How to Clean Your Humidifier

Take these steps to keep mold from growing in the device and entering the air in your home

By Tobie Stanger

Allen St. John, Consumer Reports Senior Home & Tech Writer.

By Allen St. John
Senior Home & Tech Writer

Updated January 11, 2025

When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.

humidifier illustration with water vapors in air above it

A humidifier can make your home more comfortable when the air indoors gets dry, a common winter problem throughout much of the U.S. But if you don’t properly clean the device, it can also breed and spread mold spores harmful to people with allergies, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.

The moisture a humidifier replenishes can prevent dry, itchy skin. It can also reduce the likelihood that people in your household suffer from dry sinuses, nosebleeds, and cracked lips, according to the Mayo Clinic. And it can mitigate the symptoms of colds and respiratory ailments. But you’ve got to maintain it.

In this article

What to Do Daily and Weekly
What to Do Seasonally
Humidifiers to Consider

What to Do Daily and Weekly

Daily: To prevent the growth of mold and other contaminants, we recommend rinsing, towel-drying, and refilling your humidifier’s tank with fresh water every day.

Weekly: Give the tank and the well a deep cleaning once a week, as outlined below.

We suggest using white vinegar, because it’s inexpensive, you probably have some in your pantry, and it’s gentle on your humidifier’s parts. It also encourages you to keep rinsing the unit until it stops smelling like a salad.

Some manufacturers suggest using bleach to sanitize. While that can be effective, James Dickerson, PhD, CR’s former chief scientific officer, says that it has its risks. “Bleach can degrade some plastics and seals that keep the unit watertight and structurally sound,” he says. Never use both vinegar and bleach. Mixing those two common household substances can form toxic chlorine gas, which can be dangerous and even deadly.

What You Need

• Water.

• Towel.

• Distilled white vinegar.

• Empty bottle or measuring cup.

• Toothbrush, cotton swabs, or another gentle cleaning tool.

Remove the Tank From the Base

To the well of the base, add either 1 cup of vinegar or a half-cup each of vinegar and water.

Use a Cleaning Tool

Cleaning tool reaching into crevices and scrub off scale in
the well of humidifier. — Reach into crevices and scrub off scale in the well with a toothbrush or other cleaning implements. Rinse with water until no vinegar smell remains. Towel-dry.

Pour 1 Cup Each of Vinegar and Water Into the Tank

Cap the tank and let it soak for 20 minutes, swishing or shaking the liquid periodically. Pour out the vinegar solution and rinse with water until no smell remains and towel-dry. If you won't be using the humidifier for a few days, leave the tank and the well empty.

Pouring cup each of vinegar and water into the humidifier tank.

What to Do Seasonally

When you’re ready to store your humidifier, do a thorough cleaning first. Then allow it to dry completely, including the inside of the tank. Inspect the wick or filter, if your unit has one, and replace it according to the maker’s recommended schedule or if it seems, well, gross.

After taking your humidifier out of storage the next time, fill the tank only when you’re ready to start using it.

Humidifiers to Consider

Do you find it a challenge to keep your current humidifier clean? Here are models that score well for convenience, impressing our testers with their ease of cleaning as well as their weight, how easy the tank is to empty and fill from a bathroom or kitchen sink, and whether the parts can be put into a dishwasher. (You can filter the ratings to find models with higher convenience scores.)

Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.

Tobie Stanger

As a senior editor at Consumer Reports for more than 30 years, Tobie Stanger specialized in helping readers shop wisely, save money, and avoid scams. Her home- and shopping-related beats have included appliance and grocery stores, generators, homeowners and flood insurance, humidifiers, lawn mowers, and luggage. She also covered home improvement products, including flooring, roofing, and siding.

Allen St. John

Allen St. John has been a senior product editor at CR since 2016, focusing on digital privacy, audio devices, printers, and home products. He was a senior editor at Condé Nast and a contributing editor at publications including Road & Track and The Village Voice. A New York Times bestselling author, he's also written for The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife, their two children, and their dog, Rugby.