Cool mist humidifier white dust

craftymelli

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My mom just bought a honeywell coolmist ultrasonic 1 gallon no filter humidifier for her cat Sheba. Sheba gets itchy so we are hoping it will help her itches and the dry air in the apartment. Mom used it last night and woke up with white dust on things from using the tap water. Its mineral deposits I think. Is there anything she can add to the tap water in the humidifier that is still cat safe? She doesn't want to buy lots of distilled water because it adds up in price and it is heavy for her to carry with her rhumetoid arthritis. Does anybody know of anything we can add to the tap water in the humidifier and keeping it cat safe?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
Could you try filtering the water at the tap with a faucet end filter, or would a filter pitcher give enough quantity?
 
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craftymelli

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Hi!
Could you try filtering the water at the tap with a faucet end filter, or would a filter pitcher give enough quantity?
Mom said perfect we will get a filter pitcher first thing tomorrow 😁👍 Thanks for your help!!!
 

gleason

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I bought one of those ultrasonic humidifiers a couple of years ago and had the same problem with white dust. We have well water with lots of minerals. There is a filter that comes with them that is suppose to reduce the white dust. It didn't work. I ended up buying a regular humidifier.
 

She's a witch

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If the problems continues with the filtered water, you can buy distilled water, I’m pretty sure it will fix the problem completely
 

vince

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The pitcher filter is probably as good an inexpensive solution as you can get. They do work very slowly, however. You might want to buy a jug of distilled water to start with if you need to get the humidifier going quickly.

I use an ultrasonic unit in addition to the furnace's humidifier and it does a decent job keeping the humidity up. The two units can keep relative humidity at 40 % unless it's very cold outside. Even so, the cats still spark a bit when they're on the bed.

Detroit water is about 100-140 ppm total dissolved hardness which isn't too bad for city water. My ultrasonic unit doesn't leave the white dust, but the vapor path through the humidifier scales up a bit. If you have that problem, a treatment with some anti-scale agent like CLR takes care of it.
 

Jem

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I don't know how much these go for, but if she has high mineral water in the house, she could also invest in installing a water softener in the home. It will also help with other household things where water is used, like calcium build up in the washer and dishwasher, mineral deposits around sinks and faucets, even dry limp hair...Just a thought for a more long term solution that would help everyone AND the cat. :thumbsup:
 

vince

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Rock-bottom price for a whole-house water softener seems to be about $500.00 plus installation if the water isn't too hard or the demand isn't too high. Modern water softeners are much better in this regard than old ones, but softened water often will etch fine glassware and will dull the finish on some plated surfaces. Just something to think about...
 
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craftymelli

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We have been using a vaporizer. It works great for Sheba. Her fur is softer, less itching, and she has no problem with the vaporizer. No white dust. Sheba is doing great!!!
 
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