Simple Ways to Decalcify Your Humidifier

The beginning of winter weather also signals the arrival of cooler and drier air. A significant drop in relative humidity can cause a host of problems for you and your Orlando home, including dry, itchy skin, damaged wood furnishings and higher utility bills.

While a portable or whole-house humidifier can easily take care of these issues, it won’t be of any good to anyone if it’s not properly maintained.

Seeing Unexpected Deposits

Most tap water contains a sizable amount of mineral deposits, which can leave behind a chalky, whitish film on water handling equipment. Over time, your humidifier can become clogged with deposits, making it hard to add moisture to your home’s indoor air.

How to Delcalcify Your Humidifier

Removing lime calcium deposits from your humidifier is a surprisingly simple process. Just follow these preventative steps:

• With the humidifier turned off and disconnected from its power source, grab a damp rag and wipe down the unit’s heating element. Keep in mind that some humidifiers may not have a heating element.
• Empty the water tank and clean it thoroughly with warm water and mild detergent. If the water tank is rated dishwasher safe, you can throw it in with your dishwasher’s next cleaning cycle.
• If your humidifier is equipped with a filter, remove it and allow it to sit in a solution of undiluted white vinegar. White vinegar’s acidic properties can eat away mineral clogs.
• Don’t forget to wipe around the surface of the machine with a little white vinegar. This should be done on a daily basis to prevent calcium deposits from forming.

If you want to delcalcify your humidifier, Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning Service can give you all the help you need. Contact us for our home comfort and maintenance expertise in the Orlando area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about humidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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