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How to use a vaporizer safely when you have BE and MAC
A couple of months back I shared my dilemma about needing to use a humidifier for my eye condition. Scoop kindly informed me that the safest choice is a warm steam vaporizer that boils water and so kills bacteria. I bought one, but haven't used it yet because I have been trying to avoid breathing in anything aerosolized or adding to my daily cleaning processes. Instead, I have avoided turning on my heat and have added another layer of clothing. This has worked well so far, however, now that the temps are starting to fall, I notice that the humidity in my house is lowering and my eyes are starting to complain.
Time to bite the bullet and pull out the vaporizer. My understanding from what I have read (don't remember where now) is that it is important to clean out the vaporizer with bleach after every use. My question is: What do I do if I use the vaporizer not just while sleeping at night, but all during the day? Do I have to clean it each time I add water, or can I add water regularly during the day and clean it once a day? I'm trying to keep things simple, but I want to do it safely. Many thanks,
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I also took out my vaporizer yesterday and was deeply thinking how to use it correctly. I have the simplest possible vaporizer from Walmart and last year I always used destilled water so the minerals would not build on the heating element and would remove whatever was left in the morning and spray and clean with isopropyl alcohol and leave it dry for the day. But now I know that distilled water has MAC so I probably will be using boiled water and change the vaporizer a few times during the cold season( I live in the suburbs of Chicago).
@bernadene24 "My question is: What do I do if I use the vaporizer not just while sleeping at night, but all during the day? Do I have to clean it each time I add water, or can I add water regularly during the day and clean it once a day?"
How about purchasing a 2nd vaporizer? You can alternate cleaning and using.
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1 Reaction@lilianna When you say "change the vaporizer a few times..." do you mean get a new one? Why?
After a month or so I buy a new vaporizer- it’s the least expensive on the shelf. It’s that Vicks bulky one. I will try to attach a picture. I tried others and they are so complicated to clean.
A new one because I cannot clean the heating element well enough
@lilianna I found this video helpful with cleaning the heating element
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1 ReactionThank you scoop- I never opened the heating part but now I will.
@lilianna you might need a special screwdriver
@lilianna What do you use the Vicks Vaporizer for? Laura
For what it's worth in the Vick's Vaporizer care manual it says (in capital letters): "Do not attempt to disassemble the electrode heating unit. Doing so will void the warranty and could damage the vaporizer and cause personal injury." The instructions do say if you have hard water, you might consider doing the deep clean (vinegar) every three or so days. Maybe that would avoid or at least postpone the need to perform surgery on the heating element.
I was hoping to simplify things with this vaporizer, but I see that it is potentially more hassle than the cool mist ones (which I know are verboten). Buying two and switching doesn't seem to me to make the work less--twice the cleaning. The question I still have which, perhaps can't be answered is: If I keep the vaporizer running for a whole day adding extra water if necessary, and clean it at the end of the day, is that MAC-safe? Maybe the question is moot since I just read the vaporizer should go for about 24 hours. Thank you Lilianna and Scoop for your thoughts.