Inside: When was the last time you cleaned the humidifier? Check out these simple tips for the best way to clean humidifier. It gets rid of any bacteria and germs quickly and easily.
It's that time of year again. Spring weather is here and it seems like it's always raining. It's time for me to put up the humidifier until next winter. Since we have hard water here at our house the humidifier gets really gross after a long winter. Before I put it away I always clean it. Cleaning the humidifier helps it last longer and work better next year when I go to pull it out. If you don't regularly clean your humidifier check out these tips on the best way to clean humidifier. It works great and is easy to do.
You can see below my humidifier had a lot of build up in it. Because of the way it is made it's impossible to access that area to clean. Over the course of a winter, the buildup becomes really bad. There are big chunks of build up that are in the small hole and they won't come out.
To start, dump out any old water that is still left in your humidifier. Then add a couple cups of fresh water to the humidifier. You won't want to fill it up all the way, just add enough so it can run. Around 2-3 cups of water should do it.
Next, add 1 cup of vinegar to the tank with the water. The vinegar does two things. It breaks up any of the deposits that are stuck in your humidifier. The vinegar also kills off any bacteria or germs that are in the humidifier. This is why it is the best way to clean humidifier. It gets rid of the buildup and the germs.
Let the humidifier run for about one hour with the vinegar and water mixture. It may have a slight vinegar smell as it runs but it isn't overwhelming. After an hour unplug the humidifier and let it cool.
Once it is cooled check it to see if all of the build up has disappeared. If it hasn't let it run for another hour or until all of the build up disappears. Rinse out all of the parts and scrub the tank if needed. You can see below all of the build up has completely disappeared.
Then, let it air dry overnight so all the parts and inside is completely dry.
Once it is completely dry you can put it back together and put it away for the season. I love knowing that my humidifier is clean and clear of any bacteria. If you have really hard water like I do you may want to do this a couple of times during the winter to really keep your humidifier running smoothly.
Dealing with hard water elsewhere? Check out my favorite tips on getting rid of hard water stains on granite. It works great!
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Vanessa says
This was a good read! Vinegar is helpful for cleaning these sorts of things!