Keeping Your Nursery Humidifier Safe & Running Flawlessly

While a humidifier is essential for any baby’s nursery, it doesn’t mean you can simply plug it in and forget about it.

Humidifiers require constant upkeep, including cleaning it and regularly changing the filter or demineralization cartridge, if it has one.

On top of that, there are some things you should know about humidifiers and proper usage in order to make sure that they’re always running safely.

Humidifiers are an essential part of any nursery, especially if you live in an area with a dry climate. An overly dry nursery can make baby more likely to get sick because viruses thrive in dry air.

But it’s important to use them safely!

Possible safety concerns with nursery humidifiers.

#1 – Keep cables (and the humidifier itself) out of the way.

The cable on the humidifier can be a tripping hazard. While your child might not be mobile yet, it’s a good idea to keep the humidifier out of reach. It’s a good habit to get into.

Some humidifiers can also get quite hot. Keeping it out of reaching distance is a very good idea.

#2 – Letting the humidity get too high.

The ideal humidity level is around 30-50%, but not higher than that because this can cause mold to start forming. This mold can be extremely dangerous, so be sure to keep track of the humidity level.

#3 – Could the water used be dangerous?

Most tap water contains certain minerals. This is true of any water, and most of the time there is no harm in drinking it.

However, using tap water in a humidifier will cause it to send these minerals into the air.

Some people find that using tap water in their humidifiers results in a fine, white dust accumulating on objects in the home.

While there are no reports that these minerals will do any harm, some people still prefer to use distilled water in their humidifiers.

The minerals in tap water can also accumulate inside of the humidifier in a crusty deposit or scale. This scale can, unfortunately, be a breeding ground for microorganisms and bacteria. If you choose to use tap water in your humidifier, be sure to make an extra effort in always keeping it clean.

Of course, running only distilled water through a humidifier can be very expensive, but it is an option.

Be sure to keep your humidifier clean.

While a good baby humidifier will help keep them healthy, especially if you only use distilled or demineralized water in it, that is only true if the humidifier stays clean.

An unclean humidifier can actually be worse than having no humidifier at all; bacteria and fungi thrive in the tanks of humidifiers, and then when you use the humidifier, it sends it into the air.

How to clean your humidifier.

You should try to clean the humidifier at least every three days.

Of course, make sure you unplug it before you try to clean it. Remove any removable parts of the humidifier and clean it out using either a bleach, a disinfectant, or a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.

The manual of your particular humidifier will probably have suggestions from the manufacturer regarding what to use and how to properly clean it.

Remember: always rinse and clean the tank out with water after using harmful chemicals to clean it. Any chemical left inside the humidifier will soon become airborne as soon as you turn it on again.

Change the water often.

You should change the water in the humidifier and dry it out completely as often as possible. If you can do it every day, that would be optimal. If you don’t change the water out, it promotes the growth of bacteria.

Change the filter often.

If your humidifier has a filter, be sure to change it often. Depending on your water, you might have to change it more often than the manufacturer suggests, especially if it looks dirty.

Again, the manual for your humidifier will probably give manufacturer’s suggestions regarding how often the filter should be changed.

Wrapping it up.

It is absolutely vital to keep your baby humidifier clean!

A humidifier will do a lot to help make your baby’s nursery more comfortable for him or her, prevent illnesses, and generally promote good health, but only if you keep it clean and working properly!

A little effort goes a long way, and it’s much better to maintain your humidifier every day than find out that what you thought was doing a lot of good was actually making people sick!