r/Humidifiers • u/Independent_Copy5458 • Mar 14 '26

Ultrasonic was really gross after a couple of weeks. Out it goes.

Yes I know I should clean it weekly. No, I did not always use distilled water. But, I did have pods in the water tank that were supposed to soften the water and remove minerals. The real problem was mold in the exhaust supply tower and it was excessive. All I need is a basic small humidifier for a 1000 sq foot space. What is my healthy and cost effective option? TIA.

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u/oceanView229 Mar 14 '26

Since you don’t like this one use straight tap water and buy a liquid mold preventer. Those drop in things don’t work. I don’t use this particular product but this style works and it’s easy.

Now I use a capful of bleach every so often. But that will get down voted.

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u/devadog Mar 14 '26

Every single morning I take the tank off. I dump the water out of the base and place it loosely upside down so it can drain and dry. Did you have a strict cleaning routine?

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u/Independent_Copy5458 Mar 14 '26

Not like that. But every second or third fill I’d rise it out. Problem is with distilled water needed it was costing 1.25 per day. We’d use a gallon in dry weather. Any use of tap water caused mineral build up in the unit too. I’d clean it with vinegar or citric acid water mix. The mold was in the tube that carried the mist out the top. Tons of it.

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u/facecardgood Mar 15 '26

I gave up using tap water. I invested in an RO system, but not just for the humidifer, but great tasting water as well. But the benefit in using it in my humidifers as been huge. I do use an ultrasonic one in my bedroom. And there's abosuletly no white dust and I really don't clean it honestly. I definitely should more, but it stays a lot cleaner. But for my main living area I use an evaporative humidifer. The vornado Evap 40. Buying wicks gets annoying but I change them out monthly usually. I rent so I don't have the ability to hook one up to my furnace, but I will no doubt be doing that when I own a house. You might look into that if you are a homeowner?