I am looking for the best way to do this. I am not talking about the tank or the filter or the reservoir. I mean the part with the fan and the electrical stuff. There’s some kind of mold or something in there I want to get out, I need to know what is safe and what is dangerous for this part of a humidifier.
TIA for any help anyone can give me on this…
First off, unplug the thing before cleaning near the electrical parts. That’s all I’m going to say.
Unplug the unit, empty any reservoirs, etc. Get some “coil cleaner”, mix as directed and spray on the coils. Rinse. Get some mold treatment (common brands are Sporicidin and Moldstat Plus), mix as directed, and spray on coils and any interior surfaces where mold may be present. Rinse only if directed by the mold treatment. Let sit until the unit is completely dry before plugging in and restarting.
Note that these products tend to be quite expensive and do not have a long shelf life (< 2 years unopened). Also, if you miss a spot, mold will come back. Based on this, you may want to compare the cost of a replacement unit (which, if your current one is more than a few years old, may also be more energy efficient) to the cost of treatment.
Ok, let me pose a related question. Let’s say I’ve already purchased a replacement humidifier, a fancy, slightly more expensive ultrasonic model, which works wonderfully well.
Except for one problem: It’s too damned quiet. I need the sound of a fan at night to sleep. It helps mask my tinnitus.
So I was thinking of using the new unit to actually humidify the air, and just running the fan on the old one at night.
So, if I don’t clean out that black stuff, how unhealthy would that be?
buy a new clean fan that makes enough noise.
get an environment noise maker (birds, waves, storms).
i just recently got a Sony clock radio (ICF-C707) that is a pretty good radio (with attached wire FM antenna and a loop AM antenna). it has environmental sounds in it which can work with the sleep timer from 15 to 90 minutes. dual alarms with 2,5 and 7 day settings.
Terry Kennedy is on the right track, but I’d skip the specialized chemicals & use stuff you probably already have around the house.
Start with distilled white vinegar to remove mineral deposits, then follow up with a bleach/water solution to kill any microbial nasties that may have taken up residence. Try to figure out a way to soak the affected areas in the solutions for an hour or two rather than scrubbing – if you give the solution time to work, you won’t have to scrub as much, which should lessen the chances of damaging the fins or other delicate structures you may find.