Should You Use Water Softener Tablets for Your Humidifier?

Water Softener Tablets for Humidifier

If you have purchased a humidifier and want to get the most use out of it, you should purchase a package of water softener tablets.

It should be noted that there are different ways to soften city water, which is usually challenging.

For good reasons, manufacturers generally recommend water softener tablets for use in their humidifiers.

Particularly when you want to soften hard water for your humidifier, boiling the water seems to be most convenient and fast. But it’s NOT!

If you use boiling as a method to soften water for your humidifier unit, you need to boil it every time you want to refill the unit. Plus, you will need to wait to cool it down before you can use it in your unit.

It is true that a few steam humidifiers tend to heat water, which is again a natural way to soften it, but in doing so, the minerals inside tend to stick to the surfaces and create larger issues.

Boiling the water is, therefore, NOT the most convenient method to soften the hard water in your house when you want to use it in your humidifying unit.

The best solution to soften hard water is using water softener tablets that are specially designed to use in a portable humidifier.

Water Softening Tablets are generally considered one of the most cost-effective because they are made from materials that are inexpensive and easy to use.

What are Water Softeners?

Water Softener Tablets are specially formulated water softening salt tablets used to soften the hard water in industries, hospitals, hotels, and households.

These salt tablets for water softening provides a range of benefits to us in our daily life.

What does a water softener do?

Put simply. A water softener tablet does two things. It removes the city water’s surface tension and any minerals that might be present.

You can see the surface tension of the water, especially in pools, streams, or ponds, which provides a layer that allows for certain species, such as water spiders, to glide along the surface.

Soap is commonly used as a water softener because it breaks the tension. This allows the water to clean your skin, clothes, and other items more accessible.

Soap would not be an excellent addition to many types of humidifiers because it contains elements that might create further issues.

But water softening tablets completely dissolve in water and leave behind virtually no trace.

The removal of minerals is an important feature of water softeners as well.

This is because the minerals can cause issues when consuming or using the water for certain items such as portable room humidifiers.

By adding a water softener, you can ensure that your humidifier works appropriately and you have no surprises when entering a room with a humidifier operating.

What Does A Water Softeners Remove?

In terms of humidifiers, the water softeners remove the minerals, which otherwise would cause a cloud of white dust to form around the room.

Once the water vapor dries, the minerals are left behind on any surface they touch.

This means that the minerals not only create a mess around the home they also enter your lungs when you breathe.

The breaking of surface tension is a minor effect in terms of humidifiers since they heat the water and turn it into water vapor. This point usually reduces any surface tension.

However, unlike water softening tablets, it does not effectively remove the minerals from the humidifier itself.

The water softener removes the minerals so they do not escape from the humidifier. The result is cleaner air and fresher home.

In addition, if the humidifiers are not adequately cleaned with soft water, the result is that the minerals will build up inside.

Over time, this can begin to interfere with the operation of your humidifier and, in some cases result in a breakdown or contamination of the device.

What is a Water Softener Tablet Made of?

Water softener tablets are essentially pure sodium chloride, one of the most common materials on the planet.

Sodium chloride will remove the minerals from the water thanks to its interaction with such materials.

This is especially true for calcium and magnesium, which are two of the most abundant minerals found in standard tap water.

There are some water softening tablets made from potassium chloride, which essentially have the same effect.

However, potassium chloride is not as commonly used compared to sodium chloride.

The contents of the water softener tablet, such as Holmes humidifier water treatment tablets work to change the calcium, magnesium, and other minerals that are present in the water supply.

Why are Water Softener Tablets Important for Humidifiers?

They are important for several reasons, starting with the fact that removing calcium and magnesium will help lengthen the life of your humidifier.

Although several different minerals may be found in your tap water of the city depending on where you live.

1- Longer Life:

Just how can water softening tablets keep your humidifier running smoothly?

Because the buildup of calcium and magnesium in the water supply means that the minerals will start to line the walls, clog the filters, and interfere with the smooth operation of the humidifier itself.

By removing such minerals, you keep the humidifier in like-new condition because there is no buildup of minerals that might make it less efficient to run.

While you still have to inspect and clean the humidifier from time to time, it will be one less thing to worry about.

2- Less Cleaning:

Everyone can appreciate having to clean their humidifier less often.

By using water softening tablets, you remove the minerals from the water, which otherwise creates issues inside the tank.

Less cleaning means more time enjoying the humidifier and less time having to properly maintain it.

In addition, because the water is softer and the surface tension is broken, this means that most other particles that work their way inside the tank are easier to remove.

Just like adding soap to water helps clean the dishes or laundry, so does adding water softening tablets make any dirt, dust, or debris (that gets deposited inside the tank) easier to clean.

3- Cleaner Home:

Because the minerals are removed before they become steam and go outside the humidifier, there is virtually no white dust to be found around the room.

The annoying white dust you see is the minerals as they accompany the water vapor, which eventually settles on the floor, walls, and other surfaces.

Less white dust means having a cleaner home.

Should You Get a Water Softener or Filter for Your Humidifier?

While water softening tablets are not 100% in terms of removing all the minerals, they do remove such a large percentage that you may not see any white dust for a long time.

If you use a portable humidifier in your home, you should purchase water softening tablets.

As compared to the whole house water filtration system, they are relatively inexpensive, quite effective, and will help maintain the humidifier by removing the minerals.

This means that for a small investment, you can reap the rewards of using the same humidifier for years to come with less cleaning and maintenance.

However, if you are not on a budget and plan to install a whole-house humidifier, it is good to install a good whole-house filtration system as well.

This will take care of by removing all the impurities (such as arsenic, iron, copper, or other sediments) from the water.

Do make a note that a whole house filter system can supply water that is safe for consumption. But it only reduces the hardness/scaling to a limited extent.

On the other hand, a water softener can take care of the hardness and cannot supply the water for drinking purposes.

So if money is not a problem, why not use both of these methods to get rid of the impurities as well as the hardness of the water?