How to remove hard water from humidifier

Q: Is it OK to run vinegar through humidifier?

Can you run vinegar through a humidifier? Its best not to. While vinegar is used to clean a humidifier, you should not run the humidifier with vinegar in it, as it can irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

Humidifiers are simple, yet effective solutions to alleviating the uncomfortable and harmful side effects of dry indoor air. They are quiet and easy to use, but they do require maintenance to prevent mineral buildup and to stymie the development of mold, bacteria and other micro-organisms. Following are tips on how to clean and to prevent humidifier contaminants in the first place.

Table of Contents Show

You Will Need:
Steps to Remove the Limescale:
Additional Tips and Advice
Reader Interactions
About the Author
How do you remove calcium deposits from a humidifier?
How do you soften hard water in a humidifier?
Will hard water ruin a humidifier?
Is it OK to run vinegar through humidifier?

Prevent Mineral Buildup

Ground water supplies generally contain minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and sodium. These minerals are beneficial to your health, but not beneficial to the efficiency of some of your home appliances. The speed which minerals accumulate will depend on how frequently you use your humidifier and the amount of minerals in the water.

You should use your humidifier whenever you need to balance indoor humidity. So, the solution to preventing mineral buildup is to use water with less mineral content. That would be store purchased mineral water, filtered water or installing a point-of-use filter or whole-home filtration system.

Prevent Microbial Development

Using distilled or filtered water dramatically helps prevent mineral buildup, but it doesn’t do much to prevent mold, mildew, bacteria and fungi from developing in your humidifier. If you use your humidifier frequently, wipe it down each week with an anti-microbial spray cleaner.

Humidifier Maintenance

Generally speaking, frequent water changes are half your maintenance battle. To remove mineral buildup, use a soft brush, white vinegar and soft cleaning cloths. Here’s what to do:

Unplug your humidifier.
Remove and empty the water tank.
Remove the filter and let it air dry, or toss it if you’re going to replace it.
Fill the water tank with pure white vinegar. Let it stand for 1 hour.
Empty the vinegar and scrub the tank with a soft brush.
Rinse and repeat if needed.

If you use a whole-home humidifier, contact your HVAC technician for service.

Inge asked: How do I remove limescale from a humidifier? We got a humidifier (Vicks) after our son had croup this winter. The heating element seems to be aluminum and gets caked with really resilient limescale. I’ve tried leaving vinegar in it, but no joy. Should I pour vinegar into the water container so it boils/humidifies with a vinegar solution? Thanks!

Whenever

surfaces are exposed to mineral filled water for extended periods of time, there is a chance of limescale, or hard water deposits developing. These can be difficult to remove, especially when they occur on the interior components of an appliance. If the unit can be disassembled, it may allow for easier cleaning. Check the user guide for cleaning instructions to go along with the directions below.

You Will Need:

White vinegar
Old toothbrush
Soft cloths
Dish soap
Water
Glass cup or bowl
Spoon or dull knife

Steps to Remove the Limescale:

Begin by unplugging the unit. Never attempt to clean any part of the humidifier while it is still plugged in.
Clean the exterior with a soft cloth.
Scrub away any limescale or “white powder” with a toothbrush.
If there are mineral deposits that cannot be wiped away with water or water and dish soap, soak a cloth with white vinegar and wrap it around the affected areas.
Allow the vinegar to set on the deposits for a few minutes.
Wipe the loosened deposits away with a soft cloth.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
If the deposits are inside of the heating unit/element, it may require some easy disassembly. Not all vaporizers/humidifiers can be taken apart. Consult the user guide or manufacturer’s instructions to see what is possible for your unit.
If the unit can be disassembled, look for two sections – the heating unit (The metal rods or shroud that heats the water and will likely hold the build-up.) and the power cordset (Do not disassemble this section!).
Remove as much of the deposits as possible with the brush and soft cloth. A spoon or dull knife can also be used to scrape the surfaces clean.
If the deposits will not come off, fill a cup or bowl with a few inches of vinegar.
Soak ONLY the affected areas in the vinegar for a couple of hours to overnight. Do NOT immerse the entire heating unit in any liquid, vinegar or water.
Wash away loosened deposits with a soft cloth and clean water.
Rinse the newly cleaned areas well.
Once clean, allow it to dry or dry with a soft cloth.
Reassemble in the same way that you took the unit apart. Ensure that all screws are back in the appropriate places.
Repeat these cleanings monthly for optimal humidifier performance.

Additional Tips and Advice

NEVER clean a humidifier while it is still plugged in or operating.
Some minerals in the water may cause the container to turn black or brown. This does not affect the purity of the steam. The minerals will settle in the bottom and can be discarded when emptying the water.
If the heating unit cannot be disassembled to be cleaned, it will need to be replaced. There are replacement parts available through the manufacturer or sometimes, it may be cheaper to purchase a new humidifier.
Do NOT try to remove the shroud or electrodes for cleaning. These are factory set and cannot be reassembled to the same conditions.
Do not use CLR to clean your humidifier or vaporizer. One of the hazard statments on CLR’s MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) says not to breathe the vapors or mist, so using it in a product that creates vapors or mist is not a good idea. You can wash/rinse out the product thoroughly, but there still could be some residue left.
There are tablets and liquids designed to keep minerals from building up on the surfaces of humidifiers. If your water has a high mineral content and/or limescale is a constant problem, consider adding these to your humidifier water. Some examples of these products are BestAir Humidifier Demineralization Treatment Capsules or Holmes 2-in-1 Humidifier Cleaning Solution. There are also humidifier filter cartridges for demineralization. These products can be found at home goods stores, hardware stores, supermarkets and online.
If the limescale is a consistent problem, switching to using distilled water in it will remedy the buildup.

Reader Interactions

About the Author

I'm a stay-at-home mom who used to run a small housecleaning business. These days I consider myself more or a mad cleaning-scientist. I do most of the testing for our articles - as well as helping Mark & Melanie write them.

How do you remove calcium deposits from a humidifier?

Here's what to do:.

Unplug your humidifier..

Remove and empty the water tank..

Remove the filter and let it air dry, or toss it if you're going to replace it..

Fill the water tank with pure white vinegar. Let it stand for 1 hour..

Empty the vinegar and scrub the tank with a soft brush..

Rinse and repeat if needed..

How do you soften hard water in a humidifier?

You can do it by means of boiling, using a reverse osmosis system, water softener technology, and through water softener tablets. Using water softener tablets exceedingly improves humidifier performance by decreasing mineral buildups and removing hard ions.

Will hard water ruin a humidifier?

Unfortunately, humidifiers and challenging water mix like oil and water. The minerals in hard water are often dispersed into your room and can cause respiratory issues (ironically) and leave white dust everywhere. These minerals will clog up your humidifier too.

Is it OK to run vinegar through humidifier?

Can you run vinegar through a humidifier? It's best not to. While vinegar is used to clean a humidifier, you should not run the humidifier with vinegar in it, as it can irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.