What to use besides distilled water for humidifier.

Rain.

Another approach for this could be trying a fogger! I use Petratools' Mini fogger pro for my plants

There are no other options. Filtering out the minerals from the water will be the only way of keeping your plants, carbon filter, and house free of mineral dust. I live in a hard water area, so i have to go and buy distilled water or RO water. I go to a large pet store in my area and buy 5 gallons of RO water for 3.50 for 5 gallons. I buy 10 gallons (2 pails) and when 1 is empty i go fill it and alternate. That way i always have some on hand and i don't have to lug 100lb of water into my building each time. I only need humidifier help when the plants are young. Once they get big enough they transpire enough to provide all the humidity needed.

I was always told cool mist humidifiers rely on the minerals in the water to operate fully. its a ultrasonic tech. Mine comes with a warning saying do not use RO or Distilled in the units as it will not work. This could be because the water will eat away at the ultrasonic element as RO and Distilled waters are very aggressive. I know this is the reason they have plastic plumbing and not metal. evaporating style humidifies or steam style can use distilled or RO very easily, If you've been using tap water you will want to decalcify it every 2-6 months, use a solution of vinegar and citric acid and soak the wick or w/e it uses to suck the water up. then rinse off. maybe bang it out. This is what I do in my cool mist one. It also can develop a bit of pink mould if you don't do this. You can not evaporate out the chlorine in most water supplies anymore. Almost all municipal water sources use Chloramines vs Chlorine now a days and they are stable and longer lasting. You can naturalize them with Vit C aka ascorbic acid. but the amount in the solution is not normally enough to cause issues. also it is not the chlorine you are seeing deposited on plants. its the magnesium and calcium and other minerals from hard water deposits. FYI: Carbon filters do not remove hard mineral content of water. they scrub it of VOC's and smells and some other items. Its comprised of activated charcoal. Brita has a massive class action for false advertising so take their word with a grain of salt. Best option is distilled or RO but it might break your machine sooner then later. Good Luck!

To prevent mineral buildup when using tap water in a humidifier, you can consider a few alternatives: Filtered Water: Use filtered water, either through a household water filter or a dedicated water filter for gardening. Aeration: Allow tap water to sit for 24 hours before using it in the humidifier. This allows chlorine to evaporate, and aeration with an aquarium pump can speed up the process. Water Conditioner: Some water conditioners designed for hydroponics or aquariums can help neutralize minerals in the water. Distillation: Distill your tap water using a home water distiller to remove minerals and impurities. Humidifier Maintenance: Regularly clean and descale your humidifier to prevent mineral buildup. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning. Using filtered or distilled water is often the most straightforward approach, but these alternatives provide additional options to suit your preferences and resources.

the type of humidifier matters a bit. if it's just an absorbant material that increases surface area dipping in water with a fan blowing across it, filtered water will make the absorbant filter last longer. can't avoid scaling. just have to clean the reservoir occasionally. can put the store-bought water treatments in to help reduce it or some white distilled vinegar.there are suggestions on the internet. i don't recall the exact dosage. either way, you'll have to clean the reservoir. even if you just use a 5gallon bucket. fwiw, i use plain tap water or softened water with my humidifier. have to clean it 1/week. even more important for the atomizer type of humidifier. this is more like a fog machine and this type is the one that leaves more residue all over the room's surfaces. cleaner water will help with that residue that forms.

If you have chlorine in your tap or any other bullshit, and you don't want to do distilled or r/o (Which makes perfect sense bc cost) . Yeah, filling a bucket and letting it sit for a couple of days should work. From my understanding (as I have never had to do this but know of said methods; pardon my ignorance if this is incorrect), you can aerate the bucket as well, and it can seriously cut down the evaporation time of the chlorine. If you are super nervous about what is in your tap or water supply, boil it. Just btw, even if you have the cleanest water, humidifiers are MASTERS are causing unwanted microbial growth so try to clean that tank on a regular schedule, ESPECIALLY if the tank allows light to pass through.

If you used air stone to dechlorinate before putting It into humidifier yet it would work. Best bet is RO or distilled water. I use tap water and my tap is about 120ppms. It does leave a build up but I just clean out the humidifier at then end of grow. I only need it for first few weeks and the build up is very minimal. I didn't have any adverse effects on my plants either. Although it can it have to be dirty dirty water full of minerals. A water purifier from Walmart works wonders, same u use to drink from. Use it and boom clean water. Hope this helped. Please consider me as the answer to your question so I can be entered for a chance to win grower of the month contest 🙏 please and thank you 😃