Essick Air 1970-2 Humidifier Bacteriostatic Treatment, 2-Quart

I've been using the Essick Air Bacteriostatic Treatment in my evaporative humidifier, and it's made a noticeable difference in keeping the water reservoir cleaner between routine cleanings. It's easy to use and has helped reduce the buildup of bacteria, algae, and the musty odors that can develop after several days of use. The treatment mixes easily into the water, and I haven't noticed any added fragrance or unpleasant smell, which I appreciate. My humidifier has continued to run efficiently, and the wick has stayed cleaner compared to using plain water alone. Having two 32-ounce bottles included is also a great value, providing enough treatment to last through an entire humidifier season. I also like that it's compatible with most evaporative cool mist humidifiers that use wick filters, making it a versatile product for different models. It's become part of my regular maintenance routine along with cleaning the tank and replacing the filter when needed. One thing I would strongly recommend is handling this product with care. While it's very effective, it's still a chemical treatment and should always be stored well out of the reach of children and pets. I also recommend wearing protective gloves and safety glasses when pouring or measuring it, especially since accidental splashes can happen. Taking a few simple precautions makes using the product much safer. Overall, this bacteriostatic treatment does exactly what it's designed to do. It helps keep the water reservoir cleaner, reduces odors, minimizes bacteria and algae growth, and supports better humidifier performance. As long as it's handled responsibly and according to the directions, it's a worthwhile product that I would recommend for anyone using an evaporative cool mist humidifier.

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!

Works great. Keeps bacteria from growing and you only put in about a teaspoon so I lasts for a season or more. At least it does for me. I don't need more than one humidifier.

Began using a humidifier this season, and ordered a four pack of treatment as the second bottle of Essick #1970 purchased on 10/28/25 was running low. Noticed the "heft" of the bottles was off. After the second bottle went empty I weighed it, and the four new bottles. The empty bottle weighed 75.5 grams None of the four exhibited signs of leakage, and all their seals were intact, but weights were all over. One bottle clocked in at 944.1 grams (which is what one would expect for a bottle volume of 946 ml), but the others measured 827.4, 807.8, and 788.4 grams. This averages to about 11% less that it ought to be. The product itself is effective, but I'm taking off one star due to the above. It also calls into question whether the percentage of active ingredients also exhibits this large an amount of variation.

UPDATE - May 2015. I have used this product for the 2nd year in a row now. As noted below I use only RO water, I used it at only 1/2 the recommended dosage, and after the 2nd year with the original filter in the Essick 821 humidifier, I feel I can use the same filter for a 3rd year because there is not scale, slime or scum buildup. I simply hosed it off thoroughly and wiped down the inside of the humidifier and put it away for the summer/fall. This stuff, and basically pure water (reverse osmosis) will give you excellent results. I have very hard water in my area. I have a water softener for the house, and I also have a reverse osmosis system for the drinking water. Because a RO system is designed to remove particulates and suspended solids, it is pure, fresh water. I use ONLY the reverse osmosis water in the Essick 821 humidifier. I use the Essick Air Products 1970 Bacteria Treatment product, though at only 1/2 the recommended amount (much like I use 1/2 the laundry detergent because I have soft water). It actually makes the air smell nicer, like a very light freshener. I don't use the cap as the measure - it has a very poor design. I use my eye to simply pour a 'small dash' into my 3 gallon bucket. I anticipate that I will not have any issues with scale or slime build up for an entire year because of the extremely clean water I am using, with this bacteria treatment as a supplement. UPDATE September 2014: One bottle lasted me the entire 2013-2014 fall-winter-early spring season. Last spring, when I put the humidifier away, I removed the air filter. It barely had any 'wear' to it at all, and I will be using it again this year. There was no scum or calcium build up on it. It is probably 90% brand new. The humidifier itself - 6 Gallon Space Saver Style Evaporative Air Whole House Humidifier (makes up to 9 gallons a day) - was also very clean, with no residue or gunk in it. I simply poured out the water, wiped it down with a paper towel, and put it away for the summer. I rinsed out the filter element and left it out in the sun to dry, then stored it also. I owe it to the bacteria treatment that I used, as well as the clean water that I was using.

This humidifier treatment is great! Don't be discouraged by reviews mentioning breathing problems, those folks used far too much product. If you follow the instructions and use 1/6 ounce, which is about 1/8 cap, 1 tsp, or 5mL, you'll do fine. Err on the side of caution to prevent issues. Like any product made to kill bacteria, algae, etc, wear gloves or be sure to wash hands thoroughly after use. I poked a few holes in the protective seal so I don't use too much, and it always drips down the side of the bottle. Like with any strong cleaning product that drips down the side of the bottle, I rinse the bottle after each use and wash my hands well. I haven't experienced any breathing issues with this product. In fact, I experience fewer issues than using my evaporative humidifier with no additives. After a few days if running the machine with my reverse osmosis water, the pond scum starts building up and my body can sense it. With this product that process takes about 8 days. There are 946mL per bottle, which can treat about 189 gallons of water. If you go through roughly 2 gallons of water in your humidifier a day that is a little over 3 months per bottle, or about 15 cents per day. That's worth it to me to only have to clean my humidifier once a week versus twice a week. Additionally, since my water tanks aren't covered with that invisible layer of scum on the inside, I'm able to use less water and bleach when I clean them out. I have a Vornado Evap40, which has two 2-gallon tanks. When I fill them I'm essentially dripping in some bacteriastatic treatment with the water, it couldn't be any simpler. I almost didn't buy this after reading the reviews noting breathing problems. Then I looked up the humidifiers a couple folks mentioned, calculated tank size, and realized one person used enough treatment for 16 gallons in a 5 gallon humidifier, so no wonder they experienced breathing problems! It only takes a couple squirts of Dawn Powerspray before I need to walk away from the sink because the fumes or whatever makes it hard for me to breathe, and that's just dishsoap. So really, if you use this Essick product properly there should be no breathing issues at all.

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.

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

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!!

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

This is my mothers second order of these. Great value but it really does work. she puts it in her large humidifier but also her little ones as well it really cuts down on the water dust sports and regular dust around the house. Keeps her large humidifier clean and has never had a problem with it after 9 years of use and she believes its because she used this to keep it clean and running well. You only use a cap or 2 full but she orders more because it takes so long to get and never wants to run out

J'ajoute tel que recommandé par le manufacturier la quantité dans chacun de mes humidificateurs. de plus, ça laisse une très petite odeur de fraicheur et effectivement, il y a beaucoup moins de calcaire qui s'infiltre sur les rebords et l'eau reste propre plus longtemps. Évidemment, j'ajoute de l'eau tous les jours dans mes humidificateurs donc, il est donc difficile pour l'eau de devenir pas bonne. Je trouve ça efficace.

Très bon produit.