This is a question that has bothered many people, especially those who are new to using a humidifier. If you need to know whether you can use boiling water for a humidifier, read here for an answer.
3 Reasons To Avoid Boiling Water For Humidifier
This article will explain the reasons why it’s not good to use boiling water in a humidifier. It will also shed light on the kind of water to use instead of boiled water.
Minerals Present In Boiled Water Can Damage Humidifier
When you fill water from the tap and then boil it, it contains fewer pathogens because most are killed off by the heat. But then, the minerals present in the water are also a problem. The minerals present in the boiled water can cause problems for your humidifier.
Some of those problems are the buildup of whitish substance in your humidifier. It also turns your humidifier into an air pollutant because it releases minerals present in the water. There are plenty of minerals, and depending on the place you are living, there will be traces of fluoride and zinc in the water, which is very dangerous to the health.
Even if the water is boiled, it is impossible for you to completely get rid of all the minerals or chemicals present in it even though the chemicals will kill the pathogens that are present in the water. The water remains hard because of the presence of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, and so on.
Boiled Water Has Fewer Pathogens
Another reason is that minerals present in the boiled water will lead to the accumulation of scales, that is, deposits of mineral in your humidifier. The buildup of these deposited minerals can affect the functionality of your device, and it may even damage the humidifier.
You’d recall that I said that heat kills most of the pathogens in the water. Well, fittingly, I said most, and that means there are still a few pathogens like bacteria remaining in the water.
There is a very high chance that these pathogens will breed in the humidifier and be released into your room. The inner part of the humidifier is a suitable breeding ground for bacteria. The presence of plenty of pathogens and deposited minerals in the atmosphere can lead to severe respiratory problems.
Boiled Water Often Pose Risks
When considering the aspect of safety in the home, it would not be advisable to use water at a very high temperature, especially if you have kids in your home. If an adult or a young child mistakenly hit the humidifier with boiled water in it, the tilt resulting from the hit can cause the boiling water to spill, which can lead to severe burns. Also, the hot mist coming from the humidifier can hurt anyone if they get too close.
According to the Administration for food and drug, cool mist aids easy breathing because cool air helps your nasal cavity to shrink. In contrast to cool mist, warm or hot mist causes swelling in your nasal cavity, making it hard to breathe. Cool mist also relieves you from a sore throat, nose bleeds, and it also rehydrates your skin. The use of boiled water also causes a waste of time and energy.
In a case study that was published by University of Utah researchers, it was found that a baby who had been inhaling “white dust” from a humidifier had suffered a serious lung damage. These metals can be harmful when inhaled as mist, with negative effects on both short- and long-term health.
So What Is The Best Water Choice?
Filling humidifiers with just distilled water will be an easy solution to stop the production of dangerous white dust, similar to what was observed in the previous study. In order to ensure that the humidifier only emits a safe, healthy mist, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also advised using distilled water in humidifiers. Distilled water has been heated to inactivate the majority of contaminants, including bacteria and mold.
Conclusion
Based on the reasons listed, you’d agree with me that using boiled water in a humidifier isn’t safe. In other to avoid all the disadvantages listed, it would be advisable to use distilled water.
Distilled water is efficient because it would have been turned to vapor through boiling and turned back to liquid through the process of condensation.
This process removes impurities such as minerals and pathogens from the water. The advantage of using distilled water is that it prevents whitish substance from accumulating in the humidifier, it also prevents scales-deposits of minerals from accumulating, and they do not contain minerals and pathogens like bacteria, which are poisonous to one’s health.
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