How to Clean Your Humidifier
Keep mold from growing in the tank and blowing into the air in your home
By Tobie Stanger
A humidifier can make your home more comfortable when the air inside grows dry. But if you don’t properly clean your humidifier, you could be doing your family more harm than good. A humidifier that’s not thoroughly cleaned can breed unhealthy mold spores, which, when spread by the humidifier’s mist, can be harmful to people with mold allergies, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.
There’s so much good a humidifier can do, though, that it’s worth taking the time to maintain it. For one, the moisture it pumps into the air can prevent dry, itchy skin. It also can reduce the likelihood that people in your household will suffer from dry sinuses, nosebleeds, and cracked lips, according to the Mayo Clinic. And a humidifier can mitigate the symptoms of colds and respiratory ailments.
Several models in our humidifier ratings come with claims that they resist microbial growth. CR hasn’t tested those claims. Instead, we recommend that as a matter of course you clean your tank regularly to reduce the risk of mold and other problems. We’ll lay out the steps below.
If you haven’t already purchased a humidifier, find one in our ratings that’s not only effective but also easy to clean. That’s reflected in our convenience score.
What to Do Daily and Weekly
To prevent the growth of mold and other contaminants, we recommend rinsing, towel-drying, and refilling your humidifier’s tank with fresh water daily. Once a week the tank and the base’s well need a deeper cleaning and sanitizing. Replace filters and wicks according to the maker’s recommended schedule.
Some manufacturers suggest using bleach to sanitize. That approach can be effective, but James Dickerson, PhD, CR’s chief scientific officer, points out that it has risks. “Bleach can degrade some plastics and seals that keep the unit watertight and structurally sound,” he says.
Here’s the routine that Consumer Reports recommends to keep your humidifier clean:
Remove the Tank From the Base
To the well of the base, add either 1 cup of vinegar or ½ cup each of vinegar and water.
Illustration: Guilherme Henrique
Use the Cleaning Tool
Reach into crevices and scrub off scale in the well. Rinse until no vinegar smell remains. Towel dry.
Illustration: Guilherme Henrique
Pour 1 Cup Each of Vinegar and Water Into the Tank
Cap the tank and let it soak for 20 minutes, swishing or shaking periodically. Pour out solution and rinse until no smell remains. Towel dry.
Illustration: Guilherme Henrique
What to Do Seasonally
When you’re ready to store your humidifier, first dry it thoroughly. And after taking it out of storage, fill the tank only when you’re ready to use it.
Need a New Humidifier?
Do you find your current humidifier a challenge to keep clean? Here are models that rate well in our tests for convenience. Each model’s convenience score reflects ease of cleaning as well as the unit’s weight, how easy the tank is to empty and fill from a bathroom or kitchen sink, and whether its parts can be put into a dishwasher. (You can filter the ratings to find models with higher convenience scores.)
For a Small Room
(26 to 299 sq. ft.)
Babymoov Hygro (+)
CR’s take: The top-scoring ultrasonic Babymoov Hygro (+), which CR recommends for small rooms, was top-notch in overall performance. It is intended to humidify areas up to 215 square feet. Our testers give it Excellent scores for its overall moisture output, convenience, noise, energy efficiency, and output when using hard water. For a price that’s relatively high for a small-room humidifier, you get a built-in humidistat that earns a Very Good rating for measuring room humidity. Other pluses: It glows in the dark, and indicates and then shuts off when it’s empty.
For a Medium-Sized Room
(300 to 499 sq. ft.)
Honeywell HUL430
CR’s take: The cool-mist Honeywell HUL43 ultrasonic humidifier is a standout, excelling in all our tests. We found it met its promise to humidify up to 400 square feet—that’s 20 x 20 feet. It has a number of useful features: an indicator light and automatic shut-off when empty, a wide-mouth tank that’s easy to fill and clean, and a long, 70-inch cord. Plus, a tiny drawer at the bottom lets you add essential oils for diffusion. The downside: it’s not programmable, and has no built-in humidistat.
For a Large Room
(500 to 999 sq. ft.)
Lasko UH300
CR’s take: The ultrasonic Lasko UH300, a CR Best Buy, can humidify a large room of up to 600 square feet, earning a Very Good rating in our output tests and acing several other evaluations. Unlike most of the models in our ratings, the Lasko is a dual-mist humidifier. That means it can pump out cool mist or warm, using more energy in the latter mode. When empty, the Lasko shuts off automatically. This model’s humidistat wasn’t very effective, though, so consider purchasing an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor your room’s humidity level.
Console
(1,000 sq. ft. or more)
Honeywell HEV685W
CR’s take: The Honeywell HEV685W console cool-mist humidifier is a CR Best Buy. It’s designed to humidify up to 1,300 square feet and performs commendably in several of our tests. Convenience is just middling, though, in part because of a large and heavy tank that tends to spill when moved. It’s also on the noisy side. Pluses: The Honeywell HEV685W automatically shuts off when empty, and it has an empty-tank indicator. But the unit lacks a humidistat, so you’ll need to buy a simple hygrometer, around $10, to monitor your room’s humidity level.
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