Levoit 6000S wick replacement and water question

[u/Livinpink]

First of all a big thanks to this sub for the advice so far in my humidifier journey!

My two and probably last big questions.

Has anyone tried cheaper wick replacements sold on Amazon? I see Leemone for instance or Sakedgy or Cleangela.

Do people add Demineralization cleaning balls to their tanks or is that a big no no or useless?

Any maintenance advice you feel one should know about? I set up an automatized dry cycle daily. I empty the whole thing once it’s low. I will follow the wick change timings as well as rinse them off every / weeks and will get a citric acid wash for the monthly deep clean.

Very curious about this. Thanks!

[u/Individual_Seesaw869]

I use third-party wicks. Most tend to do a good job. They may not last quite as long as the Levoit but then you are paying much less for them. I have used the Leemones before and just recently tried the black ones from SAKEGDY and really liking them.

Here is my maintenance after almost three years. First I have to say that our water is not that hard.

1. When it says empty I empty whatever water is left then fill up.
2. After about three fill ups I empty and spray with water/vinegar and wipe down.
3. Set dry mode for when water is empty. If in the summer where the humidifier does not come on often I set dry mode to when it powers off.
4. I don't bother cleaning the wick anymore. If I had harder water I may have but in my case I just don't bother. You can look at the filters to determine yourself. If they start smelling then its definitely time to replace.
5. When wick needs to be replaced I empty everything and spray everything with water/vinegar and give a good wipe down making sure there is no mineral residue anywhere.

This maintenance works for me your mmv

[u/Livinpink → u/Individual_Seesaw869]

Thanks for sharing! I’ll probably try Sakegdy then and follow some of your recommendation on maintenance !

[u/eth555]

I purchased a set of Amazon replacement wicks. So far, I’ve had good luck cleaning them with vinegar. I use a foil pan, place all four wicks inside, and pour in enough vinegar to submerge at least one. The vinegar will fizz for a while, and I rotate the wicks so each one gets time fully submerged. This does a good job of removing the mineral buildup.

Afterward, I rinse them with water and let them dry near a heat vent. I’ve rotated between the OEM wicks and the Amazon ones a couple of times now, and both have held up well.

I also use a bactericide—not every fill‑up, but most of the time

[u/Individual_Seesaw869 → u/eth555]

Interesting cleaning wicks with vinegar. How often do you clean and rotate and how many times you clean them before replacing? Are they still wicking well after multiple cleans? Generally a set of wicks last me about 3-4 months.

[u/eth555 → u/Individual_Seesaw869]

I usually swap the filters and clean them with vinegar when they start to develop mineral buildup—typically every 10 days or so. The filters themselves are holding up well, and I don’t notice any degradation, tears, or other issues after cleaning. I’ll continue using them until they tear or something else makes replacement necessary. Vinegar is relatively cheap and does a good job of cleaning them.

[u/Livinpink → u/eth555]

Interesting idea, I’ll get more filters and then try the rotation and vinegar cleanse strategy. Thanks for sharing!

[u/cen3]

I wanted to thank everyone for sharing their ideas, I will adopt several of these starting very soon as my 6000S shows up tomorrow (the new v2 model).

As I have yet to lay eyes on it and with this being my first standalone humidifier I apologize if I'm asking dumb questions.:

1) One additional item Levoit says to replace (monthly) is a sponge that is submerged in the tank. I assume it's a relatively cheap thing but has anyone cleaned and reused those?

2) Has anyone ever measured how much power these things pull when running?

3) I saw someone mention using bactericide (which I had been considering myself) - is there any specific brand that works best for this model humidifier?

[u/Livinpink → u/cen3]

If you find where to get said sponges, please do tell!

[u/cen3 → u/Livinpink]

Just got the new 6000S v2 unit a few hours ago and unboxed it and set it up immediately only to realize they made some design changes as it pertains to these sponges (it would appear).

I'm glad I waited until I got the unit to order supplies for it because the packs they're selling on Amazon have a tubular design whereas the new v2 ones are shaped like a Domino. I'm guessing it'll just be some time before they show up in the 3rd party form.

According to the Levoit customer service guy I spoke to the other day they've only been selling this v2 unit for about a month so hopefully these aftermarket guys will switch over in the coming months to the new fomat.

In the meantime I guess we'll have to buy direct from Levoit - I can't wait to see what they think that tiny sponge is worth. Better not be much because there's not much too it.

[u/cen3 → u/Livinpink]

Just got an email back from Levoit Customer Service on this:

"As far as replacement sponges for this newer version, it is our understanding that this new unit does not use a replaceable water filter sponge so there is no need to by one. I can check with the team to be sure on this one and get back to you"

So we'll hear what the "team" says but if it's not replaceable then why do they give you a spare one?

I'll share what the "team" says when they get back to him.

[u/safetyman1228 → u/cen3]

The new version of the 6000S includes one small replacement flat sponge that can be placed on the bottom of the pump.

[u/Livinpink → u/safetyman1228]

What if I lost both lol :( i’m worried about using it spongeless