How to Clean a Humidifier

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Keep this appliance clean so you stay comfortable all winter!

From building snowmen to hitting the slopes, there's a lot to love about winter. Something no one loves? The way heating our homes sucks all the moisture out of the air, drying out our skin, stuffing up our sinuses and turning our throats super scratchy. For many folks, humidifiers are the solution to what feels like an age-old problem. These nifty little machines can keep our environments at the ideal 30% to 50% humidity, helping us stay comfy from the season's beginning all the way to its end.

But whether you've become completely dependent on this invaluable appliance or you're just thinking about purchasing one, you're probably asking yourself how to clean a humidifier. After all, humidifiers work by releasing water vapor, and if that water is filled with mold or bacteria, it will degrade the quality of the air. This is especially a problem for people with asthma and allergies. But even healthy people can get sick from breathing contaminated steam or mist from a dirty humidifier.

Luckily, we've enlisted some experts to help explain how to clean a humidifier. From the best cleaning products to how often you should be cleaning it, we've found the answers to your most important questions. With these helpful tips, you can be sure your humidifier—and air!—stays sanitary all winter long.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, one note: it's always best to check your humidifier's owner's manual for cleaning directions. If you can't find the manual and haven't been able to get instructions from the manufacturer's website or helpline, don't worry! We've laid out the simple steps for how to clean a humidifier, according to Nicole Backus, Product Manager for Hamilton Beach. The entire cleaning process should take about a half-hour.

It absolutely does, and according to Matthew Baratta, VP of Operations at commercial and industrial cleaning equipment company Daimer Industries, you should be cleaning your humidifier at least once a week. "Some people even opt for every three days plus one deep clean a month," Baratta says. "Cleaning your humidifier regularly ensures that hard water doesn't turn to limescale and prevents mold spores from lingering too long inside the humidifier."

To help keep your humidifier in good shape in between cleanings be sure to fill it with distilled water, which has been treated to remove minerals that can gunk up your machine's filter or heating element, or even create a white film around it. Change your filter every one to two months, or sooner if it becomes visibly dirty or emits an odor. If your humidifier uses a wick filter, be sure to flip it around each time you change the water. It will prolong the life of the filter.

Also, fill your humidifier with fresh water every time you use it—yep, even if that's daily—and be sure to empty it when it's not in use. "If your humidifier is turned off with water in the base and not turned on for 8 hours or longer, algae and bacteria have a chance to grow," Backus explains. "And those microorganisms can become airborne when the humidifier is turned back on."

Even if you use only distilled water in your humidifier, it's pretty much inevitable you will get at least a little limescale buildup on it. Don't use detergents or abrasive scrubbers to tackle this chalky deposit, which could damage your machine. The undiluted white distilled vinegar should take care of any limescale—just be sure to let it stand for the full 20 minutes. Then wipe any remaining sediment buildup away with your soft scrubber or sponge.

Never, ever use bleach and vinegar together, which can create a toxic gas. If you're concerned about using bleach to deep clean your humidifier, hydrogen peroxide is a good substitute. But don't mix it with vinegar, either.

When it's time to do your monthly deep clean, or if you've noticed mold growing on your humidifier, you should use what Baratta calls "a more potent disinfectant such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide" to help kill off bacteria.

"Ensure you do this as a separate process from the vinegar rinse, as you should never mix vinegar and bleach," he adds. "Do not run the bleach through the humidifier but instead mix about half a cup of bleach and 8 cups of water and soak plastic parts in the solution. Don't put any metal parts in a bleach or hydrogen solution; instead, opt for the vinegar soak if they have stuck on calcium deposits."

Make sure to dry the humidifier completely, which will help inhibit any mold or bacteria growth, and always deep clean it before putting it away for the season in your linen closet or bathroom cabinet. As Backus says, "The use of a humidifier has many benefits, and to make sure you’re getting the best of those benefits, keep your humidifier clean."

Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.

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