Air humidifiers are household appliances of the simplest design that allow you to maintain the humidity in the room at a comfortable level. With their help, it is possible to prevent the deposition of dust on the surface of furniture and to stop the spread of harmful microbes. A side and rather harmful effect accompanying the action of these devices is the formation of white plaque that appears on furnishings.
- The principle of operation of devices
- Causes and consequences of the appearance of plaque
- The need for cleaning the premises
- Health consequences
- Effective methods and methods of struggle
- Water quality
- Installing an additional filter
- Purchase of an ultrasonic humidifier
- Use of reverse osmosis systems
- Rules for choosing a humidifier
The principle of operation of devices
The operation of the humidifier is based on the effect of evaporation of a liquid heated by boiling or by ultrasonic action. To start the device into operation, first, clean water is poured into the built-in container, and then plugged into a power outlet. In addition to humidification, this device manages to:
- effectively clean the air from dust and foreign impurities;
- fight electrostatics;
- aromatize the air in the apartment.
In the latter case, a replaceable capsule with aromatic oils is installed in the branded device, which allows you to inhale vapors that are healing for the body at the same time as moisturizing.
Causes and consequences of the appearance of plaque
A white coating from a humidifier forms on objects in the room due to the calcium salts contained in the water evaporated by the appliance. They enter the tank of the device as a result of a simple topping up of liquid from the tap (without pre-filtration). This water is harmful to the surroundings and to the humidifier itself.
The need for cleaning the premises
With regular use of untreated liquid, a sediment in the form of a white deposit accumulates on the surfaces of the container, which eventually turns into a layer of scale. The same happens with the surrounding objects, on which a small, whitish rash gradually settles. When their concentration exceeds a certain level, some of the household appliances and interior elements, as a rule, become unusable.
Calcium salts can penetrate the insides of computers, microwaves and other appliances, causing malfunctions. All this forces users to take additional protection measures, which are reduced to frequent cleaning of premises. With home appliances, the situation is more complicated, but the threat of precipitation getting inside forces the owners to draw certain conclusions and more often assess their condition.
Contamination of furniture is not so dangerous, but it also has to be regularly cleaned of sediments. To do this, you should stock up on soft rags or wet wipes, excluding the possibility of damage to decorative coatings.
Keeping household items in perfect condition will help you follow the instructions for use of the humidifier. Troubles arise in the event of an irregular replacement of the fluid in the tank or if the timing of its prevention (descaling) is not followed. Such violations lead to an increase in humidity in the room up to 75-80%, which threatens not only furniture cladding, but also power cables.
Health consequences
The group of users who most often purchase household humidifiers are parents with young children. So far, no special studies have been carried out in our country to assess the impact of white plaque on the health of a child.
When assessing the harm caused by plaque to human health, each user acts at his own discretion. In Europe and the West, most of the population has long used humidifiers in their homes and regularly face similar problems. According to consumer protection experts, white plaque is completely safe for adults and children. Despite these claims, the container should be cleaned regularly to keep the appliance in good working order. Otherwise, bacteria will begin to accumulate in it, which can lead to damage to the lungs and respiratory tract.
Effective methods and methods of struggle
If white plaque is found on the surfaces of furniture, do not blame the appliance and rush to buy another. The presence of precipitation on things does not mean that the device itself is working unsatisfactorily; this is just an indication of its misuse. First of all, you should understand the reason for their appearance and carefully analyze all the previous actions. Most often, the problem lies in the violation of the requirements of the instructions, which prescribe not to store residual moisture in the container and not to use hard water from the tap. If the consumer strictly follows these instructions, and plaque still appears, you will have to use other methods to quickly get rid of it.
Water quality
Adding regular running water to the compartment is one of the most common mistakes made when handling a humidifier. In most cases, a fairly high-quality water carrier flows from the tap, but it is often characterized by increased rigidity. If such water is left to stand in a glass for a long time, for example, over time, a well-distinguishable sediment will appear at the bottom.
It is recommended to boil it well before pouring liquid into the tank. If this does not help and plaque still appears, you should switch to distilled water sold at any hardware store.
Installing an additional filter
The use of built-in filters that purify water immediately before use will help to avoid the appearance of unwanted plaque or to slightly reduce it. There are several types of such devices on the domestic market:
- carbon filter modules;
- fiberglass cleaners;
- filters filled with a special ion-exchange composition.
Despite the difference in the designs of these devices, they all solve the problem well, purifying tap water with greater or lesser efficiency.
Purchase of an ultrasonic humidifier
The ultrasonic (US) humidifier has a built-in filter that allows you to clean the liquid from impurities and bacteria. It is allowed to pour running water into devices of this type without preliminary treatment. The downside of the extended functionality of ultrasonic humidifiers is their high cost. But even taking this factor into account, it is not recommended to forget about a competent approach to operating the device. According to the requirements of the instructions, the built-in filters must be changed every 3 months, otherwise you will have to face the problem of white plaque again.
Use of reverse osmosis systems
Reverse osmosis is the most costly, but the most effective way to purify the water used in humidifiers. Thanks to its use, it is possible to exclude the formation of plaque and completely filter out the water masses entering the room. The reverse osmosis system is mounted directly in the supply pipes, which effectively removes salts and impurities from the liquid.
Rules for choosing a humidifier
Dry air and high temperatures in an apartment have a negative impact on the health of adults and children. This is especially critical in the autumn-winter period, when atmospheric indicators significantly exceed the norm. A high-quality humidifier will help to solve this problem, when choosing which the following points are taken into account:
- the type of device being purchased (mechanical or ultrasonic);
- performance;
- availability of additional options (the ability to control humidity using a built-in sensor, for example, or remote control);
- reputation of the model manufacturer.
Taking these factors into account will help you choose the best humidifier sample, which, according to most users, includes some models of the ultrasonic class. In this unofficial rating, products from the following companies stand out:
- SENDO M200;
- Galaxy GL-8003;
- XIAOMI CJJSQ01ZM;
- PANASONIC F-VXR50R.
Relatively inexpensive quality humidifiers include devices manufactured by the manufacturers Galaxy (model GL-8003) and Polaris (PUH 6504).
