Air Innovations 1.37 Gallon Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier in Purple

I've had this humidifier for about a year now and I love it (it's pink!). The digital interface has all the options I require. I can change the mist output, set it to turn off after a certain number of hours or similarly schedule it to turn on just before I get home from work. I also really like that I can turn off the lights for when I'm sleeping. The tank is easy to fill and I haven't had a need to clean that part ever since I've purchased it. The base I do clean once a week because I get some minimal white dust and a little bit of gunk on the Ultrasonic Nebulizer. My biggest complaint about this humidifier is about the directions. On the cleaning page it doesn't mention the hollow cylinder on the side of the water tank where the mist comes out of. At the end of last winter my lungs were hurting when I took deep breaths. I attributed this to getting sick, but that was my only symptom for weeks. Eventually I got better and didn't think anything of it. However I just pulled my humidifier out of the closet this week and the very first morning I was at work and my lungs hurt again. It was the weirdest thing until I made the connection that the humidifier was causing it the whole time and not an illness. I often would run hot water through the mist cylinder because both ends are blocked and you can't stick anything in there to wipe it down. So I took a flashlight and looked down that cylinder because I knew all the other parts of the humidifier were clean and sure enough it was coated with a think brown slime. So now I don't know what to do. Why would they make it this way where you can't clean it? I combed over the directions again and it doesn't mention the mist cylinder at all. So at this point thinking "I'll probably have to throw out this really nice humidifier and what a waste of money it was," I go about trying to break it to see if I can manage to clean it. So a few minutes later, me and a pair of pliers pull the white part out that resides under the mist nozzel. Turns out THIS PART WAS DETACHABLE THE WHOLE TIME! I tried pulling this part out before but apparently I needed to bring in some tools for better leverage than just fingers. I really wish this was mentioned in the directions so I didn't have to go through the lung discomfort. I was able to clean it with some dish soap and a baby bottle cleaning brush that I already had to clean out water bottles. But man, that slime was really nasty. Besides this issue it is a really great humidifier and really pretty. I don't feel like I need to put it in a closet when people come over.