If you’re a homemaker, you know how much effort goes into keeping every corner of the house fresh, clean, and comfortable for your family.
The humidifier often plays a silent but important role — keeping the air moist, protecting skin from dryness, and helping everyone breathe easier.
But the water you pour into it can make all the difference. Use the wrong kind, and you might find stubborn white dust settling on your furniture or mineral deposits slowly clogging your machine.
This is where the “Brita in a humidifier” question comes in — is it the smart choice for your home, or just a second-best solution when distilled water isn’t around?
Should You Use Brita Water in a Humidifier?
Brita is the celebrity of household water filters — hugely popular in the US, with options ranging from sink-mounted units to their iconic filter pitchers.
A Brita water filter pitcher does a solid job removing things like:
- Lead
- Calcium
- Chlorine
- Magnesium
It generally makes your water taste less like it came out of a swimming pool.
But here’s the catch — Brita water filter can’t remove all dissolved solids, especially sodium and some trace minerals. So, your water will be better than straight from the tap, but not a flawless angel of purity.
The Pros:
- Cleaner Than Tap Water: Less calcium and magnesium means less mineral crust building up in your humidifier tank and less gunk to scrub later.
- Reduced Risk vs. Tap Water: Fewer contaminants floating around in your mist means you avoid some of the health and maintenance issues tap water brings.
- Better Than Nothing: If distilled water isn’t available, Brita-filtered water is a decent “plan B.”
The Cons:
- White Dust Still Happens: Brita doesn’t catch everything, so minerals can still hitch a ride in the mist and land on your furniture like microscopic snow.
- Not Designed for Humidifiers: Brita was made for drinking water, not for keeping your ultrasonic humidifier’s insides squeaky clean.
- Possible Long-Term Buildup: Over time, leftover minerals can clog your machine’s parts — meaning more maintenance and possibly a shorter lifespan.
What Kind of Water is Best to Use in a Humidifier?
Well, the quality of water you use in a room humidifier is essential in providing clean, moist air to breathe in.
Distilled water is often recommended by most humidifier manufacturers and is considered the best water to use in a humidifier device.
Avoid using regular tap water as it may contain minerals, bacteria, and other harmful viruses that can be risky for your body when it comes in contact with humidification.
All these elements need to be removed from the hard water before it is used in the humidifier or diffuser machine. This can be done quickly by distilling or purifying the water at home.
| Feature / Water Type | Tap Water 🚫 | Brita-Filtered Water 😐 | Distilled Water ✅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removes Chlorine | ❌ No | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Removes Lead | ❌ No | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Removes Calcium/Magnesium | ❌ No (major buildup) | ✔ Partially (less buildup) | ✔ 100% (no buildup) |
| Removes Sodium | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✔ Yes |
| Produces White Dust | ✅ Yes | ⚠ Sometimes | ❌ No |
| Risk to Humidifier Lifespan | High | Medium | Low |
| Maintenance Effort | High | Medium | Low |
| Best For | Plants and cleaning | Emergency use | Always use it when possible |
Remember that the quantity of water you should put in your humidifier device will generally depend on the type of product you are using.
If you are using a portable-sized humidifier for your room, it may have a capacity of anywhere between 100ml to 1000ml.
The larger the tank is, the greater will be its serving time. Hence, you may need to put the amount of water according to its tank capacity and output time.
If you are using a whole-house furnace or console-type humidifier, it may use anywhere from 1.5 gallons to 12 gallons per day at the time when your furnace is operating.
How to Make Distilled Water for Your Humidifier at Home?
Worry not, there are many ways to make purified distilled water (from regular tap water or saltwater) for your humidifier machine.
So instead of worrying about where to buy distilled water for a humidifier, you may try these methods at home and get pure distilled water for your humidifier machine fast.
1- Boiling The Water
This is a process in which water is boiled above the boiling point and converted into vapor. Then the same water vapor is condensed and collected in another container to get pure water.
During this process, the impurities (if any) will be left behind in the first container in which the water was boiled. Still, some impurities might be present in this distilled hot water, which can be removed by the double distilling method.
The water produced as a result of double distillation will be much better to use in humidifiers compared to water produced by a single distillation process. Make sure you use it after it has returned to its normal room temperature.
2- Demineralising Water
Demineralized water is a special form of purified water from which most of the minerals and salt ions are removed.
In this process, the ionized particles are exchanged to form water. The cation and anion in the water are exchanged with OH (Hydroxide) and H (Hydrogen), which, when fused, become water (H2O).
But in this case, the ionized impurities are eliminated, and the unionized particles (and also biological impurities) remain in the water.
To get rid of it again, this water has to go through a demineralization process, and the resultant water will thus be a product of double deionized water.
3- Reverse Osmosis System
In this method, the semi-permeable membrane is used to remove larger particles and impurities from the water.
During the RO process, it is ensured that the solute does not pass through the membrane and the solvent only passes through.
Using a reverse osmosis system at home is one of the most effective processes by which we can get pure filtered and distilled water for humidifier device.
In the end, the very reason for buying a humidifier machine will go in vain if you use regular tap water in your unit.
It is always best to use pure distilled water to enjoy the maximum benefits out of your humidifier machine for a long time!
The videos below show you a few other exciting ways to make distilled water for humidifiers. Make sure you check them out too …
Related FAQs
Can I use boiling water in a humidifier?
Hot boiled water and distilled water are two different forms and should not be confused with one another.
Distilled water does not have any impurities present in it, so it doesn’t leave behind any dust or salt in a humidifier tank to be cleaned.
On the other hand, boiling tap water concentrates the impurities without actually removing them. It is, therefore, not an ideal option for your humidifier machine.
Can you use bottled water in a humidifier?
Bottled water that comes from most of the most reliable brands is much better compared to regular tap water. However, these are only recommended when you do not have an option to get purified distilled water, or you are not sure about the quality of water you get from your supply.
The fact you should consider here is that these packaged water bottles are not 100% free from inorganic minerals and elements. Many brands do claim that their packaged water bottle is filled from natural springs and other underground sources – there are still traces of minerals found in such water.
Although drinking this bottled water does not cause any harm to the body, it is NOT the best type of water for your humidifier. Using such bottled water in a humidifier can cause the build-up of scale in your unit and the release of minerals into the atmosphere.
Why has the water in my humidifier turned black?
The most common reason for turning the water black in a humidifier is the poor quality of tap water that is used in its reservoir tank.
Using tap water in a humidifier will often leave back colored mineral deposits in the humidifier tank as the molecules of water evaporate. These particles are the contaminants that are usually present in the regular tap water or hard water that comes directly from your supply.
The best solution to avoid these blackish precipitate deposits in your humidifier water is to use demineralized, distilled, or purified water. Since this type of water is free from all types of minerals, it does not leave back the black deposits when it goes into the humidifier tank.
The Conclusion
Brita water is like a middle seat on an airplane — better than being stuck in the cargo hold (tap water), but not as nice as first class (distilled water). If distilled water is an option, always go for it — it’s completely free of minerals and keeps both your humidifier and your air squeaky clean.
If distilled water isn’t available, Brita water is your next best bet. Just keep in mind: you may still get some mineral buildup and the occasional “snowfall” of white dust.
And personally? I say save the Brita water for your glass, not your humidifier. Drink it, stay hydrated, and let your humidifier sip on the distilled stuff.
Meen Smith is a nurse by profession who loves writing online, spending time with her family and caring for the elderly. She has already worked as an associate editor on various moms, babies, home appliances, kitchen, and healthy living blogs. In her spare time, she also enjoys drawing, reading/writing kindle eBooks and improving her skills a bit.