how to clean this humidifier to prevent any bacterial & algae?
1191375
Since you can't use cleaners I make sure I clean every other day with paper towels and the provided brush for the silver disk. Once you have a build up I do use a soft brush on the white plastic parts,, but NOT on the silver disk. They sell an additive for hard water build up, which may be your problem. I hope this helps.
1191376
I have only had this humidifier for a month. We have very hard water, so I am only using distilled water and, so far, it is very clean. If you run the unit for 12 hours a day it goes through a gallon of water pretty quickly, so there really isn't standing water building up algae..........
1663877
The white dust is a problem with ultrasonic humidifiers. Since this is evaportative, it is not a problem. Mine works very well
98721
This is via Jeffrey, co-founder of Smiley Daisy (which I am very happy with!) :If you have received the product and have used it for a couple days, here are the general instructions on how to clean your essential oil diffuser: Unplug the unit from the main power supply and remove upper cover. Remove the triangular cap of the water tank. Pour out any remaining water from the "DRAIN SIDE" of the tank. Unplug power cord from the base of the unit. Place 1 tablespoon of citric acid (sour salt) in the water tank, then add 60-70 ml of warm water. Customers often ask me where to buy citric acid (sour salt)? Most of the local grocery stores or supermarkets should have this product. I found sour salt in the Kosher food section of my local ShopRite supermarket. A few of our customers use vinegar to clean it. Here are their cleaning instructions: Fill with warm water and one teaspoon of vinegar. Leave in for 5 minutes. Take a Q-Tip/cotton bud to scrub the center and corners of the Ultrasonic Vibration plate. Pour it out and wipe it out with a damp cloth. Another customer uses fresh lemon juice with warm water to clean it. Leave for 5 - 10 minutes. Next, take a Q-Tip/cotton bud to scrub the center and corners of the Ultrasonic Vibration plate. Then drain the cleaning solution from "DRAIN SIDE" of tank. Wipe with a paper towel or soft cloth. Never use other acids, enzymes or detergents, as this may risk creation of poisonous gas or cause malfunctioning.
1303733
I clean the cover with soap solution and water. If it gets green algae growing on it (as they sometime do depending upon the location) try some white vinegar and water.
770336
I'm going to borrow the answer for someone else as it does work. It's a calcium build up. It'll disable your humidifier altogether if not it's not regularly cleaned. When I first bought the humidifier, I also bought a solution that was supposed to help keep calcium buildup at bay.It didn't.So now I clean the humidifier once a month by letting the heating mechanism soak overnight (or while I'm at work) in vinegar.
961113
I figured out a SUPER easy way to clean the bottom of the tank if you have hard water like I do. It got scummy at the bottom of the tank. I ran the humidifier on a 50/50 white vinegar/water solution. Then put a paper towel in the tank and about an 2 inches of water. I shook it side to side like a washing machine basically, slowly draining water out while I did it. The shaking process took about a minute, and the scum was entirely gone when I was done :) Then I just shook the paper towel around so I could grab it out. Amazing!
888044
no the only problem i had was taking off the little bottle on the bottom of the humidifier i`m using peppermint oil thanks for the warning now i will keep an eye on this good luck
653938
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct;=j&q;=&e;src=s&source;=web&cd;=1&ved;=0CB8QFjAA&url;=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sylvane.com%2Fmedia%2Fdocuments%2Fproducts%2Fluma-comfort-hcw10b-humidifier-owners-manual.pdf&ei;=b9yYU_i1IcuoyAS7h4CwDw&usg;=AFQjCNGITzHE_uN_kJj_jvq_guw6zRAUlg&bvm;=bv.68693194,d.aWw
291240
I find that the cheapest way to clean these things is with Polident. One tablet dissolved into the water before pouring it into the steam chamber, then run 2 or 3 batches of clear water through it to rinse. If this doesn't clean it, you need to buy a new one.
1362006
You got yours to work? How'd you do that? Haha I can't get mine to soak up anything. I know it's humid too!
2095783
I used an essential eucalyptus oil in it. Not more than half a dropper worth, but it was enough to basically corrode the plastic on the inside of the humidifier. This was my fault! Not at all blaming this otherwise stupendous product, as I just bought a replacement, but I essentially (pun?) wrecked my previous one. Learn from my mistake.
317845
Well, I clean mine with warm soapy water. To dry it, I insert a bent wire hanger to hold it open and set it on a towel with the mouth facing down.
2255425
Nothing but water recommended by the manufacturer. It is a great humidifier and I would advise against ruining it with a fragrance. Good smelling odors can turn foul in humidifiers and once in the filters difficult to get out.
1027111
The only thing you can do is keep it clean with the cleaner they sell. Outside of that, if it quits misting, there's usually not much you can do or replace yourself! Kinda sucks because I know they fail for no good reason, but it's my favorite humidifier when it works! You may try reseating the water container into the base unit and or jarring it a little bit to see if something is stuck. I wouldn't attempt to dis-assemble it. Messing with water and electricity is dangerous.
1888393
This is a self-contained filter. The humidifier I have, you just drop the filter in the tank, fill the tank with water, set the tank on the base, and turn on the humidifier.The filter only helps to keep the water clean; you have to turn the humidifier ON to get the humidifying effect.You can use one filter for about 30 days, then you toss it and start over with a new one.
162258
It is the type of humidifiers you either soak in distilled water or humi fluid.It's kinda like that floral sponge meteralit depends on if your using distilled water or Glycol Solution but every couple weeks or when it starts to dry out (depends on how well the humidor was seasoned)id recommend getting a digital hygrometer and getting 72% boveda humi-packs (only have to change them out every two months or so)do some looking in to them they work great for me.
1210317
The best technique to clean it is to use half and half mixture of vinegar and water. Set it high and then keep 'puffing' the steam out until all the mineral deposits vent out of the holes.