Humidifier Cleaners For Optimum Performance

A humidifier has become more of a modern necessity than a luxury with its purpose of enhancing the indoor environment during dry seasons. Nevertheless, it is important that your humidifier is constantly maintained with the proper humidifier cleaners in order to keep it at optimum performance. Apart from that, doing this will also prevent your humidifier from turning into potential bacteria breeding grounds. Also, proper humidifier cleaning will prevent the need for yours to be replaced each every year. Users should refer to instruction manuals for efficient decontamination. Additionally, as a safety precaution, all humidifiers must be switched off and unplugged prior to cleaning.

In general, tank reservoirs in humidifiers should be cleaned on a weekly basis and more regularly if hard water is used in the tanks. Hard water contains higher concentration of minerals, such as calcium and most of the time tap water is considered hard water as well. Accumulation of these minerals will be present in the form of ‘white dust’ or in the appearance of discolorations after a period of usage. As these minerals build up in filters humidifier performance will be affected. Therefore, it is important to use the right kind of humidifier cleaners such as mineral-loosening cleaning solutions like Holmes Cleanse Clean or Bionaire Clean Away. Otherwise, filters and pads will need to be replaced with new ones which could be quite costly in the long run.

Standing water within the humidifier or the evaporator pads may be a cause for concern as they can become a breeding ground for bacteria. These bacteria would then be circulated into the atmosphere when mist or vapor is released into the air. Conditions such as this would require Microban, an antimicrobial agent which can be used on wick filters and humidifier reservoirs to prevent the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms.  In addition to that, chlorine water (1 teaspoon chlorine/gallon water) can be prepared as a home-made antibacterial humidifier cleaner solution. This solution should be used to soak and rinse humidifier parts as some bacteria may grow better in warm and humid conditions. Hydrogen peroxide solutions (3%) can also be used to bleach their humidifiers monthly for further bacterial disinfection.