Humidifiers - household appliances of the simplest design, allowing you to maintain the humidity indicator in the room at a comfortable level. With their help, it is possible to prevent dust from settling on the furniture surface and stop the spread of harmful microbes. A side and rather harmful effect accompanying the action of these devices is the formation of a white coating that appears on objects of decor.
The principle of operation of devices
The humidifier is based on the effect of evaporation of a liquid heated by boiling or by ultrasonic treatment. To start the device in operation, first clean water is poured into the built-in container, and then it is connected to a power outlet. In addition to moisturizing with the help of this device is able to:
- effectively clean the air of 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 breathing the vapors that are healing for the body along with moisturizing.
The causes and consequences of the appearance of plaque
A white coating from an air humidifier is formed on objects in the room due to calcium salts contained in the water evaporated by the device. They get into the tank of the device as a result of simple topping up of liquid from the tap (without preliminary filtration). Such water is dangerous for surrounding objects and for the humidifier itself.
The need for cleaning the room
With the regular use of untreated liquid, sediment accumulates on the container surfaces in the form of a white coating, which eventually turns into a scale layer. The same thing happens with surrounding objects, on which a small whitish rash gradually settles. When their concentration exceeds a certain level, some of household appliances and interior elements, as a rule, become worthless.
Calcium salts can penetrate the insides of computers, microwaves and other devices, leading to malfunctions. All this forces users to take additional protection measures, which are reduced to frequent cleaning of the premises. With household appliances, the situation is more complicated, but the threat of rainfall getting inside forces the owners to draw certain conclusions and more often evaluate their condition.
Furniture pollution is not so dangerous, but it also has to be cleaned regularly from rain. To do this, stock up with soft rags or wet wipes, eliminating the possibility of damage to decorative coatings.
Keeping home furnishings in perfect condition will help fulfill the points in the operating instructions for the humidifier. Troubles arise in the event of an irregular replacement of the liquid in the tank or in case of non-observance of the terms of its prevention (descaling). Such violations lead to an increase in humidity in the room up to 75-80%, which threatens not only the lining of furniture, but also network wires.
Health effects
The group of users who most often purchase household humidifiers includes parents who have small children. So far, no special studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of white plaque on child health in our country.
When assessing the harm that is caused by a raid on human health, each user acts at his discretion.In Europe and the West, a large part of the population has long used humidifiers in their homes and regularly faces similar problems. According to experts on consumer protection, white plaque is completely safe for organisms of adults and children. Despite these statements, to maintain the device in good condition, clean its container regularly. 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 furniture surfaces, do not blame the appliance and rush to buy another one. The presence of precipitation on things does not mean that the device itself is not working satisfactorily; this only indicates its misuse. First of all, you should deal with the cause of their appearance and carefully analyze all previous actions. Most often, the problem is in violation of the requirements of the instructions that do not store residual moisture in containers and do not use hard water from the tap. If the consumer strictly follows these requirements, and the raid still appears, you will have to use other methods to quickly get rid of it.
Water quality
Adding ordinary running water to the compartment is one of the most common mistakes made when handling a humidifier. In most cases, a fairly high-quality aqueous carrier flows from the tap, but it is often characterized by increased rigidity. If such water is maintained for a long time in a glass, for example, over time, a clearly 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 a plaque still appears, you should switch to distilled water, sold in any hardware store.
Installation of an additional filter
The use of built-in filters that purify water immediately before its use will help to avoid the appearance of unwanted plaque or slightly reduce it. In the domestic market there are several varieties of such devices:
- carbon filtering modules;
- fiberglass cleaners;
- filters filled with special ion-exchange composition.
Despite the difference in the designs of these devices, all of them do a good job of solving the problem, purifying tap water with greater or lesser efficiency.
Acquisition of an ultrasonic humidifier
The ultrasonic (ultrasonic) humidifier has a built-in filter that allows you to clean the liquid from impurities and bacteria. In devices of this type, it is allowed to fill in running water without its preliminary treatment. The flip side of the advanced functionality of ultrasonic humidifiers is their high cost. But even taking into account this factor, it is not recommended to forget about a competent approach to the operation of 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.
The use of reverse osmosis systems
Reverse osmosis is the most costly but most effective way to clean the water used in humidifiers. Thanks to its application, it is possible to eliminate 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 allows you to effectively clean the liquid from salts and impurities.
Rules for choosing a humidifier
Dry air and high temperature in the 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 solve this problem, when choosing which the following points are taken into account:
- type of device purchased (mechanical or ultrasonic);
- performance;
- the presence of additional options (the ability to control humidity using the built-in sensor, for example, or remote control);
- model manufacturer reputation.
Consideration of these factors will help to choose the best sample of the humidifier, which, according to most users, include some models of the ultrasonic class. In this unofficial ranking, products from the following companies stand out:
- SENDO M200;
- KOENIG AIR 380;
- XIAOMI CJJSQ01ZM;
- PANASONIC F-VXR50R.
Relatively inexpensive high-quality humidifiers include devices manufactured by the manufacturers Galaxy (model GL-8003) and Polaris (PUH 6504).
