Mold growth is the number one cause of your humidifier smelling bad. The second place goes to bacteria, and the third spot belongs to mineral buildup.

All these contaminants (or culprits) can give off a different kind of bad smell and should be tackled as soon as possible.

That’s why read further to know more about why your humidifier smells bad and what’s the best way to deal with this. 

Reason One: Mold/Mildew Growth

To be honest, humidifiers do not cause mold in your home. However, mold can grow inside humidifiers because high humidity promotes mold growth.

This is especially true if you do not control the humidity level in your home and/or do not properly clean or maintain your humidifier.

In that case, molds can grow in your humidifier within a couple of days.

When it does, your humidifier should smell musty, like a wet dog or a sock.

Solution: Clean Your Humidifier

To clean your humidifier, you can follow the steps below:

1. Unplug and empty the water tank of the humidifier.
2. Disassemble your humidifier. 
3. Fill the water tank with equal parts vinegar and water, soak for 30-60 minutes, and scrub with a soft brush. 
4. Rinse thoroughly with water. 
5. For evaporative humidifiers, replace the filter. 
6. Dry all parts completely before reassembly.

For more detailed instructions, check your humidifier manufacturer's manual.

Reason Two: Bacterial Growth

There is another consequence of not cleaning your humidifier apart from mold growth: Bacteria.

Three things promote bacterial growth:

1. Moisture,
2. Warm Temperature and
3. Oxygen.

Any humidifier has a combination of two of these (moisture and oxygen), and warm mist humidifiers have a combination of all three.

If you haven’t cleaned your humidifier in a while, it can become a breeding ground for bacterial growth, which makes your humidifier have a sour smell like yeasts. 

Solution: Disinfect Your Humidifier

Although not cleaning your humidifier leads to bacterial growth, cleaning it isn't enough to get rid of the bacteria. You also need to disinfect the humidifier to completely get rid of the bacteria.

To disinfect the humidifier after it's been cleaned with vinegar as described above, mix one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach into a gallon of water, swish it around, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Then rinse with water until the humidifier tank doesn't smell like bleach. 

Lastly, dry all the parts before reassembling.

Reason Three: Mineral Buildup

If you have been continuously using tap water in your humidifier and now it smells like pee, you have mineral buildup in the water tank.

When you use hard water in your humidifier and do not change it once a day, you have a high risk of mineral buildup.

Tap water or hard water contains many minerals, like calcium and magnesium, which can cause limescale buildup. The limescale buildup has a foul smell, like rotten eggs, which may also seem like urine to some.

Solution: Clean Your Humidifier

The best solution to limescale or mineral buildup is to clean your humidifier. Use the cleaning process with vinegar to rid the urine smell of the humidifier. 

Reason Four: Type 1 Resin

Some types of ultrasonic humidifiers have a built-in system made of DI resin to remove minerals from tap water. This resin is made of tiny plastic beads that grab minerals from the water and clean them. One of the chemicals used in these beads is trimethylamine. 

As the resin gets old and used up, the trimethylamine starts to break down and turn into a substance similar to ammonia. This breaking down process releases a strong fishy odor. 

So, if you have an ultrasonic humidifier and your home starts to smell like a fish, this is the most probable cause.

Solution: Replace the Humidifier

If your humidifier smells like a fish, you have no choice but to replace the humidifier with a new one. This time, get a humidifier that doesn’t use Type 1 Resin as a cleaning agent.

Good for you; we have just the right ultrasonic humidifier: Ergonomc’s Rain Cloud. It doesn’t use Resin to purify water and is also resistant to mold and bacteria growth. 

Why Does My Humidifier Smell Even After Cleaning?

If the humidifier smells even after cleaning, there can be three possible reasons which are-

1. You only cleaned with soap and water, which probably did not remove whatever was causing the smell in the first place. In this case, clean your humidifier again with vinegar.

2. You didn’t replace the filter of your evaporative humidifier. Evaporative humidifier filters can become moldy or infected, and it’s very hard to clean them properly. So, it’s best just to replace them.

3. It's either that you used too much vinegar or that you soaked the water tank in vinegar for too long. Due to this, you get a vinegar-y smell from your humidifier water tank, which may smell worse than before.

Either way, you have to clean your humidifier again, but this time with hydrogen peroxide. Fill the tank with 4 parts water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide, let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Is It Dangerous If a Humidifier Smells?

Yes, it is dangerous if a humidifier smells in most cases.

• When mold (a type of fungi) grows in your humidifier, it releases spores that decrease the air quality in your house. These spores can induce coughing, wheezing, runny nose, and other respiratory problems. 

• Similarly, when bacteria are present in your humidifier, they are released into the air, resulting in flu-like symptoms.

• As for limescale or mineral buildup, it releases white dust into the air, which is not really harmful. But still, there have been cases where it caused issues for people with asthma and may irritate your eyes.

This is why it’s very important to address any smell issue ASAP and take steps to prevent it from happening again. 

How to Prevent Your Humidifier From Smelling?

To prevent your humidifier from smelling, you can follow these steps-

1. Regularly clean and maintain your humidifier. Thoroughly clean it once every three days, and change the water once every day to prevent mold and bacteria growth.

We know it could be a massive pain to clean your humidifier once every three days, but that's what it is. If that’s a deal breaker for you, just get an easy-to-clean humidifier.

2. If you are using an evaporative humidifier, change its filter at least once every month.

3. Use distilled or deionized water to prevent mineral buildup. 

4. When the humidifier isn't in use, empty and dry the tank. Don't let water sit unused. 

5. Add special germ-killing treatments (like tablets) to the tank, or use a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. 

You can also put silver coins and/or copper wires into the water tank, as the ions from copper and silver can kill bacteria.

6. To make your humidifier smell better, you can add essential oils, lemon juice, or tea tree oils to the water tank. But use tea tree oil with caution, as it can be harmful to your pets.

Warning: Before adding essential oil, check with your manufacturer to see if it's safe to do so.

7. Don't run the humidifier too long or too strong, especially at night. Aim for a comfortable humidity level between 30% and 50%. 

8. Keep the room where you use the humidifier well-ventilated.

9. If you are looking to replace, buy a humidifier that is mold and bacteria-resistant. We recommend using the Rain Cloud Humidifier by Ergonomc, which is made from high-quality materials like ABS and PP.

Live Smell-Free With the Rain Cloud Humidifier

If you are tired of your humidifier smelling bad or frustrated by having to clean it once every three days, switch to Ergonomc’s Rain Cloud Humidifier.

Because of the high-quality materials used to make this, it’s naturally resistant to mold, bacteria, and other microbes, meaning you won’t get any kind of smell.

Rain Cloud humidifiers produce fewer ml of mist per hour than dedicated humidifiers, so they don't typically grow mold within 2-3 days.

That means you don’t have to clean them as frequently.

Furthermore, the Rain Cloud Humidifier has an auto-shutoff feature, which makes it virtually impossible to overuse it. It will automatically turn off when the water level is low or when the timer runs out, thus preventing foul smells from accumulating.

To give you an even better experience, you get a free brush with the humidifier that you can use to clean it whenever necessary.

So, to sum up, with Ergonomc, you can have a humidifier that doesn’t grow mold, doesn’t smell, and is easier to clean and maintain.

FAQs

1. Can I put perfume in my humidifier?

No, you cannot put perfume in your humidifier. When perfume is poured directly into a humidifier, it can damage the device and potentially cause a dangerous situation.

2. How to add scent to a humidifier?

You can add scent to a humidifier by adding a few drops of essential oils to the tank. Don’t put more than 8 drops per 100ml. Check with your manufacturer before adding essential oil to the water tank.

3. What can I put in my humidifier if I don’t have essential oils?

You can put citrus peels, fresh herbs, flower petals, etc. if you don’t have essential oils. Don’t forget to replace them once every couple of days to keep your home smelling fresh.