This article will be of great help to anybody who’s looking for information on how to clean a humidifier with mold. For hundreds of millions of people around the world, humidifiers can better the quality of everyday life significantly. Breathing in dry air can be damaging to your body in many different ways. From having cracked lips and dry skin to dry sinuses and bloody noses, dry air does not have pleasant effects on the body. For some people, dry air can even aggravate respiratory conditions. Humidifiers can resolve these problems by bringing moisture back into the dry air. There also numerous different types of humidifiers, with each one being able to help a specific situation. One of the most commonly used humidifiers is the warm mist humidifier. This particular humidifier is designed to increase the temperature of the room that it is placed in by increasing the temperature of the water vapors. Not only can this make any room more comfortable in the winter, but it also creates the ideal environment for mold. If you see or suspect that there is mold growing on your humidifier, you should clean it as soon as possible.
How To Clean a Humidifier With Mold
What Materials Will You Need?
The type of materials that you will need depends heavily on the size of the humidifier. There are some humidifiers that cannot be easily moved, and there are some that are designed to be on your shelf. You will have to take this into account when you are determining how much soap you will need. You will also need a clean scrubbing brush to scrub out the interior of your humidifier. Many people prefer to bring a pair of rubber or latex gloves when they clean their humidifier. While this can protect your hands from the mold and cleaning chemicals, they are an optional choice. You will also need a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution as well. This has been proven by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be effective for removing the mold that is commonly found in the water tank of humidifiers.
For more serious mold situations, you will need a little more than hydrogen peroxide to get rid of the mold. In these situations, you will need to get some bleach. Bleach is much stronger for killing off mold than hydrogen peroxide, but you will need to be very careful when you clean out the water tank. It is also recommended that you use some white vinegar as well, when it comes to the aftercare of your humidifier. This means that it might be important for you to have some white vinegar on hand as well when you decide to clean the mold out of your humidifier. It is also important that you have some distilled water on hand, as this is often much better for your humidifier in the first place. Distilled water doesn’t have the potential to cause a mineral build-up where mold can grow in the way that tap water does, making it more useful for cleaning out a humidifier.
How Should You Clean the Humidifier?
The first thing that you will want to do when it comes to cleaning your moldy humidifier is remove the water from it. Depending on the size of the humidifier, this can be as simple as unplugging it from its power source, disconnecting the reservoir from the rest of the humidifier, and pouring the water down the drain when it is a reasonable temperature. For larger humidifiers where you cannot detach the water reservoir, you will have to take special care not to get any water on the motors. Once the humidifier has no more water in its reservoir, you will want to prepare your cleaning supplies. Right now, you will want to have a scrubbing brush, a pair of rubber gloves, soap and water, and a towel or two. Be prepared to go outside or make sure that there is a well-ventilated space inside your house.
You will definitely want to have your scrubbing brush and soap with you when you do this; otherwise, your humidifier won’t get particularly clean. Once you have emptied out the water tank, you should either make some space around your location if you cannot detach the tank, or you should move the water tank outside for these next few steps. Once you have done this and put on some rubber gloves, you first need to give the water tank a simple wash down. This is to ensure that any residual germs are removed from the water tank. The next part of the cleaning process involves using the cleaning chemicals that you have.
What Do You Do with the Cleaning Chemicals?
First, you should start with the 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Before you clean the inside of the tank, wipe down any other parts with this solution. This will clean any bits of mold that may be lurking elsewhere. Once you have done this, you will need to use about one teaspoon of the hydrogen peroxide solution per gallon of water that is in the tank. Make sure that you gently swish the solution around inside the tank to ensure that it covers every bit of the water tank. You don’t want to leave any of the mold alive. You should let this solution sit for around 30 minutes so that it soaks every nook and cranny and kills off any persistent mold.
After thirty minutes have passed, you will need to rinse out the water tank again. It is recommended that you use distilled water to do this, as tap water has many minerals that can serve as a new feeding ground for problems. If you plan to use bleach during this process, you should use equal parts distilled water and bleach. Once you have poured this solution into the reservoir, you should let it sit for another 15 minutes. Once those 15 minutes have passed, you will need to empty the tank out one last time and fill it up with clean water. It is suggested that you find an outside outlet and plug the humidifier in for a short amount of time to let any residual bleach escape. Nobody wants to be breathing in residual bleach inside your home. After this has been completed, you can take the tank inside and begin to wipe it down with a clean, soft cloth.
How Do You Maintain a Clean Humidifier?
Chances are that you won’t want to deal with a mold problem again for a long time. Thankfully, there are ways that you can prevent the growth of mold in your humidifier. Not only should you clean it on a regular basis, but some professionals suggest using about two cups of white vinegar to clean the tank about once a week. This will help kill off any mold that is starting to grow in your humidifier. You should also regularly wipe down your humidifier with a clean, soft cloth to avoid any other issues that might occur.
When you begin to think about replacing your humidifier, you should also throw away used filters, cartridges, and cassettes as well. This will reduce the chances of mold growing the next time you plan to use the humidifier. Replacing these parts is a relatively easy and inexpensive process that you will not have to worry about. As with any mechanical device, there is some degree of maintenance required, and this is part of it. If, for some reason, you cannot eliminate all the mold from your humidifier, it might mean the end for your humidifier. This is all the more reason to regularly clean and maintain your humidifier. If the situation is urgent, and you need a humidifier, there are many portable ones that are available on the marketplace for you to choose from.
Why Should You Clean Out Mold?
Not only is mold unsightly, but it is also unsafe for your health. Mold can lead to serious respiratory issues, especially for people who have weakened or sensitive respiratory systems. Problems can easily range from an inconvenient cough or sniffle every so often to potentially deadly symptoms and everything in between. Mold can easily get caught in your body and cause minor symptoms. These issues can be problematic and annoying, such as nasal stuffiness, coughing and wheezing, eye irritations, and even skin irritation. This can make life significantly more unpleasant. This is especially the case for people who are allergic to mold, are immunocompromised, or have chronic illnesses that affect their lungs. In these situations, mold can lead to infections, pneumonia, the development of asthma in young children, and potentially deadly illnesses. This can make cleaning out your humidifier much more important, as it directly involves your health.
When you decide to clean the mold out of your humidifier, you are making the quality of your life much better than before. You can improve the lives of not only yourself, but anyone else who chooses to go inside your house. This is especially the case for infants and young children who are still developing, as mold has shown to affect the developmental process of very young children, including asthma and other respiratory illnesses. While it might take a couple hours of out your day, you will be saving days or even weeks of your life from the discomfort of being affected by the mold that can grow in your humidifier. After all, cleaning your humidifier is simply another step in keeping it well-maintained and working properly.