a good shake at the same time.
This is a good method to use, however it can be time consuming to dismantle and put the humidifier back together, but it is a very cheap option as all you need is some vinegar and some precious time.