My humidifier uses wick filters and I'm replacing the filter every 2-3 weeks. I've tried various water treatment solutions, but they're expensive too. Can anyone please recommend solutions which don't involve spending a lot or which use common household ingredients and not a number of questionable chemicals? Our water is reasonably hard and fluoridated. Thanks kindly.
I would like to know the answer to this too. I bought a brand new humidifier and after 2 weeks, the filter is hard and will not put out any mist. We have hard well water also. I have bought so many filters that I am not willing to do it anymore
Don't know cause I haven't dealt with this but couldn't you put a water filter on your sink faucet and use that water in your humidifier?
First, see if you cant' make a filter out of the same thing the furnace uses. I used to make my own vacuum cleaner filters that way, but I'm not sure it it would work with moisture.
Most of the time I've found that cleaning the filters in a mild beach or vinegar water will clean them. I've elongated the life of my filters three-fold by doing this.
I use bleach and water to soak the filters about once every ten days. Make sure you use gloves, and don't squeeze the filters, just rinse them afterwards. It will have a slight bleach smell for a day, but it will give the filter about six months of lifespan. I've also heard citric acid is good for removing minerals, but have not tried it.
Home Depot makes tablets to treat the water in humidifiers and it's less than $2.
ONLY use distilled or R/O filtered water which TDS tests to zero. And you'd be bette off if you would switch to an ultrasonic-type humidifier then you could clean weekly with bleach or vinegar.
It is the water scale that hardens the wick (filter) and inhibits water absorption and evaporation. Wick type evaporative humidifiers need two additives to the water: one to inhibit water scale buildup on the filter (wick), and a another to stop mold and bacteria buildup (Bacteriostat). Amazingly, both are rarely sold where they sell humidifiers. All carry Bacteriostat products in either liquid of pellet form. It's the water scale buildup liquid that is hard to find. There are several 2-in-1 products that do both. I'm using Vista Solutions Golden Solution II Combination available on Amazon. Also there is Holmes® SOL2014C-U 2 in 1 Water Solution. Sunbeam S1706 is a water scale treatment, but it's getting hard to find. I've been running two portable 1.5 Gal humidifiers in my home in the winter for 3 years now. 1 32oz bottle lasts me for 2 years or so.
NEVER COMBINE BLEACH AND VINEGAR! Toxic fumes can develop. It is hazardous to your health to inhale chlorine bleach.
Soften your water a little...use liquid calgon in it. It's a water softener.
I too live with hard well water (which I wouldn't trade for anything) and I've been looking for an additive that I could toss in each time I refill my ultrasonic humidifier. thank you for the info. You can also use just a mixture of white vinegar, salt and water but you have to let it stand ... in my case about every 2 weeks. ITs not a big deal and its cheap but depending on the scale in your water (which is usually just limestone) it will need to sit at least 8 hours. I try to do it when I'm going to be out of my living area anyway and that way its not so inconvenient.
Well the first thing you should do is buy distilled water at your local discount food store I use tap water and I only have to change the filter twice a season I only use it in the winter time when things are dry but what I did is I went and looked at all the different kinds of filters I bought a bulk filter replacement and all I have to do is cut it to size and it's like one 10 for the price of buying a the proper ones does the exact same thing
Helpful note: If you're handing out technical advice then actually be technical and not vague. What in the hell is "R/O"? If this is critical info that is supposed to instruct readers, your explanation shouldn't leave reader's scratching their heads and it may be best to not answer in the future.
Take your clogged filter out and soak it in vinegar for a day or so. Rinse & re-use.
Try putting the filter/wick in a large pot of water/white vinegar 2:1 or even 1:1 and boiling it for 20-30 minutes. That should dissolve the minerals in the wick and allow you to reuse it.
I have the same problem with hard water. Dont throw out your filter. Every week or so check it for hardness or crustiness. If it has become hard or crusty remove the filter and soak in a vinegar solution for 30-45 minutes.
RO still has TDS but fairly low. Distilled is the only water with 0 TDS
If you don't know what RO is you shouldn't be messing with equipment that deals with water and a potential to be harmful.
I just wish we could all get along like we did in middle school.
I wish I could bake a cake out of Rainbows and Smiles and we could all eat it and be Happy
I tried using an Ultrasonic humidifier and bought a top of the line Swiss model. I ended up with some kind of dusty looking particles all over my furniture (and I am very clean and keep my house pretty much dust-free). After a week, my husband and I couldn't stand cleaning that off everything everywhere daily in my living room, so it now sits in my attic, unused of course. Don't mind using my trusty filter-type humidifier anymore.
I have the Honeywell HCM-350 evaporative humidifier. (It is overpriced on Amazon; wait until fall and look at Walmart, Target, and on). Wirecutter.com rates it #1 and I agree after owning several humidifiers, including the ultrasonic types. What some call a "filter" is a wick. I use midwest tap water. About every two weeks I soak the wick in a solution of vinegar and water (roughly 25% vinegar). This removes most mineral buildup. While the wick is soaking, I use a backup wick. To prevent bacterial growth, do two things: 1) clean your humidifier thoroughly every month or more often; 2) use a bacteriostatic treatment in the water. You are not likely to find an effective humidifier that is also maintenance free. Good humidification in the cold months is worth the effort! Your sinuses will thank you.
Oh boy...you're a smart one!!
I live in the Twin Cities and the water is hard as a rock. I have a whole house water softener and that helps a lot. The shower doors were actually etched from it when we moved in.
I use tap water with vinegar. Three gallons of water and usually a half cup of vinegar at each full refill. I check the wick at least once a week and if it is crusty I fill the deepsink about halfway up the wick as it lays flat and add at least a full cup of vinegar. After an hour or so I flip the wick over to insure full coverage. Eventually the wick will crust up more quickly. I generally change wicks once a winter but sometimes twice times.
You can use powdered citric acid instead of vinegar. Works better, no smell, and cheaper.
I also have hard well water. May I ask why you would not trade for anything?
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What is the best way to clean a humidifier to keep down on build up in the tank and filters instead of buying that Holmes Humidifier cleaner from Walmart?
I only use vinegar to clean my humidifier. It breaks down the buildup and doesn't leave anything toxic behind.
I recently purchased a "swamp" cooler that uses water to cool the room. I was using a bacteriostatic treatment, hard to find, and costly.what can I add to the water while running the unit beside the bacteriostat?
Please do NOT use bleach, you'll be breathing in the chemical toxins within the moisture you're adding to your home. Here's how I keep my filters fresh.
Simple white vinegar, I soak my filters in 50/50 vinegar/water for a few minutes, then flip it over and do the same on the other side. A gentle rinse and back to it's place in the humidifier. Freshens the air while it adds toxin free moisture to your home. For added ambiance, I sometimes add a drop or two of my favorite perfume to the reservoir.
Gia, Oceanside NY
I have run both apple cider vinegar & white vinegar in my humidifiers to freshen the air but neither does much of anything for the calcium buildup from our hard water. I still have to clean them and chip off the calcium buildup after about 2 weeks or our filterless humidifiers simply wont put out humidity.
I grew up using a swamp cooler, and we just changed the filters every season. We had mineral build up, but never saw any mold etc.
I have a swamp cooler too my dad uses snow fresh aspen snow cool for evaporative cooler water you can find it at any hardware store like true ace etc
Clean it with vinegar. Soaking items that have lime scale buildup like animal water dishes, teakettle, irons, around bath or kitchen faucets for several hours will make lime scale clean up easy. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes like cleaning outside of windows. Running a humidifier with pure vinegar will make the whole house stink.
A bottle of Holmes Humidifier Water Treatment was left in the house I just bought. I do not have a humidifier. Are there any other uses for this product?
I don't know but why not donate it to Goodwill or a similar charity so someone who can use it, will!
This product is designed to prevent mineral build-up in the humidifier.
So it might be useful for removing mineral deposits from shower heads, around sink and lavatory faucets, etc.
I'm not sure how strong it it - it might not work, but what have you got to lose?
I have an older room humidifer with the removable 2 gallon plastic tanks that I refill when empty. I need to know how to maintain the humidifer, keep it clean and get rid of lime build-up. I used to buy cleaner that I put directly into the tanks, but it was expensive and hard to find. I've heard vinegar, but I can't stand the smell! Thanks!
Nothing beats straight white vinegar for cleaning a humidifier tank. Fill with vinegar, soak overnight (don't run it), empty, then rinse. If you have a heavy buildup, you will have to wipe out the deposits after soaking. You only have to bear the smell occasionally, and it really works well.
White Vinegar is the only product I have found to clean out my humidifier of the lime in it. I do it once a week with success at an economical price ($1.47 gallon). The vinegar is less potient than the vinegar used when I cook pickles in the summer.
What house hold items can be used in the water of my wickless humidifier?
from Consumer Reports:
Every day. Empty, rinse, and dry the base tray or reservoir before refilling.
Every week. Remove water scaling with vinegar and disinfect the unit with a bleach solution following the manufacturer's instructions.
Before storing. Clean to remove scaling, disinfect with a bleach solution, and dry thoroughly.
After storing. Before using again, clean to remove scaling, disinfect with a bleach solution, and dry thoroughly. Dont fill it before you need to.
Are there any good home made humidifier treatments?
By Patty P.
Adding a bit of vinegar to your home humidifier can help freshen the air. This is a page about adding vinegar to your humidifier.
Humidifiers can grow mold over time; using bleach to periodically clean them is common. However, adding bleach to the unit and allowing it to be dispensed is not recommended. This is a page about using bleach in a humidifier.
