How to Clean Mold Out of Your Humidifier
Updated: Jan 18
Winter’s coming, and even here in Santa Clara, the dry air comes along with it. It’s time to dredge that humidifier out of storage, so you can breathe easy again. But what if you don’t clean your humidifier often enough, and you put it away while it was still damp? You might find that there’s now mold growing in your humidifier!
Not to worry though, cleaning a moldy humidifier is a pretty simple and straightforward process. We’ll show you a couple different methods you can use to safely and efficiently clean a moldy humidifier.
Why Do You Want a Humidifier in Winter?
As the winter season approaches, you might notice that you’re waking up with a stuffy nose and a dry, scratchy, or even sore throat. That’s probably because the air tends to be much less humid in the winter months, and that dry air wreaks havoc on your nose and throat.
The dry winter air absorbs moisture from everything around it, including your respiratory system. Breathing this dry air at night can lead to sinus congestion, a sore throat, and even nosebleeds.
Now, that’s not to say that the more humid the air is, the better. The primary contributing factor in mold growth is humidity. You shouldn’t let the humidity in your home go above 40% if you want to avoid letting dangerous black mold grow in your home.
How to Clean a Humidifier with Mold
The simplest way to clean mold out of a humidifier is to use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.
Pour a mixture of four parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide in the tank of your humidifier.
Give it a good shake and let it sit for at least half an hour.
Pour it out and rinse the tank with water.
If you want a more natural solution to cleaning your moldy humidifier you can use distilled white vinegar. The process is similar to that of cleaning a humidifier with hydrogen peroxide, but has some slight variations.
Pour a mixture of one part water to one part distilled white vinegar into the tank.
Give it a good shake and let it sit for at least an hour
Pour it out and rinse the tank with water.
With both these methods, you should look inside the tank after rinsing. If you notice that there’s still mold or debris stuck to the inside of the tank you can use a stiff bristle brush, like a bottle brush, to knock it loose and then repeat the process.
As for the base of the humidifier, we recommend that you always follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning to avoid damaging the unit.
How Often Should You Clean Your Humidifier?
WebMD recommends cleaning your humidifier very often. At least once a week. In addition to a weekly deep clean, you should empty and dry the tank every day.
You’ll want to make sure you regularly clean your humidifier so that you aren’t actively spreading mold around your home. Just because mold grows better in warm temperatures doesn’t mean that it can’t grow and spread in winter.
Mold Problem in Your Santa Clara, California Home? We’re Here to Help!
Discovering that you have a moldy humidifier might get you thinking about where else you may have mold issues. Our certified technicians at My Pure Environment can assess the level of mold growth in your home, and come up with a plan to address it.
Our Dry Fog technology ensures that nothing in your home gets damaged during the remediation process. Contact us for a free consultation today!
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