The first thing that might come to your mind is the type of water to use in a humidifier. You may wonder if you can use tap water in your humidifier.
Using tap water in a humidifier may not harm you, but irreparable damage will badly impact your unit.
The water droplets won’t pose any hazard to your skin, but the excessive mineral deposition will compromise the life of the humidifier. So can you use tap water in a humidifier? Let's explore some unrevealed facts.
What Happens If You Use Tap Water In Humidifier - The Side Effects
What consequences should you expect if you use tap water in your humidifier?
Here are some side effects of using tap water in humidifiers.
White Dust
If you get hard water through your faucets, there is a high risk of dust and mineral deposition. Your humidifier will spray white dust with mist. The high mineral content causes this, and the white powder forms when you heat and cool water molecules.
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This white powdery dust is harmful if you are susceptible to allergens.
You can see our blog: Can You Use Filtered Water In A Humidifier - What To do?
Pink Mold
Pink or red mold is usually found inside the water tank, even if your water isn’t hard. Distilled water or pure water can also contain these molds, but their occurrence is more common in the case of tap water.
What Types of Water Are Safe to Use In A Humidifier
The only safe water for humidifiers is free from bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. Different types of water are suitable for this purpose, but the most suggested are:
Distilled Water
Distilled water is considered the ideal type of water which pose no harm to the humidifier. Steam is the primary source of distilled water which forms when water boils to a certain temperature without changing into steam and settles down again in the liquid state.
This is most beneficial as all the germs, bacteria, and dust particles will stay behind without mixing into pure or clean water.
See Our Detailed Guide On: What Kind of Water to Use in Humidifier
Purified Water
Purification of water is the next level of cleaning, which involves ion exchange, filtration, reverse osmosis, and other effective methods. You can safely use this water in a humidifier without worrying about damage to the unit or the dispersal of contaminants.
See Also: Why Portable AC Fills With Water? – 5 Common Reasons
Boiled Water
Boiling water is a traditional but highly reliable strategy to get rid of bacteria and viruses. However, the large mineral deposits or limescale buildup will need to clean manually as high temperatures won’t be able to achieve this target.
Deionized Or Demineralized Water
Removal of unnecessary ions and excessive minerals allows all pollutants to get away from water. Demineralized water has similar properties to distilled water. Fortunately, it is also efficient for the life of a humidifier.
Can I Use Bottled Water In My Humidifier
The water is processed and purified in several ways to remove heavy metals and all other contaminations. So, it is clear that bottled water is safe to use in a humidifier.
However, the packaging of plastic water bottles isn't safe due to their synthetic polymeric manufacturing. The chemicals from bottles can seep into the water, making it harmful to health. Therefore, you must get water inside environment-friendly glass bottles.
Why Distilled Water Works Best For A Humidifier
The most recommended type of water safe to use in a humidifier is distilled water free from harsh minerals, toxic bacteria, and other chemicals. The boiling and condensation purify water best, so you can use it in the humidifier instead of tap water.
Distilled water ensures the cleanliness of the humidifier by removing all mineral buildup. Your humidifier tank will remain safe from mold growth, and the air quality will also improve with distilled water.
Accessing distilled water isn’t difficult as you can buy it from any local store. However, some water distillers are also available in the market, and you can get plenty of distilled water at home.
How to Make Distilled Water At Home
If you can get distilled water from the market, don’t worry, you can make it by yourself in the kitchen. Here is the procedure:
- Take a pot of 5 gallons and fill it in half with tap water.
- Add a small bowl to float inside the water.
- Raise the temperature so the water can start boiling
- Place ice on the pot's lid and let the steam reach the surface. The condensation starts when the steam hits the ice or cold regions of the lid.
- The closed lid won’t allow water to evaporate, and the steam will turn back into water and collect inside the small bowl.
What Kind of Water to Use In A Humidifier Instead of Distilled Water
Sometimes it gets difficult to process water through the distillation phase, and the need for a simple, easy method becomes obvious. You may wonder if using filtered water in a humidifier is safe. Try some safe alternatives to avoid inconvenience or expenses due to distilled water.
Is It Safe to Use Tap Water In A Baby’s Humidifier
Tap water isn’t something we suggest using in a baby’s humidifier as it contains large quantities of dust and minerals. These particles will enter the air with mist and infect the baby’s skin. Several harmful bacteria will disperse in the room, polluting the air.
Final Thoughts
Living in dry climates can cause several issues, but a humidifier is the best to keep the air moist and germ-free. Using tap water in a humidifier will only put more risks to health.
Therefore, distilled, pure, or deionized water is ideal for healthy air. We hope this post will help you in deciding whether to use tap water in a humidifier or not and all other relevant preventive measures.
