So, if I used antimicrobial hand soap to kill mold that’s on the interior of the water-gathering bucket of a dehumidifier machine, and then rinsed out the bucket, would the bucket still be suitable for machine use?
Before anyone else comments, OP is probably talking about “mold” which is bacterial in nature so “antimicrobial” fits.
Rinse it well afterwards and it’s probably fine. But I use white vinegar and that’s also what the manual recommends.
OK, thanks, but wouldn’t vinegar eat away at the plastic bucket?
Wait, isn’t it fungi/spores?
Mine is this one (or close enough). They recommend it, diluted with a bunch of water. I forget the exact proportions but basically a quarter cup or so and fill the reservoir most of the way with water.
E.g. the “pink mold” that grows in your shower. What you are dealing with may or may not be fungus, but people commonly use the term “mold” regardless.
Ah, OK. I’m using a much bigger, 30-pint industrial type.
And it’s black-green mold, not pink, but I would guess that vinegar would still kill it too.
Interesting! Somewhat off-topic to this OP, but I wonder if that is the faint reddish coating I see on the inside of the tank of my Water-pik?! I thought it was just gunk from the pipes in the building. Maybe I’ll attack my Water-pik with some bleach, just in case.
I would use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to clean your Water Pik instead. You really don’t want bleach in your mouth.
The reddish stuff is likely Serratia marcescens, or else a yeast whose name escapes me.
IMO, vinegar isn’t strong enough to do anything to mold except slow it down a bit.
We use bleach on the drip bucket, except the float, which just gets detergent.
umlaut, he’s talking about his Water Pik, not a toilet. Maybe peroxide and/or vinegar aren’t strong enough but no way would I use bleach on something that squirts water into my mouth at high speed.
My intent (haven’t tried it yet) was to use dilute bleach to kill of the nasties and then fill it full of plain water and run all of it through (aimed at the sink, not my mouth) to get rid of the bleach.
This is what I do with mine. About every 6-12 months, whenever I see the stuff building up. First, I wipe all surfaces I can get to with soapy water, then I rinse it and run a 10% bleach solution through it, as well as wipe down the other surfaces in the bathroom with a rag with the 10% bleach solution on it. Finally, I rinse everything well with clean water, running at least 3 rinses for the water pik.
Well, I still wouldn’t do it, but to each her own. I haven’t ever had a problem with mold/bacteria, but I always use either mouthwash or hydrogen peroxide in the water.
Even if the soap were rinsed, wouldn’t some lingering soap residue/vapor get sucked into the dehumidifier fan/intake the next time?
Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is used by many water purification systems. See here don’t be afraid of a few drops in a Waterpik.
I have a well which does not require chlorination, my kids used to complain of the “swimming pool water” at school.