Cleaning a Humidifier

[lovin2shop]

Without me realizing it, my husband put away our humidifier with the tank full of water. Now that I need to use it again, I'm afraid of what yucky stuff has grown in that water. The directions say that you only rinse it out to clean. Well, I'm kind of worried that will not do justice here. Is there anything that I can put in it to really clean it out?

TIA,
Amy

[ginalc]

I have a warm mist humidifier with a heating element. The directions that came with my humidifier say to clean the base area that heats up the water with straight vinegar for 20 minutes. This helps to break up the minerals that accumulate.

Clean the unit that holds water with bleach water. Let the bleach water sit for a good 20 minutes and agitate frequently to catch all the "buggies." :)

I just add about a 1/4 cup bleach and fill the unit about 1/4 the way full with water. Works like a charm! (I'm usually the one that puts ours away without cleaning it properly!) :)

gina, mom to 3