Can You Use Humidifier Without Filter?
If you have been researching humidifiers to add to your home or office, you must already have a clear idea about what the humidifier is responsible for. You can use it to add moisture to your surrounding air, avoiding dryness and preventing specks of dust accumulation from indoor heating or low flow of air.
However, you might be confused about the purpose of a filter for humidifiers. Yes, many humidifiers come with a filter. Wondering what the purpose of this filter is? Not sure if you can run the humidifier without this filter? Confused about how to do it? We have got all the answers!
Contents
What Happens if I Run a Humidifier Without a Filter?
Before answering the question about what to expect when using a humidifier without a filter, let us discuss a little about why a filter exists within humidifiers in the first place.
Purpose of a Humidifier Filter
The humidifiers’ filters are responsible for filtering out the minerals that exist within the water, airborne debris, and dust. It ensures that the air that the humidifier is responsible to moisturize is indeed clean and fresh.
The Lifespan of a Filter
You must be aware of the maintenance of a filter of a humidifier. In general, an average filter can last between 2 and 3 months. After that, you should surely replace it. It is true that nowadays you also have the option to opt for reusable filters or ones that can be cleaned pretty conveniently.
When the filter is broken or not usable anymore, you will indeed have to use the humidifier without the filter. However, this is not something you can keep doing permanently. Not using a filter has to be temporary.
Safety Concerns Of Running Humidifier Without Filter
Are you wondering if it is safe to run the humidifier without a filter? Well, in simple words, yes. Given that most of the humidifiers you can find in the markets are constructed from plastic, these devices have undergone antibacterial treatments before being processed further. Hence, you can keep the concern about microbial contamination at bay.
Nevertheless, let us not forget the fact that when you are using a lot of water, mineral deposits can accumulate within or around the machine. In such cases, you will have to wipe off the minerals using a dry cloth. What happens otherwise? Well, you will risk the development of bacteria or mold around the areas of the humidifier.
If you are going to use a humidifier without a filter, you must keep cleanliness a priority. You can use boiling tap water or make use of demineralization cartridges to keep the surroundings free from contaminants. You can also decide to install reverse osmosis filters within the water supply system of your house to ensure that the tap water is well-filtered already.
Cleaning the Humidifier without a Filter
You will need a few handy supplies to clean the humidifier that does not come with a filter. These include:
- Brush
- White Vinegar
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Water
- Gloves
You are going to use bleach to clean the humidifier. Hence, you need to take care of safety, and hence wear gloves. You must have a bucket or container containing water near you.
There are certain steps that you can follow during the cleaning:
- Turn off the device and unplug it from the pocket socket.
- You can start removing the different parts.
- Add a few drops of the white vinegar to the places that come in regular contact with water.
- Put the disassembled parts in a bowl of vinegar and leave them for 30 minutes.
- You can use the brush to remove the tough stains.
- You can add a spoonful of bleach to the gallon of water for disinfecting purposes.
- You can then fill the tank of the humidifier with this solution.
- As the final step, you simply have to rinse the bottom and the tank with clean water.
How to Use a Humidifier Without a Filter?
You will want to follow certain steps before using a humidifier without a filter.
Start with turning off the humidifier and unplugging it from the power socket.
Remove the filter within the humidifier if there is already one existing. The filter’s position depends on the machine’s design and build. It can be below the machine’s top cover or around the slide protruding from the device. One tip, try to find out where the fan is blowing the air out of the unit. The filter is likely to be around there.
You can then remove the tank of water or the water fill cap and throw away the water present in it.
You can refill the tank or the water compartment with a bottle of water. This water can either be distilled or filtered water.
You may replace the cover or the panels that you have previously removed to get access to the filter. After this step, you can plug in and switch on the device again.
Why Use a Humidifier without Filter?
Why do people opt for humidifiers without filters? There are a few pros associated with using such a humidifier.
You can simply escape the regular job of cleaning the filter, saving yourself time and energy. However, you still have to clean the humidifier anyway. It is just one less step.
Usually, humidifiers without filters are less noisy. Why so? Well, when you buy humidifiers with filters, they come with a built-in fan that can be somewhat disturbing for you. Hence, humidifiers without filters can be quite handy for nurseries or your bedroom.
Maintenance of filterless humidifiers tends to be cheaper.
Some of the types of humidifiers without filters come with added features like timers, control of humidity, and others.
What are Some Drawbacks of Using a Humidifier Without Filters?
Every coin has two sides- right? And hence, some important things to remember about not using filters in your humidifier.
As you might have already guessed, not using a filter means the water turning into vapor might pass on germs and contaminants that can then spread to the air.
White specks of dust might start to appear around your space. It can be annoying for you.
Usually, humidifiers without filters or filterless humidifiers can be more expensive.
You need to keep an eye on the tap water quality for humidifier because hard water must be filtered or softened before you can use it on the humidifier.
Final Words
Though you don’t need to use the filter in your humidifier, you can expect it to purify the air of the room better when you are using one with the filter.
If you are well aware of the maintenance associated with using filterless humidifiers and believe it to be handier for you- go for it! It is, after all, safe enough to use a humidifier without a filter. Keep an eye out on the water quality, though.
