Can You Put Epsom Salt in a Humidifier: 5 Great Benefits
Can you put Epsom salt in a humidifier? Epsom salt also known as bath salt is a natural mineral compound that is widely used for many purposes. Can you put Epsom salt in a humidifier? Is it beneficial or dangerous? What are the pros and cons of adding salts to your steam units?
Here we are to reveal all the secret properties and potential benefits of Epsom salts that you possibly haven’t heard about!
Can you put Epsom salt in a humidifier?
Epsom salt is a beneficial component in many points.
By nature, Epsom salts are based on magnesium sulfate, an essential mineral that can bring lots of additional benefits to your life.
When talking about different ways of its use, they include such different spheres as medicine, hygiene, household, and road safety:
- Epsom salt is widely used as bath salt when people need to relax or relieve muscle pain.
- Another household purpose of Epsom salts is to use them as garden fertilizers for many types of plants.
- Finally, just like regular table salt, Epsom salt works as a safety hack for frozen sidewalks and roads. Putting salt on the slippery surface makes it much safer to walk on.
If you wonder about putting Epsom salt in a humidifier, the answer is “yes” in most cases! Despite several points, Epsom salts are mostly compatible with most types of humidifiers.
If you have either an evaporative or ultrasonic type of humidifier, you are good to go. Add salt in a humidifier to get most of the benefits you can have!
It is always better to consult with the manufacturer or simply read the instructions for your humidifier.
5 reasons to add Epsom salt to your humidifier
Don’t hesitate to add some Epsom salt to a warm mist humidifier’s water tank, as it provides a wide range of helpful properties:
#1. Sanitizing properties
Adding salt in a humidifier is a great way to keep it clean and safe. Since magnesium sulfate is a natural sanitizer, it helps you in the proper maintenance of your humidifier.
Keeping tap water in the water tank means having lots of mineral deposits, limescale buildups, and many other mess accumulating inside it. A pinch of Epsom salt in a humidifier can be your good helper!
Epsom salts are good at killing harmful bacteria and germs inside the water tank and all over your home. The steam rich in Epsom salts protects your environment from airborne pathogens that are potentially harmful to your health.
Thus, Epsom salts can improve air quality significantly.
Epsom salt prevents moldy buildup inside your home. Adding salt to the water tank helps you to disinfect the air and prevent mold from appearing on different surfaces in your home. The purified vapor helps to avoid fungal infections and prevent mold and mildew growth as your environment becomes much safer.
Putting salt in a humidifier allows you to reduce static electricity in the home air. Too dry air is prone to accumulate static electricity, so adding salt can improve the situation significantly. Negative ions brought into the air remove the static electricity from your air when evaporated from the humidifier.
#2. Anti-stress properties
Putting salt in a humidifier works as a mild natural relaxant. As a natural mineral supplement based on magnesium, Epsom salt provides great stress relief and peaceful sleep. Thanks to negative ions emitted into the air, Epsom salts make your home environment more calming and relaxing.
#3. Curing properties
Adding salt in a humidifier machine includes numerous health benefits. Since Epsom salts are full of incredible ingredients, they can treat lots of health issues.
Salt therapy is recommended in case of many respiratory issues, including asthma, bronchitis, and allergic cases. Magnesium sulfate is an all-natural medical ingredient since it is a naturally occurring mineral compound with anti-inflammatory properties.
There are several benefits that Epsom salts provide for sinus and respiratory issues:
- Sooth cough and sore throat
- Reduce airways inflammation
- Thin mucus
- Treat sinus infections
- Relieve cold and flu conditions
- Hydrate throat and prevent snoring
One of the well-known properties of the bath salt is the skin treatment. When added to the bath water, Epsom salt helps to soften and remove any hard or dead skin buildups. Epsom salts work as a great natural way to soothe skin irritations and relieve some diseases, including acne, eczema, and many others.
Thanks to its exfoliating and detoxifying properties, magnesium sulfate is often added to different cosmetics and skincare products.
#4. Refreshing properties
Putting salt in a humidifier is a good way to refresh your home air. Since you can’t add essential oils to the humidifier so as not to damage it, you may wonder what are other options to clean your air from harmful contaminants and fill your room with a light pleasant scent. If so, bath salts are your best bet!
Putting salt in a humidifier allows you to naturally purify the air in your home. A gentle fresh scent will be a great bonus to your home atmosphere.
#5. Conductive properties
One more benefit of Epsom salt is the perfect compatibility with warm mist humidifiers.
Since distilled water that is used in warm mist humidifiers has very low conductivity, a good idea is to improve it by adding Epsom salts.
If your warm mist humidifier heats water through carbon electrodes that have an electric supplement, the distilled water itself is a poor conductor.
When you add salt in a humidifier, it boosts water molecules to move faster and freely inside the reservoir. Thus, the water boiling point rises, and more steam is produced within the session. That is why putting salt in a steam unit is always beneficial.
How can you add salt in a humidifier: 4 easy steps
Adding salt in your humidifier requires a few simple tips. The main rule of thumb is to use it smartly and moderately as too much salt can destroy some parts of the machine. The tips are simple and don’t require any special points.
#1. Prepare the water tank
Unplug the device and take the tank out. If you can’t remove it, just open the lid and get rid of any old water inside.
#2. Refill the tank with fresh water
The next step is to refill the tank with fresh cool water. Keep in mind that warm or hot water is not okay to use for this step.
#3. Add salt to the tank
Now, place some salt in the tank. Double-check with the manufacturer’s recommendations, as they usually mention the proper amount of salt that is okay to add to the humidifier.
Start with a pinch of salt to see the effect. If everything is okay, place a few tablespoons of Epsom salts at once and let the device work as usual.
You can use table salt in your humidifier as well. Although it is not as beneficial as Epsom salts and may have extra components, it is still okay to add in a little pinch if that is up to you.
#4. Mix salt with water and let the unit work
Make sure that the added salt is fully dissolved. Mix it well with water before you cover the lid and place the tank in the unit. Then, switch the humidifier on and let it work as usual.
Can you put Epsom salt in a cool mist humidifier?
While Epsom salts are an extremely good addition to the warm mist humidifier, the situation is the opposite when talking about cool mist humidifiers. So, why adding Epsom salts in a cool mist humidifier is a bad idea?
Placing Epsom salts in a cool mist humidifier can lead to certain issues with the unit. Since it works without a heating element, you don’t need to boost the water molecules with the help of salt in a humidifier.
The added salt won’t dissolve and work properly in cool water which creates extra problems in the unit.
If you fill your humidifier with hard water, adding Epsom salts increases the risk of mineral deposits accumulation in the unit.
Thus, it is not recommended to use salts in cool mist humidifiers.
FAQs
What should you not put in a humidifier?
The bad news for those who are tempted to add essential oils to the humidifier: by no means you can do that! There is a high risk of destroying the internal parts of your humidifier including the water tank and many other details.
Essential oils are prone to break plastic elements down, so it is forbidden to add them to most humidifiers.
Besides, avoid adding table salt in a humidifier as well as any other cooking salts. Since they often have such extra contaminants as iodine and many others, these salts are hazardous for use in the humidifier. Adding salt with extra contaminants can ruin your humidifier and affect your health.
What can I add to the water in my humidifier?
Along with Epsom salts, a good idea is to add some pure salts to your humidifier. These include such options as Dead Sea salt or Himalayan salt.
As pure salts don’t have any contaminants that are hazardous to the humidifier’s internal parts, they are safe to use in the water tank. What is more, they are full of beneficial elements that can improve your health and the air quality in your home.
Can I put baking soda in my humidifier?
If you are looking for a good eco-friendly cleanser for your humidifier, baking soda will be among your best options.
You can either clean your humidifier with the help of this versatile substance or use it in a complex cleaning method with white vinegar.
We don’t recommend to add it to the water reservoir and let the device work with it.
Final thoughts
Adding Epsom salts in your humidifier is full of health benefits and other profits. Adding it in smart amounts is always a good idea if the manufacturer’s instructions for your humidifier allow that.
Greetings, readers! I’m Sandra Wells, an air purification expert dedicated to helping you achieve a cleaner and fresher living space. Stay tuned for practical tips and insights to enhance your air quality. Click here to read more about our team.
