Question from Eddi
Hi Debra, I was wondering if you have an advise on this one. I have a humidifier in my home, pretty good brand, filterless, still it needs to be cleaned every 2 weeks or so with this little packet of chemicals. I really don’t want to use it, especially because I have an 8 month old baby. There are warnings on it not to touch it, breath it in etc. so makes me super uncomfortable using it.
Any alternative that I could use instead? Thank you, Eddi
Debra’s Answer
Readers, how do you clean your humidifiers?
I personally don’t have a humidifier (it’s humid enough here in Florida!) so I don’t have experience with this one.
Yes, diluted vinegar. I breathe through a CPAP machine with heated humidifier, and the instructions specify diluted vinegar for cleaning and disinfecting.
I too have little ones to think about. I clean their humidifiers with white vinegar and water (depending on how dirty they are, I sometimes use straight white vinegar). If there is mold, letting it soak will loosen it up and make it easier to clean!
A respiratory therapist told me to make sure the vinegar is fresh; unhealthy organisms grow on old vinegar. Plug the humidifier in in garage or unused room and let the vinegar run through the system for awhile. Rinse throughly, run, & repeat until no more vinegar smell.
As long as the liquid won’t be running through the machinery, I highly recommend using hydrogen peroxide concentrate mixed with some water if it needs to be to diluted. I get mine from the health food store. Zero smell unlike vinegar and it kills mould faster. I use it for everything that might have mould, from bathrooms to veggies fresh from the store. Handle with gloves as it burns when it’s concentrated. Totally safe for MCS people. I couldn’t live without it, it’s my best product.