If you come to the house with the strange odor and you check out the every corner of the room and still cannot determine the source of the strange odor then you must look towards your windows air conditioner, most probably your AC is the culprit. If you sense the moldy smell and you notice the air conditioner is the reason then you should clean the mold. Most of the air conditioners, especially windows air conditioner can pick up the mold due to the operation which involves cooling. So, how can you clean mold in a window ac unit??? is the question which we entertain here. But first we have to build up, so you can know about the importance of the mold cleaning and then we will tell you about the perfect way to clean the mold.
Windows Air conditioner and the outers of any other types of air conditioner are the most susceptible devices to catch the mold. Mold can cause many problems. Mold is usually produced in the humid condition. It is the mixture of the humid and the dirt. So you have to keep clean your unit to prevent any mold. Mold is hazardous for the allergic and asthma patients. Even if you are not allergic, mold can bother skin, eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Black mold is the most dangerous but any type of the mold can originate respiratory problems. There is no need to bring the specialist for removing this mold problem; you can do it yourself with ease.
Inspect the Mold in your Window Air Conditioner
Removing the mold depends on where it is located and how much space is occurred by the mold. If the mold arises in the accessible part of the air conditioner then you can remove it easily. But most of the time mold exists at the trickier place in windows air conditioners. If you found the mold in your air conditioner then it is highly recommended that you have to shut off the air conditioner unit, so the mold cannot pass through the conditioning air and contaminate your home. Turn off the air conditioner and unplug it. Remove the front grille cover of your window ac unit. If you cannot open then search for the screws and open it with the screwdriver. You will see the filter under the grill. Pull out the filter and grab the flashlight for the deep inspection.
If you find the brown or green or black stains inside your air conditioner then you are damn right that your air conditioner is carrying the mold. Please note that mildew mold makes the gray or white stains in the air conditioner so you have to look carefully. If you see that the air conditioner is filled with the mold then you should open the whole back body of the air conditioner for a deep look. To extract the back cover you should look at the manual of the air conditioner. Every air conditioner has a different design but most of them are easy to open just with the screwdriver. After the inspection of the mold now it’s time to take the suitable action.
Components to Clean the Mold from Air Conditioner Properly
To clean the mold you must wear the dust mask, goggles and gloves to prevent your eyes, hands and respiratory system. You need the befitting tools for this process so you can with the utmost convenience clean the air conditioner. Those components are listed below.
1- Screwdriver to open the body of the air conditioner.
2- Vacuum Cleaner to remove the dust and debris.
3- Coil Cleaner to clean the coil.
4- Garden Hose
5- Bleach
6- Dish Soap
7- Bucket of Plastic
8- Sponge for Scrubbing
Time to Free Your Air Conditioner from Mold and Dust and Debris
Now remove the unit from the window of the air conditioner. Use the screwdriver to dismantle the cover. The Unit is heavy so get the help from someone so you can easily move it to the yard or any space you want cleaning. Keep the AC Unit in the hard surface or wooden plywood for convenience. It’s time to remove the grille and also the filter from the air conditioner. Infuse the filter and also the grille in the hot water and also include some dish soap in the water and half cup of bleach.
After removing the cabinet from the manual, vacuum cleans all the dust and debris from the unit. Use the nozzle to reach the unreachable parts.
You will see the U Shaped metal tubes on the front and backside of the unit. You need to spray them with the coil cleaner. These coils play the important role in the operation of the air conditioning by carrying the air. Therefore they are most susceptible for the mold and even for the rust. So take the high quality coil spray and shower it on the coils.
Spray the garden hose to remove the coil cleaner solution from the coils. You should spray immediately after the coil cleaner to remove all the messiness from the coils. You should make sure that the power cord of your unit is detached while spraying the coils.
After removing dust and debris and cleaning of the coils now it’s time for freeing the surface of the air conditioner from the mold. Fill the plastic bucket with the clean hot water and half cup of household bleach. Take the scrubbing sponge, rinse it in the bleach solution and wipe the surfaces through the ‘Bleachy Sponge.’ You must wipe out all the traces of the mold. If you leave any mold then it will come again. Don’t worry, Bleach is the valiant killer of the molds. After scrubbing, spray the filter with the hose to remove all debris.
After the cleaning you must give time to your naked air conditioner to dry completely. Do not plug in the wet air conditioner. After drying you can easily install the air conditioner.
Take the Safety Measures to Avoid the Mold in Future
If you don’t need the air conditioner make sure to open the air conditioner often on the fan mode, so the dust and debris from the air conditioner hush away. Try to cover your air conditioner with the plastic covers when you are not using it. It will keep away the dust, debris and humid mold from the air conditioner. If you are going out for the vacation then make sure your air conditioner is covered properly.
