Tips to clean your humidifier

[writes4me]

Just found this out and wanted to pass this along to others:

Ever get that scum in your humidifier? If yours is like mine, you can't get it open to really scrub it out. So what do you do?

1. If you empty it out every day and allow it to dry then you probably can avoid this problem. This works even better if you a diluted solution of white vinegar and water in a squirt bottle and spray that inside your humidifier after you've emptied it and set it out to dry. The vinegar helps kill bacteria and helps shed water cleanly.

2. If you are like me and you aren't as good as you are supposed to be, try these two things:
a. denture cleaner and water. fill the humidifier, drop in the tablet, let it do it's thing for a few minutes, then rinse it out. this will probably take care of most problems. If not, try
b. a baby bottle cleaning brush. I found a baby bottle brush with a sponge on the end and bristles. In no time flat I had a clean humidifier with a tiny bit of work and some good dish soap.

If you have any more tips, just post them here.

Have a good day, ya'll.

[LyleHaze]

I can offer a few things that help me.
Use only "distilled" water. Not "Drinking" water, not "Mineral" water, and definetly not tap water. All bottled water is NOT distilled!

Add more than you will probably use in a night, and empty it off in the morning, This prevents running the tank dry.

If your insurance bought your machine and humidifier, check to see if a replacement tank is available as part of your "normal" supplies.

Breathe Deep,
Lyle

[jsmythe]

Here is a quote from M Series User Manual:

4. Wash the tank in a solution of warm water and a mild dishwashing detergent. Rinse the parts with clean water and allow them to air dry.

I use the Distilled water to rinse tank and my mask with.

[oceanpearl]

The thing that works for me is soaking it all day in a solution of 1 part white vinegar and 2 parts of water.

[amandalee]

I second the water and vinegar. I put 3 parts distilled water and 1 part white vinegar in a spray bottle and try to remember to use it daily on the humidifier chamber (mine comes apart) after I dump out the extra water.
It seems to work well.

[sleepycarol]

I have used only distilled water in mine and usually just top it off. A couple of days ago I did dump the water and rinsed it with plain water and then refilled it with distilled water and was good to go.

[RipVW]

I purchased the permanent water chamber for my F&P HH--unlike the disposable ones, the bottom is removable for easy cleaning.

[Sundown]

I add Johnson's and Johnson's Lavender baby shampoo.. swish it around and around and rinse in very hot water until all the bubbles are gone... it's "squeaky clean."... lol

[Sal_In_Ga]

Here in Ga we are experiencing a terrible drought. My husband and I have been catching the water it takes to heat the shower or wash dishes, etc. and filling the washing machine. We have lowered our water bill by doing just this. (Hind site is just beautiful). A 2 1/2 gal. bucket is much less costly than extra water heaters and we get credit for exercise from faucets to washing machine, and to the garden in the spring and summer.

For nearly my whole 6 months on CPAP, I have fretted over "dumping" the distilled water from my tank as my RT had demonstrated. It dawned on me a few weeks ago that I could recycle the distilled water by using it in my steam iron, which also requires distilled water to prevent mineral deposits which will coat the sole plate and render a steam iron virtually "steam less". I now buy the water knowing that I will actually use up the gallons I purchase for the CPAP and cut down on what I purchase for the steam iron as well.

[amandalee]

I recycle the water that's left over in the humidifier by using it to water my plant.

[rested gal]

I almost never dump the unused water out of my humidifier. I simply add more as needed. I used distilled water only.

Six months or more will go by before I bother to dump the unused water out, give it a swish rinse (again with distilled water) and start over. Have been doing that for over three years now. The water chamber stays crystal clear, as does the distilled water in it.

I keep the port where the hose attaches to the humidifier capped during the day...usually by leaving the hose attached all the time.

[snoregirl]

Basically what RG says.

Washing is unnecessary work.

[billbolton]

The vinegar helps kill bacteria and helps shed water cleanly.

Vinegar may be wonderful for all sorts of things, but despite some widely held beliefs, in fact its not much of an anti-bacterial agent when diluted! Any "wetting agent" effects of vinegar are also very low.

White vinegar is good at disolving mineral deposits and that's the only significant reason for using it in cleaning a humdifier.

Cheers,

Bill

[jrfoster]

I keep the port where the hose attaches to the humidifier capped during the day...usually by leaving the hose attached all the time.

I remove the hose and put on a bottle cap from a coke bottle to keep the opening covered!

Jeff

[rhowald]

Got lazy and stopped buying the Distilled water (also hated throwing all that plastic out), instead using spring water out of the cooler I have outside my bedroom. After a few months I do have the hard white crust from the minerals. I will try the vinegar route and see if it takes it off. Last time I washed the humidifier chamber I even tried a wire brush and wasn't able to get it off - that stuff is on their good.

It doesn't concern me too much, as when i buy my next mask I will order a humidifier chamber too. Thankfully I have the M Series so it is small and cheap.

For those thinking of switching water, I would recommend staying with the Distilled water if at all possible. I now have a big jug of distilled that I pour into a smaller jug that I keep in the bedroom. Saves me having to hunt down the Distilled at the drug store and deal with all the waste from the water jugs.