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Recommendations to properly clean a humidifier

There are devices that have become essential to have in our home, which often go unnoticed due to their small size but actually have a very important task to perform. We all know the problems that an environment without sufficient humidity generates, drying out our throat and skin, while causing us the famous and annoying dry cough, which makes it difficult for us to rest at night. Do not worry! Fortunately, there is an inexpensive solution to this problem and that is the case with the well-known humidifiers.

The number of benefits and positive properties attributed to these devices are such that their use is becoming more frequent in our homes, especially if we have children and want to ensure their well-being.

Thanks to the fact that they help create a cleaner and more pleasant environment by regulating the level of humidity in a room, these devices are particularly recommended to combat some respiratory problems caused by a dry environment, making breathing easier for anyone regardless of their age.

In general terms, the best humidifiers on the market efficiently combat dry air, especially if you live in a very hot or very cold place, where you are normally forced to purchase an air conditioning system, such as a heater., which dries the environment remarkably. For this reason, it is very important to carry out frequent maintenance on the device where you can disinfect, as well as thoroughly clean, your humidifier to guarantee its efficiency and avoid any accumulation of bacteria and fungi.  

Start with a basic cleaning

It is recommended to start by cleaning the filter, so it should be necessary to turn off and unplug the humidifier to avoid any damage. Remove the filter and place it under the faucet, rinsing it well with cold water until you manage to remove all the impurities and then use a clean and dry towel, on which you can place the filter and continue cleaning the other parts while it dries itself.

Keep in mind that filters are permanently ruined if you wash them with any type of chemical cleaner, so use only water to clean them. On the other hand, there are models of humidifiers whose filter should be changed from time to time, so you should review the instructions carefully.

Then, remove the water tank from inside the humidifier and empty it completely, adding three cups of white vinegar and shaking it a little so that everything inside is well impregnated and letting it sit for an hour so that the vinegar acts and removes all the tartar. that accumulates at the bottom of the water tank. It is well known that vinegar is a very efficient natural cleaner with antiseptic and disinfectant properties, which is why it is widely used in house cleaning.

If the tartar is very attached to the tank or if the opening is too small to put your hand in, help yourself with a brush that you can insert to the bottom. If you don’t have a brush, a great alternative to this is to add a few tablespoons of rice vinegar and cold water to the inside of the tank, creating a goo. Make sure to cover the tank well and proceed to shake it vigorously for about a minute, repeating the process as many times as necessary to completely remove all the dirt inside the tank.

Lastly, wash it well with water, making sure all the grains of rice are gone. Take advantage and clean the outside of the humidifier with a sponge impregnated with vinegar and water. This will prevent dust particles from entering the interior of the humidifier and will make it more difficult for mold to build up.

Every so often disinfect the humidifier

To disinfect the inside of the water tank, you will first need to make a bleach and water solution by pouring a gallon of water with a teaspoon of bleach into the water tank. Let the solution stand for approximately one hour, which will guarantee a better disinfection of the internal part of the humidifier. Then empty the tank and rinse it well with clean, cold water. It is important that you keep in mind not to leave the solution with chlorine for more than an hour, since a long exposure to chlorine could damage the device.

There is an alternative to chlorine that is very efficient, which consists of pouring a couple of cups of hydrogen peroxide inside the tank and shaking it vigorously so that everything inside is well impregnated. Let it sit for an hour and rinse the tank with plenty of cold water until the interior is completely clean of hydrogen peroxide.

You can also do a deep clean with vinegar

In order to do a deep cleaning with vinegar, you must fill the tank with a ratio of one cup of vinegar to four liters of water and turn on the humidifier for one hour. After that time has passed, rinse the inside of the tank with clean water, removing all the vinegar that has remained inside the tank, and turn it on for another hour.

Finally, rinse the tank again and you are ready to use. Remember that it is not recommended to turn on the humidifier when it has vinegar inside if you are in a closed environment, otherwise your whole house will smell of vinegar.

In conclusion, it is very important not to forget to replace the water in the tank frequently, because if you leave water stored for a long period of time, it will gradually accumulate a negative amount of scale on the bottom and walls of the humidifier.

Also, if you let the tank go a long time without cleaning, those accumulated mineral deposits will be very difficult to remove as they harden more than necessary, so you will need to apply a deep cleaning to prolong the life of your humidifier. Some users recommend doing a basic cleaning of the humidifier every two or three days and a deep cleaning every two or three weeks.

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