Michael Rubino offered expert commentary in an article by Homes&Gardens on how to clean a humidifier properly.

Sometimes, having our heating on in winter can cause the air in our homes to dry out, making us feel congested and leaving our skin dehydrated – which is where a humidifier comes in. Of course, keeping your humidifier clean is key if you want to keep it functioning as it should, and in turn maintaining good air quality.

For this particular home maintenance task, you may want to avoid cleaning with vinegar because, according to HVAC professional Josh Mitchell, it could harm the internal components of the humidifier, and because of the strong smell that can linger and be dispersed into the air, which may not be all too pleasant. 

Plus, as air quality pro Michael Rubino points out, some humidifiers have rubber, plastic, and metal parts that could be adversely affected by the acidity of the vinegar. 

Read the full article here:  https://www.homesandgardens.com/solved/how-to-clean-a-humidifier-without-vinegar