Left water in humidifier

[StitchesGr8Fan]

My DD had a cold a little over a month ago and we used a cool most humidifier in her room at night to help her congestion. I think she is getting another cold, and I just realized we left the humidifier on her dresser with water in it (it goes with the theme of her room so it looks like a decoration and is easy to miss when there is other stuff on the dresser). Is it safe to use as long as I dump out the old water? Or is it full of bacteria now and need to be thrown away? I tried googling it and couldn't find anything. Thanks!

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

There should be cleaning instructions in the humidifier box or on the manufacturer website. The most typical method is white vinegar. You can look up the specific instructions. But generally you would place a dilution of white vinegar in the water bowl, swirl and let sit for some amount of time (usually 15 minutes, but you could do longer since it's been sitting for some time), let it pass through the humidifier, dump, and rinse well.

 

[disykat]

Yep, google "how to clean a humidifier."

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Yep, google "how to clean a humidifier."

Thanks. Maybe I got too detailed calling it a cool mist humidifier in my search.

 

[Lilliputian]

I would clean it with vinegar water and buy a new filter. You can usually get them for a good price on Amazon.

 

[laughinplace199]

If you still have the instructions, there should be directions for cleaning it. We use vinegar to clean the base and water with a little bleach to clean the part that holds the water.

I'd probably get a new filter in case the old one has gotten moldy.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I run a cool mist humidifier every night beside the bed. I clean it with vinegar and water and change the filters as needed.

You can also buy a bottle of humidifier cleaner at stores where the humidifiers are sold. I believe there are also fizz tablets that will clean it as well. I just mix up a cap full of vinegar with the water hold filled and shake shake and then let is set for a bit and then pour out and rinse. I also wash the bin side with water and vinegar mix.

 

[LJSquishy]

I bet you have one of the Crane cool mist humidifiers (since you said it is a cute design). All you need to do is pour a white vinegar and warm water mixture into the tank and shake it every few minutes. Leave it in there for 15-20 minutes, then rinse a few times with cool water. Also fill the base with vinegar and warm water and let that sit for the same length of time before pouring out and rinsing. If the tank still smells musty, you can try letting it air dry completely after cleaning it.

I have the drop shape Crane humidifier and clean it weekly with vinegar and water. I know there are filters available for them (I just use filtered water) so if you use the filters definitely put a new one in.