A white dust is comming from my cool mist humidifier, is is dangerous to breathe?

The manufacturer states you can use tap water in these devices, but then goes on the disclaim that if you have water with minerals or hard water then white "dust" deposits can occur. Theses deposits are supposed to be noted and if seem, you are to change to filtered or distilled water or purchase one of their filter cartridges. These devices use very tiny holes to produce the mist you get out of them. It takes almost nothing to clog them. You should always use distilled water in these devices to prevent clogging. They also require very regular cleaning to stay clean and thus prevent them from becoming mold fountains. White vinegar and water should be used for cleaning. Avoid detergents as they can gum up the inner workings of the unit.

Find out where the mist is supposed to escape from inside the unit. Clear the airway.

Apperently, it doesn't produce mist.

From the product page "Provides invisible cool mist for easier breathing with 20 percent quieter operation".

boogiecheck is right, the one pictured uses natural evaporation( no white dust) I just ordered one from [email protected] and mine works great. I own 3 total.

Your V5100N ultrasonic humidifier generates a fine mist by vibrating the water at an exremely high speed. The water doesn't actually evaporate until after the water mist is in the air. As the tiny water droplets evaporate in the air, the calcium and other minerals settle on your floors and furniture.

Humidifiers that evaporate the water in a filter wick, or with heat, do not generate dust because the water evaporates inside the unit and the calcium is trapped inside.

You can avoid the dust problem with your humidifier by using distilled water. Distilled water is available in most stores that sell bottled water in gallons...but be sure to choose "distilled" water, not "purified" water. Try the distilled water in your steam iron also...if you have one. It will last longer.

The Problem is minerals in the water. Impeller and ultrasonic designs send these minerals into the air. If the water in your area contains a lot of minerals, you will notice them as dust. The EPA does not issue health warnings about minerals in the air, but does recommend using low-mineral water (such as distilled water) in your humidifier. Many ultrasonic models feature a demineralization cartridge that filters minerals out of the water to prevent the dust.

Good Luck.

I talked to Kaz, a manufacturer of humidifiers, and they said this is referred to as "white dust". It's simply the minerals from your water settling on your furniture...I had to same problem so I called the manufacturer.

He said it's not dangerous but that I should use distilled water in my humidifier from now on since my water will always do that. He also stressed the importance of cleaning the unit weekly with a bleach and vinegar solution per the manufacturers specs.

As the previous poster said, it's probably a problem with your water.

Are you using tap water or bottled mineral water? If so, there are minerals which get nebulized along with the water, and leaves a white, dusty, residue. I fill my Crane Pig humidifier with DISTILLED water, which is pretty pure. Make sure that the water is DISTILLED ONLY, since some of the water companies distill the water and then add minerals back in (they almost got me here until I noticed the label that said "with minerals added"). The reason this is important is because during the distilling process, the water is boiled, evaporated, and then the vapor is condensed back to liquid. This removes any impurities or dissolved minerals from the water. You can see Wikipedia for more on this topic here.

Additionally, I use both the Crane Demineralization Filter Cartridge (which works for the penguin as well, and gets installed in place of the original water tank cap), and the ProTec PC-1 Humidifier Tank Cleaning Cartridge (which I plop into the water tank) to keep the water both de-mineralized and bacteria free. I got both products at Amazon.com.

With these 3 things, so far I haven't had any white dust residue, and the mist feels fresh and clean.

On a side note, by using distilled water, you also prevent any mineralization from building up on the nebulizer or water level sensor, which can cause the humidifier to eventually stop producing mist...