Pink mold loves damp areas, so if it shows up in your humidifier it should come as no surprise.
Discovering pink mold may be alarming, but don’t panic! While it is something you will need to tend to quickly, pink mold is a common problem with humidifiers and there is a proper way to clean it so it doesn’t cause health issues. Take heart, because there is also a solution to keeping it at bay in the future.
What Is Pink Mold, And Why Is It In My Humidifier?
You bought the humidifier to add moisture to dry air and to purify the air inside your home. But, now you have discovered pink mold growing in the humidifier. While pink mold does not pose any immediate or serious threat to your health as black mold does, it is something you will want to tend to before continuing to use the humidifier.
Pink Mold And Health Problems
It can still be harmful causing respiratory problems, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal trouble, or even lead to heart issues. People who already suffer from respiratory conditions like asthma, the elderly, young children, and pets are at a higher risk for developing mold-related health issues.
When pink mold forms inside a humidifier, the danger is that it will grow inside the wet, damp humidifier, and then push the water into the air spreading through spores that linger in the air for a while. Once the wet air with mold spores is circulated throughout the house, the mold can keep breeding on any surface it touches.
When you breathe the mold spores in, it can cause coughing, throat irritation, itchy eyes and skin, nasal congestion, and wheezing. Long-term exposure can cause asthma attacks, neurological problems, and other irreversible health problems.
Types of Pink Mold
The term, “pink mold” actually spans a wide spectrum of what is actually bacteria. The most common pink mold includes:
- Serratia marcescens – S. marcescens is typically the kind of pink mold that shows up in showers or sinks. It ranges from pink to pinkish-orange, or orange. It loves to show up in the damp areas and feeds on the fat and phosphorus in soap scum, so rinsing down surfaces helps to eliminate the breeding ground for this bacteria.
- Aureobasidium pullulans – A. Pullulans is the most likely culprit to develop in humidifiers. It is a fungus that starts out as light pink, white, or yellow color, and eventually turns brown or black with grey edges. This one tends to grow on organic materials, like houseplants, or damp wood. Once it develops in a humidifier, it circulates the house and floats around for weeks. Exposure to this kind of pink mold can lead to hypersensitivity pneumonitis, more commonly called humidifier lung. Humidifier lung causes a cough, difficulty breathing, and even fever.
- Fusarium is another kind of pink mold that isn’t as common as the other types of pink mold. It often first shows up on houseplants and moves to wallpaper or carpeting. You will most likely never encounter this kind of mold in your house.
What Causes Pink Mold?
Pink mold is a bacteria or a fungus that thrives in warm and moist areas. Any place water lies stagnant for even just a day will be a targeted area for pink mold to grow, especially around the humidifier’s tank walls or on any water left sitting inside.
Why Are Humidifiers Prone To Pink mold?
Because humidifiers operate using water, and many are warm mist types, they are a prime target for pink mold growth. Pink mold loves damp, warm areas. Using a cool-mist humidifier will help cut down on pink mold, but it most likely won’t eliminate it.
How Dangerous Is Pink Mold?
If you have a healthy immune system, pink mold is generally not a huge health risk. However, if you are continuously exposed to it in the air you breathe, even the healthiest of people could develop humidifier lung.
If you already have asthma or other respiratory issues or a weakened immune system, pink mold can be very dangerous.
How To Remove Pink Mold From Humidifier
Wear gloves, goggles, and an N-95 respirator mask before attempting to clean the pink mold.
A bleach solution of 1.5 cups of bleach to 1 gallon of water, about 1 part bleach to 10 parts water will kill any kind of mold. However, it may be too harsh for your humidifier.
Before using a bleach mixture, check with your manufacturer’s guide. The good news is that there are less harsh methods that get the job done, such as:
- You could also use a cup of borax, sodium borate, in one gallon of water
- vinegar that has not been diluted
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
Choose which cleaner you will use, and do not mix them or they could create some harmful chemical reactions.
Follow these steps for cleaning pink mold in humidifiers:
- Disconnect, or unplug the humidifier
- To make sure you clean every area of the appliance, you will need to take it apart and clean each part. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions to do this.
- Detach the base from the water tank
- Pour either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide into the water tank
- Leave the cleaner inside the tank for half an hour
- Drain out the cleaner and use warm water to wash out the water tank
- Thoroughly dry the tank
- If your humidifier has a filter, make sure to clean the filter by washing it with warm water. Never use cleaning products on the filter. Use a clean, dry towel to soak up moisture left behind.
- Use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to wipe out the base again to keep pink mold from reforming
- Keep a lookout for pink mold forming in the future. The vapor spout is the main culprit. If you see it beginning to reform, use a toothbrush and vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to clean it up and then rinse it well.
If the humidifier was operating with pink mold before you cleaned it, chances are the spores entered the air. Be sure to change any sheets, wipe down surfaces, and wash the carpeting nearby.
When To Call In An Expert
Please note: If the humidifier is filled completely with pink mold, call in an expert to remediate the mold issue. If it is too far gone to be properly cleaned, it is time to buy a new humidifier and be sure to keep it well maintained and cleaned from the start.
Any humidifier that is older than 5 to 10 years becomes less efficient in releasing moisture, and they are prone to cracks or scratches that are hard to clean making them more prone to pink mold.
Tips For Preventing Growth in The Future
To keep the pink mold from returning, spray a light coating of vinegar in the humidifier. Repeat this process every month or so.
You could also use a few drops of tea tree oil, humidifier tablets, or hydrogen peroxide. An added benefit of the tea tree oil is that it will add a pleasant aroma and help you breathe. A benefit to the humidifier tablets and hydrogen peroxide is that they have no odor.
When you use your humidifier, it’s best to use distilled water.
Most importantly, clean your humidifier every day so that pink mold doesn’t have a chance to regrow. Change the water once a day, and immediately clean up the pink mold if it begins to form again. Also, let the sunlight in as a natural solution to combatting pink molds.
If you only pull out the humidifier to use every so often, be sure to thoroughly dry it before storing it away. If pink mold continues to be an issue even after careful maintenance and cleaning, consider buying a dehumidifier to pair with the humidifier to balance the moisture level and help combat pink mold growth.
Final Thoughts
Discovering that you have pink mold in your humidifier is not necessarily an emergency unless someone in your household has a respiratory condition or weakened immune system.
However, it is something you will want to tend to before it causes any health concerns. Long-term mold exposure can leave you with lung problems, skin irritation, or possibly some other irreversible health problems.