Humidifier Safety

[rubyslippers]

I find humidifiers to be helpful, but since I have a coughing condition I started checking into safety to see if there was any relation. We clean ours thoroughly weekly. We put in fresh water every time. We add anti-bacterial liquid every time, but I became concerned when I read the label on the liquid. The stuff is so toxic that you are to wear goggles and gloves when you add a capful because a drop in your eye or on your skin will cause "permanent severe damage". Now I am afraid of handling it. Additionally, I have been using a humidifier in my classroom. I cannot have a product there, even locked up, that is so dangerous as an accident could possibly occur and we cannot take that chance with children.

Any suggestions to make sure a humidifier is safe? I really do live and work in very dry conditions and the humidifier is important, but I don't want it to be a huge burden or unsafe.

If there is already a thread on this, please link me. I don't seem to be able to find anything on humidifiers using the search button.