Easy Way to Clean a Humidifier

Cleaning your humidifier is mandatory! Here’s why: It’s that time of year where everyone is getting sick and it’s important to know how to keep your home clean including humidifiers. are definitely working overtime in our household. Between the coughing and sniffly noses, these miracle machines run non-stop. 

 I thought there was no reason to clean out your humidifier until the day I bravely looked inside of ours. I was disgusted by the gross, nasty junk growing inside. We were breathing in that crap!

After reading our humidifier’s instructions and researching online, I noticed that it doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to keep your humidifier clean. All it takes is a few supplies and consistent cleaning to keep your humidifier working properly to produce clean air.

Why should you clean your humidifier?

A look inside my old humidifier will tell you why you need to clean your humidifier. YUCKY! There is some sick crap that lingers in there if you ignore it enough. Nobody needs to breathe that in! 

What can I clean my humidifier with? 

To clean our warm mist humidifier, we used bleach, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and water. Always check the directions that are included with your humidifier just to be certain it’s okay to clean with the products below. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as your model may be different than mine.

How to Clean a Humidifier

1) Disassemble all the parts.
2) Rinse all parts with water.
3) Soak the base portion in white vinegar as long as it takes to get the gunk out. It took mine 45 minutes and a lot of scrubbing with a toothbrush or sponge.
4) Soak all the parts in your sink with half vinegar and half water.
5) You can either pour part bleach/water or straight vinegar in the water tank and let it soak for 45 minutes. I used bleach because it disinfects.
6) When done soaking parts, scrub all parts down with a sponge soaked in hydrogen peroxide to rid any possible mold.
7) Let everything air dry and put it back together to enjoy your newly cleaned humidifier.

How often should you clean your humidifier?

If you are using it nonstop like we are right now then you should clean it every week and make sure you change out the water every day. Definitely clean it before you use it for the first time of the season.

To think I was letting my kids breathe that grossness makes me ill and feel guilty, but now that we know better we do better, right?

Do you keep up with cleaning your humidifier? Be honest, how dirty was it? 

If you are seeking a cleaner home, consider joining us for the declutter challenge to simplify your home. Follow me on Pinterest for more cleaning and organization tips.