What Can I Put in My Humidifier to Prevent Mold?

Humidifier

• Humidifiers can protect both your home and your health, especially during the winter. By adding moisture to the air, a humidifier prevents wood flooring and furnishings from shrinking and warping. Moist air is easier to breathe for people suffering from colds or the flu. A humidifier also makes people more comfortable by keeping skin from drying out and cracking.

Mold Issues

• Because humidifiers contain an internal reservoir of water, they are at risk for mold growth. Mold can grow on the sides of the humidifier's interior or on the filter that pulls water up from the reservoir. If not removed, mold can cause the filter to smell musty and unpleasant. The humidifier's fan can blow mold spores into your home, causing respiratory problems in people sensitive to them. It can also spread mold around your home.

Prevention

• Placing vinegar, bleach or peroxide in the water in your humidifier's reservoir can prevent mold growth. It can also destroy the unit's filter, damage its walls and bleach fabric or carpeting near the humidifier. The humidifier will mist out the additive, along with the water, spreading the smell and the effects of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and bleach throughout the room. You don't want your family to inhale bleach-tinged mist as it could lead to eye, skin or respiratory problems.

Considerations

• The best way to prevent mold from growing in your humidifier is to clean it regularly. Every day, completely change the water inside the unit's reservoir. Rinse the filter out daily. If you can, use distilled water to fill the humidifier; this cuts down on buildup in the interior and the filter. Every three days or so, scrub out the inside of the humidifier with undiluted white vinegar. Once a week, fill the reservoir with a mixture of one part bleach to 12 parts water and let it sit for about 20 minutes. If the filter starts to disintegrate or smell musty, replace it immediately.