Mold is easy to find, including in the air conditioner. The growth of mold in the air conditioner (AC) means that some problems occur to the unit itself or the house condition. The appearance of mold results from a damp environment. Also, excessive moisture can lead to mold growth.
When mold grows in the air conditioner, the spores can spread throughout the house every time you turn on the air conditioner. The exposure of mold can cause mold in air conditioner health risks, such as allergic reactions and respiratory disorders.
Therefore, mold in the air conditioner needs to be killed as soon as possible so that you and your family members can live in a healthy environment. Try these following guides to clean and prevent mold in the air conditioner.
To clean up mold in air conditioner, here are some following guides you can try.
1. Prepare Some Protective Gears and Materials
If you decide to do mold cleanup by yourself, you need to prepare some following tools and ingredients.
Tools and ingredients
- Warm water
- Protective eye-wear
- 5-gallon bucket
- Face mask
- Gloves
- Bleach
- Mild dish soap
- Vacuum cleaner with attachments
- Old clothes
- Scrub brush or sponge
- Screwdriver
2. Remove the Air Conditioner
Remove the air conditioner from the window. Use a screwdriver to take it out from the secured frame and ask someone’s help to carry the air conditioner with you to the yard. Place it on the surface of the concrete. You can also use a large piece of plywood.
Remove the filter and the grille from the front of the unit. Provide a sink of the mixture warm soapy water and bleach. Soak the filter in it. After that, you need to remove the back and the top of cabinet based on the following directions from the manual book.
3. Vacuuming the Dust
The next thing to do is to vacuum out the dust from the air conditioner. After vacuuming out, you need to spray the coils (the metal tubs with U-shape in the back and the front of the unit) with a commercial coil cleaner.
Let the product remain as instructed by the manufacturer to clean up anything that is collected on the coils of the air conditioner. Ensure to clean up the gunk on the coil thoroughly because it will become a place for mold to grow.
4. Spray the Coils with a Garden Hose
Next is to spray the coils with a garden hose. Set the garden hose to the optimum pressure to clean up the coil cleaner solution. The solution will dissolve the gunk.
Avoid spraying the controls and the spots of window AC units because they are attached to the electrical cord. Later, you need to place the mixture of a few gallons of hot water and household bleach in a plastic bucket.
5. Wipe the Inside Surface of Unit
Then, wipe the inside surface of the air conditioner unit. You can use the bleach solution to wipe it. You can saturate the bleach solution with a scrub sponge. Scrub and remove all traces of visible mold in the window air conditioner. The bleach solution will be able to get rid of the residual mold spores. Also, hose off the soaked filter to get rid of debris.
Allow the unit to air-dry completely for about 24 hours before you reassemble and reinstall the unit in your window.
After you clean up all traces including mold on Styrofoam in the air conditioner, it is time to keep your air conditioner away from mold growth. Therefore, you need to prevent the mold in the air conditioner. Here are some following guides to prevent it.
Maintain the Moisture
The first thing you can do to avoid the reappearance of the mold growth in the air conditioner is to maintain the humidity. You can keep the humidity control if your air conditioner unit is completed with humidity control. It will stop the mold growth.
Keep the Air Conditioner On
Keep turning on the air conditioner probably will consume electricity. You will likely turn off your air conditioner completely when you don’t use it. When the air conditioner is off, the temperatures will increase because of the absence of a cooling system. The warm and humid air is a perfect condition for mold and mildew to grow.
Therefore, avoid it by setting your air conditioner into “auto”. The auto setting will make your AC continuously cycle inside the house even when you are not at home.
6. Do Regular Maintenance
The next guide you must do is to do regular maintenance on the inside part of your air conditioner to prevent mold from forming and spreading inside or outside the air conditioner unit. The inside parts are one of the favorite places for the growth of mold. If it is not properly maintained, black mold in the air conditioner will appear. Clean inside and outside of the AC unit and remove any signs of mold.
7. Perform Deeper Maintenance When Needed
A more thorough cleaning is an important next guide in mold prevention. Occasionally, you need to perform deeper maintenance. Remove the cover of metal of your unit and get through the motor. Clean it carefully and add some proper clean metal oil to each metal cover and motor and have the parts lubricated.
8. Get Rid of Dust
Dust is a big enemy because it can help mold form and spread in and near your air conditioner. It is advisable for you to clean and get rid of any dust. Use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the dust from the air conditioner. Vacuum the dust regularly to prevent mold from growing up and spreading.
In conclusion, follow these ten guides to clean and prevent mold in the air conditioner. These guides are quite effective to get rid of the mold and maintain your air conditioner.
