Essick Air 1970-2 Humidifier, 2-Quart Bacteriostatic Treatment, 2 Pack (1970-2)

I bought this product in the hope that it would make the Essick Evaporative Humidifier that I had purchased a couple of months ago actually useful. Now what do I mean by that? How could a bacteriostat make a humidifier useful? Here is my experience. I bought the humidifier because in PA, the winters are cold, the air dries out, and I was seeing large gaps form in my new hardwood floors. Gotta get some moisture into that air! I pondered a few solutions, such as a professionally installed whole house humidifier, but decided on the Essick humidifier because it was a bargain and it suggested being capable of whole house performance. It did perform reasonably well in that regard, however, I had to stop using the humidifier. Why? Because it was altering my sense of smell. I put regular tap water into the unit, I ran it 3 days, and then I started to smell smoke. There was no actual smoke. I was just experiencing phantom odors. Not just at home, but at work, out shopping, etc. I had no idea what was causing this. Googled it ... saw that I could have a brain tumor, seizures, early onset dementia ... oh boy. I doubted that it was anything major, but one does wonder. The timing of the onset of the symptom was a big clue, though, that it was no major medical problem. I discontinued using the humidifier and waited a while. After about 10 days, the phantom odors were decreasing in frequency. This was promising. After a couple of more days, they were gone. I refilled the humidifier and waited. Within about 4 days, the phantom odors were back. I turned the unit off and pondered. Then I came across this bacteriostat. I suspected that something about the water was the source of my phantom odor problems ... perhaps some low-grade bacterial or fungal sinus/olfactory infection. So I decided to give the bacteriostat a try. BIG WIN. First I disassembled the humidifier and cleaned the base with a mild bleach/water solution. Swished some of that around in the bottle. Bought a new wick even though the original one was only used about a week (the top portion of it was orange-ish ... gotta love PA water). Turned the humidifier back on and waited. It's been running a week now and NO PHANTOM ODORS. My nose is great, the humidity is back at good levels, and the world is filled with peace and prosperity. Ok I made up the last item, but I'm VERY HAPPY about the first two!! So, for a quick hit list of PROS and CONS: PROS: It WORKS! Whatever was being aerosolized and messing up my sense of smell, it's gone and I'm super happy. I was facing stopping use of the humidifier, because it was driving me nuts smelling burning smoke on and off all day long. Inexpensive. You only use about 10 mL total per filling for my humidifier model, and this is a good-sized bottle. I think it's going to last a couple of years. For the measurement part, buy yourself a small shot-sized measuring glass. It has mL and oz and cup markings ... you can probably get one here at Amazon or certainly at the Bed/Bath/Beyond chain. Should keep the humidifier cleaner. Not going to make any recommendations for you, but I'm sure that as it inhibits bacterial growth, it's going to make cleaning the unit easier and faster. Not so much to have to clean. Pretty blue bottle. Ok that's reaching for it. But blue *is* my favorite color. CONS: Pouring. To be fair, a full bottle of anything is hard to pour in small quantities. I have this problem all the time with a new bottle of olive oil that I want to drizzle over pasta. Having read of other peoples' issues when I received this product, here is the solution I came up with: Don't remove the foil seal. I made a puncture with a pen barrel for the pour hole, and a smaller puncture to allow air to escape while pouring with the pen point. MUCH easier to pour this way. Try it and see if it helps! That's it. I can't think of a single "nother" Con. You may not have experienced the weird olfactory issues I did with your humidifier, but when used as directed, this product is just going to improve the performance and healthiness of your humidifier. Highly recommended. A Crabseye favorite!

Kept my humidifier clean. There was no calcium buildup anywhere. Would recommend this product.

I used it in my humidifier over the winter and it worked great.

Just about to order more.

This product keeps our humidifier clean and smelling fresh. We use it every time we fill the water bottles. It's a great value; I re-order it as needed.

BEEN USING FOR YEARS

Great for months humidifier is in use for clean air.

I use just a few ml of this in my small room sized humidifier and it does a great job of keeping growth at bay. It allows me to extend the life of the pleated filters of the humidifier, saving a lot of money. In my case, this bottle lasts a very long time, likely over a year. One note: it says to not get into your eyes or there will be permanent damage, so be cautious.

Works as advertised. Use it in my evaporative humidifier. Just require a small amount in the cap after each water refill and it keeps the water and filter (that part under the water) free of bacteria and odor. Although the instructions say to use 1/6th of cap, it's not rocket science and don't need to be super accurate to approximate a measurement. The top portion of the filter (not in the water) in the humidifier will start to mold after time. Just rotate the filter around every couple of weeks before topping up the water so the top side now sits in the water and this bacteria will disappear as long as you continue with the treatment.

Considering the stark warnings about toxicity written on the bottle you'd think they'd move heaven and earth to ensure its packaged securely. Apparently not these lot. They casually deliver a ruptured bottle with liquid oozing all over the place - so much so that the box went soggy and somebody along the journey covered it with a food bag!!

Très bon produit.

This seems to work well. Only problem I have which I didn’t realize when I bought is that you should not touch this liquid at all. So I haven’t used it much. When I fill my humidifier up it leaks some water on the floor so I don’t like having a product that may not be safe in there. I use it once a week in between cleanings just to keep it clean. I likely won’t buy it again.

So glad about the price. It’s so good thank you.