How to clean your humidifier

Humidifiers provide a lot of great benefits for a home during the winter. It can help improve the house’s air quality, prevent dry skin, relieve cold symptoms, and reduce static electricity. It’s a great addition to any room you sleep in that suffers from drier air in the year’s colder months. If you frequently wake up with a scratchy throat or dry lips, you may want to consider getting a humidifier.

However, a humidifier does not come without its required maintenance. If you do not adequately clean it consistently, it can grow bacteria and mold, which can end up making you sick. It would be best if you cleaned and disinfected your humidifier about once a week.

Here are the steps for how to clean your humidifier:

1. Unplug the humidifier
2. Remove the filter and rinse it under cold water
3. Do not use any cleaning products on the filter, as this may damage it
4. Let the filter dry out on a clean towel
5. Empty the water tank and pour in about 3 cups of undiluted white vinegar
6. Swish the vinegar around in the tank until it has covered the bottom and all of the sides
7. Let the tank and vinegar sit for 1 hour
8. Use a scrub brush to scrub away any grime at the bottom of the tank
9. Dampen a sponge with water and vinegar and use that to wipe the rest of the humidifier
10. Mix a solution of water and bleach (1 tsp of bleach for each gallon of water)
11. Pour the solution into the tank and let it sit for an hour
12. Pour out the solution and rinse the tank thoroughly with cold water
13. Reassemble the humidifier and resume regular use

If you need assistance with your humidifier or have other questions related to humidifiers, home air quality, or heating and cooling, give FLAME a call at (888) 234-2340.