Many aromatherapy enthusiasts enjoy the convenience of using an essential oil diffuser.
However, there’s a growing concern regarding some diffusers harboring the growth of mold and potentially spreading its spore all over the house during their operation.
Here is a detailed guide that will help aromatherapy enthusiast with preventing mold growth and cleaning it.
Table Of Content
- WARNING: Before you begin to clean, it is recommended to unplug your Essential Oil Diffuser from power source.
Preventing Mold Growth inside a Diffusers
Some essential oil diffusers like nebulizers and ultrasonic devices need to be filled with a mixture of water and essential oils.
Without proper maintenance, this mixture could cause major issues as mold requires moisture and food to flourish. While there’s no way to prevent moisture and oil residue from building up in the diffuser, users should take the following steps to prevent mold growth.
- Cleaning the Diffuser
Aromatherapy enthusiast should ensure to change the mixtures of water and essential oils after every 24 hours.
They should subsequently use vinegar, citric acid, or rubbing alcohol to clean the device. The three ingredients come in handy in removing oil residue from all the appliance’s components.
- Proper Storage
During the period when aromatherapy enthusiasts aren’t using their diffuser, they need to practice proper storage techniques.
This includes executing a thorough clean up to remove all the oil residue that would otherwise serve as the mold’s food. After cleaning the diffuser, they need to ensure that it’s completely dry before reassembling the parts for storage.
Cleaning Mold from a Diffuser
In case there’s mold growth inside the diffusers, users should take the necessary steps to clean it.
This is because mold spores can be dispersed in the air alongside a mixture of water and essential oils. To clean off the mold, aromatherapy enthusiast may use the following substances:
- Vinegar
Using vinegar is among the most effective natural remedies for killing and removing mold from infected places. For this purpose, users put clean water into their diffuser and add about ten drops of vinegar.
Subsequently allow the device to run for 3-5 minutes before emptying it and rinsing it thoroughly. Off course you can always clean oil diffuser without vinegar as there are other natural products as well.
Note: Although vinegar is quite effective on its own, users may mix it with other mold killing solutions like hydrogen peroxide, salt, and baking soda. However, mixing vinegar with bleach creates an extremely toxic solution; users should refrain from doing this.
- Essential Oils
The potency of pure essential oils affords them the proficiency to combat mold naturally. However, it should be noted that not all essential oils are capable of cleaning off the mold. Some of the most effective ones include:
- Oregano
- Tea tree
- Clove oil
- Peppermint
- Lemon
- Basil
- Cinnamon
- Clove
To get rid of the mold, users may simply put these oils in the affected diffuser.
PS: Bleach is also a great mold removal agent, but it could be toxic and should never be diffused.
- CAUTION: When Cleaning Mist Disc & Sensor, use cotton swab for gentle clean.
Essential oils diffusers are the most effective tools that people can use to enjoy aromatherapy.
They may, however, suffer from mold infestation, which reverses the positive effects of creating a better living environment. Luckily, users can prevent mold growth by cleaning their diffuser regularly and ensuring proper storage. They may also use vinegar or mold-killing essential oils to clean off mold from their diffuser.