
Are you looking for ways to sanitize and clean your humidifier?
Do you want to try cleaning it with bleach?
Have you heard about the cleaning properties of bleach and want to know how you can carefully use it?
***NOTE: Know exactly how much humidity is in your air at home. A great hygrometer will reliably detect your home humidity levels whenever and wherever you need to know them.
If you are not sure about how you can use bleach to clean your humidifier and want to try it so that the device does not get harmed, we can share the required details with you here. First we discuss whether or not you really have to sanitize the humidifier, and what could happen if it is not cleaned. We also talk about why bleach can be a good choice in disinfecting things and why it can be good for your humidifier. Also, we give you detailed step by step instructions to prepare a bleach solution at home that you can use to clean your humidifier properly and not cause any harm.
So, why do you need to sanitize your humidifier?
A humidifier is a kind of small machine or device that you place in your home or room and that contains water which it then evaporates into the air. This is finally the clean air that you will be directly breathing in, and as a result, it is really important that you clean your humidifier regularly and properly.
How does bleach disinfect things?
Bleaches mainly come in two types – there are chlorine bleaches and there are non-chlorine bleaches.
Why is it a good idea to use bleach to sanitize a humidifier?
There are quite a few good reasons to use bleach to help sanitize your humidifier.
How to Make Bleach Solution to Disinfect and Clean a Humidifier
How to make a bleach solution to disinfect things and how to use it to clean a humidifier
Making a bleach solution at home to disinfect the humidifier
You can follow this step by step tutorial to make your very own bleach solution at home, that you can then use to disinfect the humidifier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9SYS8tZZPI
You will need:
How to make it:
- 1Fill the container with the water.
- 2Mix the bleach into the water.
- 3Make sure you do not use more than 1 tsp of bleach, else it can cause damage to the humidifier.
How to Clean a Humidifier Effectively at Home
You can follow this step by step tutorial to effectively clean the humidifier at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiQ7vGIxjh8
You will need:
How to clean it:
- 1Hold the humidifier with both hands and open it in such a way that the top part gets detached from the base of the device.
- 2Before you start the cleaning, make sure that there is no water in the humidifier. You can throw out any traces of water that may be left in the device.
- 3Also, make sure that you unplug the device from the electric outlet, so that there is no risk of any electrocution.
- 4Take the nozzle out of the device.
- 5There will also be an opening kind of thing that you can turn and take off, so remove that as well.
- 6At the base of the humidifier, the separate section that came out, you will notice a demineralization cartridge. If you do not have one in your humidifier, you can also buy it separately if you so wish to. During the cleaning part, make sure to also remove this demineralization cartridge from the device, so that it does not get damaged in any way by the bleach.
- 7This will give you a clear base to work with.
- 8Now fill up the base of the humidifier with the bleach and water solution all the way till the brim. Once done, very gently keep it aside.
- 9Now you have to add the rest of the bleach and water solution to the other part of the device, the one that has the transparent body where you can see the water getting filled inside.
- 10Empty the bleach and water solution in this part of the container.
- 11At this point, you can also take the nozzle and place it inside the bleach water solution, so that it can also soak in the cleaning solution. This will help to remove any traces of dirt or germs from the nozzle as well. To this, also add the other thing that you took out along with the nozzle.
- 12Let all the parts soak for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- 13Use the wash cloth to wipe the insides of the device, especially if you notice any areas that look a little dirty.
- 14Once done, throw out all the remaining bleach and water solution into the sink and rinse with regular water. Leave them to dry out completely before the next use.
Can you sanitize a humidifier using chemical cleaning solutions? Is it a bad idea?
While there are other methods of cleaning your humidifier, it is probably best to stay away from types of chemical cleaning solutions, such as baking soda or hydrogen peroxide. Baking soda does not work against most of the germs and bacteria, especially E.coli and salmonella and this could eventually cause a real threat to your health. Also, concentrated hydrogen peroxide can be dangerous to use in a home setting improperly. At the end of the day, bleach also has it's own disadvantages and precautions to keep in mind but it will still be the most effective disinfectant readily available in most homes.
Lastly, always remember to make sure to use ANY type of chemical cleaning solution carefully! Read the directions and precautions printed on the containers and be sure to take care in handling the contents by keeping yourself safe with gloves and other protective accessories when necessary.
Additional Research:
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/do-i-really-have-to-clean-my-humidifier#1
https://www.prevention.com/health/a20517795/how-to-clean-humidifier/
https://home.howstuffworks.com/bleach.htm
https://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/disinfectants-a-guide-to-killing-germs-the-right-way