How To Clean Ge Dehumidifier Filter

While your dehumidifier is busy pulling wet from the air, it's as well collecting all sorts of nasty stuff -- mildew, bacteria, mold. Cleaning it out regularly (at least once every few weeks) is an important role of its maintenance, especially during periods of frequent apply. Follow these steps to make certain your dehumidifier is make clean, which, bonus, helps it run optimally to keep the air you breathe equally healthy every bit possible.

Read more: Everything y'all demand to know before buying a new dehumidifier

1. Unplug your dehumidifier

Turn off your dehumidifier and unplug it. This ensures that it'south safe to clean, whether you're just wiping information technology down chop-chop or spending a bit more than fourth dimension rinsing the saucepan, filters and other private parts.

how-to-dehumidifier-8 — The air filter
Chris Monroe/CNET

2. Wipe the outside

Your dehumidifier does a lot of work to remove potentially chancy stuff from the air. Its outer beat out is the start line of defense between your dehumidifier's internal components and the muggy air it's trying to collect.

And then, subsequently you've turned off your dehumidifier and unplugged it, go a dry material and wipe off any gross stuff that's collected on the outside. If information technology'due south especially dirty, you can dampen the cloth, just don't spray h2o -- or whatever cleaning solvents -- straight on it.

iii. Clean out the reservoir

All of that moisture from the air ends upwardly in your dehumidifier bucket (unless you're pumping the water directly into a split up drain). That means it can get dingy fast and needs to be cleaned roughly in one case every 3 weeks during frequent employ.

Add mild liquid soap and h2o to the bucket. Then scrub gently and rinse. Let the bucket dry earlier putting it back.

Terminate what y'all're doing and clean your moldy dehumidifier. Here'southward how

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4. Rinse the air filter

Your air filter is the workhorse of your dehumidifier. While the saucepan collects water, the air filter extracts dirt, mildew, mold and other impurities in the air in your dwelling.

Take out the air filter and wash it gently with a sponge and soapy water. Let information technology dry completely before reinstalling it.

5. Vacuum

If you want to be extra thorough, grab a vacuum zipper or a castor and clean out whatever remaining dirt.

how-to-dehumidifier-5 — The bucket filter
Chris Monroe/CNET

half dozen. Remove and make clean the bucket filter

The bucket filter also helps trap devious impurities in your dehumidifier. Information technology's much smaller than the chief air filter -- nigh the size of a thimble -- and is typically tucked away somewhere in the reservoir. Remove the bucket filter -- check your manual to confirm that your dehumidifier has one -- and rinse it with warm water. Let information technology dry completely earlier returning it.

And that'southward information technology -- you're done.

These steps should work for nigh plug-in residential dehumidifiers, simply exist certain to read the manual that comes with your appliance to become specific use and care info.