9 Mistakes People Make When Using a Humidifier
The humidifier is a useful device that helps you make living conditions better for you and your loved ones. It gives relief from the annoying symptoms of allergies, bronchitis, sleep apnea, asthma, and many other respiratory conditions. But to get the most out of your humidifier, it is important to follow the instructions of manufactures and take good care of its maintenance. It is common to overlook something that you may consider minor, but even these minor mistakes can lead to long-term health hazards. We have rounded up some common mistakes that people do while using a humidifier and how can they impact your health and safety.
1. Letting the water sit for too long
One of the very common mistakes that people do is letting water sit too long. Standing water is the breeding ground of bacteria, mold, and mildew. If you are not cleaning the tank and filters as per manufacturer’s instructions, then these bacteria and mold in standing water can be dispersed into the air through the humidifier. The contaminated air can cause many severe infections and respiratory issues. Change the water of humidifier daily.
Most importantly don’t leave the water in the tank while you are not using it. Always empty the tank and leave it out to dry. It will keep your humidifier fresh until you need to use it again.
2. Not cleaning often enough
This is probably the hardest part of having a humidifier. Humidifiers need to be clean on a regular basis. This chore can be time taking. Even though your humidifier may look clean but it should be properly clean. Not cleaning your humidifier means that you’re letting bacteria, mold, and allergens grow into the tank which can be sprayed into the air by the humidifier. Every third day empty the tank, scrub it with disinfectant to remove the mold and infections, and after letting it dry completely refill the tank. If this activity is not on your like check:
3. Using Tap water to fill the tank
One of the very common mistakes that people do is filling up the tank with tap water. Tap water may contain not only bacteria and other infections but mineral deposits. Many ultrasonic humidifiers work by breaking up water particles and spit it out in the air. These humidifiers also break the mineral deposits in water and emit it out as white dust. This white dust can gather in the tank and also around the room which can be a serious threat for people with a dust allergy. These mineral residues can also promote bacterial growth into the room. To avoid the exacerbating allergies from spreading, always use distilled or filtered water to fill up the tanks. Water demineralization filter or cartridge can also be used for this purpose.
4. Not checking equipment and chord
Humidifiers should be considered a serious home appliance and always take precautionary measures for the safety. Whether you have an old humidifier or a new one, keep checking the damaged chord or part. As humidifier is filled with water, a damaged chord can be an electrical hazard. Leaving long and messy chord in the room can be a trip hazard especially with kids or pets around. Avoid placing your humidifier in a place where it comes in the way or can be tripped over.
5. Submerging the main unit in water
As humidifiers need to be cleaned regularly, submerging the main unit into the water can damage the machine. While cleaning the humidifier, take good care to save its electrical parts from water and use only as much water as is required to rinse the corners.
6. Not monitoring the humidity level
Humidifiers are used for keeping the optimal humidity level of a room. Just as dry air can cause a cough, allergies and other respiratory issues, an excess of humidity is also damaging. Too much moisture in the air can make the atmosphere uncomfortable, and it may breed the bacteria and other infections in the room. Most humidifiers have automatic control, but it may not work accurately. A hygrometer can be used to monitor the humidity level of a room. A hygrometer is an instrument to measure the humidity level. Ideally, the humidity level of your room should be between 30-50%. There are also humidifiers with a humidistat that can help you keep in check the humidity level, see below article for more details:
7. Not placing your humidifier on a flat surface
Placing your humidifier is important for many reasons. First of all, you don’t want to tip over a humidifier with a tank full of water. Humidifier emits water vapor and the area around it can get damp. It can damage the floor or carpet if left on the floor. Besides the action of heating the water and emitting the water vapor or steam into the air can be disrupted if the humidifier is not placed straight properly. Therefore placing the humidifier in a corner on a raised flat surface can save you from a lot of trouble.
8. Placing humidifier too close or too far
Placing the humidifier too close to your bed seems a tempting idea, but you don’t actually need to run it over you to feel its benefits. If your humidifier is emitting white dust, then it may cover your bed with dust. Warm mist humidifier can make your bed sheet damp from steam. In the same way, placing humidifier too far is also not a very good idea.
9. Choosing the wrong unit
Choosing a right size of humidifier for your room is essential. Using a smaller unit for a large and airy area isn’t going to be effective in raising the humidity level of a room. Similarly, if you are using a too big unit in a smaller room it would make it extra damp and may breed bacteria, mold, or mildew. Therefore before buying the humidifier, keep in mind the size of the room. Most of the humidifier mention in their specification the area they are designed to humidify. There are many types of humidifiers in the market, flow-through units, mist units, and steam units. Different types can work in different conditions. So, do a little research before buying a humidifier and choose the one that suits your requirement.
