Do humidifiers contribute to a high AQI

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A high indoor AQI should always be of genuine concern. If you notice that your AQI spikes with the use of a humidifier - it is likely that your humidifier is contributing to your unhealthy air.

With our recommendations below, you should be able to run your humidifier without threat of putting harmful particles into the air.

  1. Avoid using tap water in humidifiers - Tap water has varying amounts of minerals and other chemicals that become PM2.5 when send into the air. We recommend using “distilled” water, the same used in irons, as it contains no minerals.
  2. Change the water reservoir in your humidifier daily
  3. Empty and scrub your humidifier every third day - When doing so, try to avoid using cleaning solutions as these may leave traces of these chemicals. We recommend wiping it down with 3% hydrogen peroxide to disinfect device and kill any microorganisms that may be growing in there.

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ABOUT IQAIRIQAir is a Swiss technology company that empowers individuals, organizations and governments to improve air quality through information and collaboration.
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