White dust from my humidifier, how do I stop it?

Lots of people face white dust issues on their humidifiers. It happens when we don’t use distilled or osmosis-purified water in the humidifier. Regular water has lots of minerals & ultrafine particles in it because, after a long time of usage, those minerals & particles become dust on your humidifier. After not using the humidifier for a long time, some people face these issues, because in summer when they are not using the humidifier, they store it in a cupboard or somewhere else. The biggest mistake people make is, they don’t clean the humidifier properly or keep water on the water tank and base area before storing it. This slowly accumulating water deposits a layer of minerals in the humidifier. This mineral buildup is the main cause of the white dust issue. Inhaling this white dust will damage our immune system. In this blog, we will talk about all of these issues.

1. Why do white dust issues happen and what is the solution?
2. Health issues with inhaling it. (Men, Babies and pets)
3. Which humidifier has the most white dust issues and which one is good to prevent this issue?
4. If a humidifier already has white dust issues then how to clean/Fix it?

Why do white dust issues happen and what is the solution?

Using distilled or osmosis-purified water is one of the solutions to avoid these issues. This water doesn’t have minerals in it. On the other hand, tap water has lots of minerals like calcium, magnesium & micro dust particles. When we use the humidifier for a long time, the lining of those materials becomes dust. This dust is the main reason you are facing white dust issues.

There is another thing, some people often say that their humidifier is ok. But after not using the humidifier for the whole summer season now in winter white dust comes through the humidifier with mist. It happens that they don’t clean the humidifier before storing it. They may not clean the water from the water tank, some people clean the water tank but forget about the base of the humidifier. If inside the base any water left for off-season. Then you will feel lots of issues.

Once your humidifier gets dirty, it will affect the efficiency & capability of the humidifier. it means your humidifier will not perform as it did before. It will also allow mold to grow in your humidifier.
So once you start using the distilled water there is less possibility that the humidifier will get white dust, mold, water leakage, etc issues. But always using distilled water will not be comfortable for everyone. Even i don’t even want to buy distilled water for the humidifier.

There are other options for you, my house has an osmosis water purifier system. It removes almost 90%+ of minerals from the water and makes it soft. It has a 2/3 filter, where all chemicals and dust get removed from the water. Then this water goes to the membrane, the membrane separates the water into 2 lines. The dirty one goes out through the drain line and the good one is for our usages. This water is safe for any humidifier. But don’t use this water in aquariums. Because normal water PH is (7-8.5), but osmosis purified water PH is 6. Which is not good for them. Except this, we can use this water for drinking and other usages. So If you don’t have one then just get yourself one.

Health issues with inhaling white dust. (Men, Babies and pets):

Inhaling this white dust is not good for health as it has lots of minerals and microparticles on it. Using a humidifier for a long time in this condition will cause diseases like asthma or chronic. When it comes to babies, they are much more sensitive and these issues can be more dangerous for them. Also inhaling this effect on proper oxygen supply to the brain. This will make it difficult for their future and it is their growing age. It can affect neurodevelopment growth and in the long term, pets can suffer kidney diseases.

This dust makes the room more suitable for growing mold. Mold makes the room very smelly and it causes lots of health issues like allergic reactions, asthma exacerbation, respiratory infections, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, fungal infections, toxic effects from mycotoxins, chronic sinusitis, skin irritation, and potential mental health issues, etc.

In some conditions even if the humidifier is off, your health will still be affected by those issues. When you have an HVAC system, this white dust and germs will flow all over the house. By return line, the air-conditioner will suck in this air and spread all over the house. To prevent these issues, clean the humidifier properly and turn off the AC. make sure your room has a proper fresh air supply. Then to remove mold use mold removal spray. There are mold-resistant paints in the market, you can use them if you want to. The most important thing is to get yourself an air purifier. It will help you a lot to get clean and fresh air for your room.

Which humidifier got the most white dust issues and which one is good to prevent this issue:

Without proper maintenance, every humidifier can produce white dust. But some types of humidifiers spread white dust very easily and some types of humidifiers have less chance to produce white dust. Let’s talk about this

Ultrasonic humidifier has the most white dust issues. Because it doesn’t have any filter on it. It spreads mist by making ultrasonic vibrations. This is the type of humidifier that is highly affected by regular water.

On The Other hand, Steam Vaporizers humidifiers don’t have white dust issues, because it slowly boil the water and minerals left over in the water chamber & heating coil. It provides the cleanest mist to increase the humidity. The problem with the Steam Vaporizers humidifier is it consumes high electricity. If you are a very concerned person about electricity then you can go with Evaporative type humidifiers. Evaporative humidifiers are also good but not as good as Steam Vaporizers humidifiers.

If a humidifier already has white dust issues then how to clean/Fix it?

If white dust is coming through your humidifier, then don’t worry. Because by cleaning the humidifier you can get the solution.
Using vinegar is a very common and affordable solution. Put one glass of water and one glass of vinegar on the humidifier. You can use less or more depending on your humidifier size. After some time, clean it with a brush. Well, you will not get a good result in the first wash, i suggest you to repeat this process once again.

Then you can use citric acid for washing the humidifier. Take one glass of water and put one spoonful of citric acid. Mix it well, then put it on the humidifier and after some time clean it by using a brush.

There are other things that can be used for cleaning humidifiers, but those are not that available. I use vinegar for cleaning work. It makes the humidifier a bit smelly, so the humidifier needs to dry well.

Some people use different chemicals for cleaning but don’t use those things. Even if a little amount of chemical is left over the humidifier then, it will spread all over the house with mist. So be careful with it.