Preventing Mold And Bacteria From Humidifiers

Using humidifiers comes with so many benefits. Humidifiers help keep skin soft, make sleeping easier, alleviate allergy symptoms, and protect your home from damage - the list goes on. But what happens when you don’t maintain your humidifier and the area around it?

The Importance Of Cleaning

A humidifier could cause health problems because the water and the components of the humidifier are susceptible to accumulating mold and bacteria. This can trigger lung problems, asthma symptoms, and allergy symptoms. Humidifiers hold standing water that is evaporated through the fan system, so if that water is not perfectly sterile then the bacteria and mold will be carried through the system and put out along with the mist that is produced by the fans. The bacteria and mold that is projected out of the humidifier will be looking for new warm, moist surfaces to live in, which often means your sinus cavities and lungs. Mold can also find homes in your floors, walls, and ceilings.

Mold buildup will also damage the components of your humidifier and render it useless. In this case, you would need to replace the whole humidifier or its parts. Miro offers replacements parts in our Amazon marketplace, so you can replace parts as desired while saving yourself from having to buy a whole new one. Keeping your humidifier in working order will increase its longevity so you will be saving time and money in the long run.

Cleaning becomes even more important when you know how big of a risk a dirty humidifier is!

How to Prevent Mold And Bacteria

Preventing mold and bacteria growth in and around your humidifier is fairly simple. Miro humidifiers come apart easily so each component can be washed thoroughly in the sink, much like your other dishes. You do not need to use harsh chemicals or additives to maintain your Miro humidifier.

Here are some tips to minimize the risk of mold and bacteria accumulating in and around your humidifier:

• Use distilled water, not tap water.
• Clean every two to three days.
• Replace the water and rinse out the tank daily.
• When storing your humidifier, be sure to dry it completely.
• When taking your humidifier out of storage, clean it before use.
• Maintain only 40-50% relative humidity in your home. This could be measured by a hygrometer, or you can tell when your home is too humid when fabrics are constantly damp.
• Leave doors open so there is better air circulation in the room where you put your humidifier.

Where you put your humidifier is just as important because the mold and bacteria can cling onto furnishings and draperies, as well as getting into the floors and walls.

Where to best put your humidifier:

• On a clean, smooth surface that is at least two feet tall and three feet away from furniture, draperies.
• Avoid putting your humidifier very close to or on top of wooden surfaces that could become damaged from moisture or water.
• Use the Miro add-on pieces to prevent drip.
• Do not place the humidifier on carpet or similar surfaces.
• Do not place your humidifiers in areas that get a lot of direct sunlight.

You can check out our YouTube channel for videos on how to properly take apart, clean, and put together your humidifier.