How do I clean this Philips DS water chamber tub (humidifier)?

[BHappy]

Hello, 

I have used the machine for around a year and have performed regular clean ups. These days, this yellowish stain is becoming more and more prominent. Its in a weird place - like its within the plastic. Or I may be wrong. How would you advice I clean this ? Pictures, worth a thousand words here :

https://imgur.com/a/VjArSgL

Also, if I could please ask people here, this stain on the steel plate - is this rust ? I tried to scrub it off gently using a dishwashing liquid and it didnt go away. Should I try WD 40 ? I would have thought if you one is building a water chamber, then the steel used to warm up the 'water' would be rust resistant. 

https://imgur.com/a/hSGkKBt


Cheers,

[Sleeprider]

The humidifier chambers are considered consumable parts and the recommended replacement interval is 6-months. Replacments can be found online for $14 to $24. You can keep them going much longer. The stain on the plastic looks a bit like a biofilm. If so, it will easily clean off with hydrogen peroxide. Wet the area completely and agitate with a Q-tip until it comes clean, then rinse. I really can't tell what is going on on the stainless plate, but clean in the same way or replace.

[BHappy]

Thanks for the reply mate. Are you saying wet the area from the outside vs pouring hydrogen peroxide on the inside ? 
There is no where for the liquid to get in, I remember trying soak it under soapy water and it didn't do anything.  
May be its just a film on the outside ? I will give it a go and see what happens.

[srlevine1]

Hello, 

I have used the machine for around a year and have performed regular clean ups. These days, this yellowish stain is becoming more and more prominent. Its in a weird place - like its within the plastic. Or I may be wrong. How would you advice I clean this ? Pictures, worth a thousand words here :

https://imgur.com/a/VjArSgL

Also, if I could please ask people here, this stain on the steel plate - is this rust ? I tried to scrub it off gently using a dishwashing liquid and it didnt go away. Should I try WD 40 ? I would have thought if you one is building a water chamber, then the steel used to warm up the 'water' would be rust resistant. 

https://imgur.com/a/hSGkKBt


Cheers,

For the steel plate, try soaking it in Coca-Cola -- which seems to work wonders on rust in a harmless manner.
For the plastic, I would suggest a replacement. Two things come to mind: one, prolonged exposure to bright direct sunlight, ozone or ultraviolet cleaning systems; and two, the natural tendency for plasticizers to migrate to the surface to produce a yellowish cast. (Think the plastic rear window of a convertible.)

It is far cheaper to replace the offending unit rather than deal with the trouble of resolving what might be a recurring event. 

Best -- steve

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Dishwasher.

I run both of my tubs through a cycle every few months. Only real cleaning I do to them...

[BHappy]

For the steel plate, try soaking it in Coca-Cola -- which seems to work wonders on rust in a harmless manner.
For the plastic, I would suggest a replacement. Two things come to mind: one, prolonged exposure to bright direct sunlight, ozone or ultraviolet cleaning systems; and two, the natural tendency for plasticizers to migrate to the surface to produce a yellowish cast. (Think the plastic rear window of a convertible.)

It is far cheaper to replace the offending unit rather than deal with the trouble of resolving what might be a recurring event. 

Best -- steve

Yep. I am happy to replace it, even though its way more expensive in Australia. And I would have hoped this expensive setup would have lesser ongoing costs.  But I want to give it a go and give it a proper clean. As long as the yellowish thing isn't going to harm me, I will be fine with it. Its always next to my bed with no exposure whatsoever to sun. I am a smoker, though I never smoke inside the house, I wonder if some chemicals in my breath did it ? But the breath never reaches the humidifier. Anyway, I thought I will mention that. 

Dishwasher.

I run both of my tubs through a cycle every few months.  Only real cleaning I do to them...

I never thought of this. I will give this a go tomorrow (or whenever SWMBO lets me have some space in the dishwasher) and report how it goes. 

Cheers,

[Melman]

I have seen similar stains after spending time at a resort with water with a very high iron content. I couldn't remove them completely but they don't seem to have any negative effect.

[Technopauper]

Try a soak in vinegar for 10-15 mins then a 'baby bath' rinse, has worked great for me with mineral deposits which this could be ?

Rob

[DaveL]

Incredible information here.
I have this issue with my tub in my ResMed humidifier. I'll try coca cola, or vinegar, and see if it's cleaner.


edit: mechanic in the marina I worked at as a teenager would de-carbon outboard motor heads. He'd remove the head and set it carefully on the window sill. Fill the squish chamber with coca cola and leave it overnight. Worked well.

[Fats Drywaller]

Incredible information here.
I have this issue with my tub in my ResMed humidifier. I'll try coca cola, or vinegar, and see if it's cleaner.

edit: mechanic in the marina I worked at as a teenager would de-carbon outboard motor heads. He'd remove the head and set it carefully on the window sill. Fill the squish chamber with coca cola and leave it overnight.  Worked well.

From Snopes, in response to a batch of silly claims about Coca-Cola's acid, including the ancient one about a nail dissolving in a glass of Coke overnight:

Nearly all carbonated soft drinks contain carbonic acid, which is moderately useful for tasks such as removing stains and dissolving rust deposits (although plain soda water is much better for some of these purposes than Coca-Cola or other soft drinks, as it doesn’t leave a sticky sugar residue behind). Carbonic acid is relatively weak, however, and people have been drinking carbonated water for many years with no detrimental effects.

The rest of the claims offered here are specious. Coca-Cola does contain small amounts of citric acid and phosphoric acid; however, all the insinuations about the dangers these acids might pose to people who drink Coca-Cola ignore a simple concept familiar to any first-year chemistry student: concentration. Coca-Cola contains less citric acid than does orange juice, and the concentration of phosphoric acid in Coke is far too small (a mere 11 to 13 grams per gallon of syrup, or about 0.20 to 0.30 per cent of the total formula) to dissolve a steak, a tooth, or a nail overnight. (Much of the item will dissolve eventually, but after a day or two you’ll still have most of the tooth, a whole nail, and one very soggy T-bone.) By comparison, the gastric acid in your stomach’s digestive fluids is much stronger than any of the acids found in Coca-Cola.

Also from that Snopes item, my favorite silly claim about Coke: "In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident."