Thankfully, window air conditioners were invented to ease and give us a temporary relief to our “hellish” suffering in places with warmer climates. However, like any other machine, they can also slow down and hard break down if not properly maintained. A window air conditioner must be regularly cleaned so that it can last long. If you’re looking to find ways on how to clean a window air conditioner, read on.
Cleaning Methods for Window Air Conditioner
There are different cleaning methods that you can use with your air conditioner. They are as follows:
The Basic or Regular Cleaning Method
Let’s start this ‘how to clean a window air conditioner’ guide with the basic cleaning method or the regular cleaning method. This type of cleaning doesn’t require much effort, and you can do this rather easily. You need to spare a bit of your time and check your window air conditioner unit for signs of mold.
Mold growth in your air conditioner can bring respiratory problems and irritations like severe coughing or uncontrolled wheezing, especially if you have mold or mold spore allergy. In severe cases of severe reactions to mold, the lungs can also get serious infections due to inhaling of large doses of mold spores.
To prevent this catastrophic invasion of mold into your unit, you need to check it out regularly, and if you see the slightest presence of mold, you clean it up as soon as you can. Ensure that your air conditioner is well-fitted to your window so that no rainwater or humid air can go in. You can also keep molds away to clean iron bars and filters in your window air conditioner to impede dust from ever accumulating in the system.
However, in most cases, when mold is already present in a window air conditioner, it is most likely too late for the unit, and chances are it will need a replacement.
The Monthly Cleaning Method
The next method in our ‘how to clean a window air conditioner’ list is the monthly cleaning method. As the name suggests, you can do this type of cleaning method every month to ensure that the air quality in your house stays healthy and pleasant. Experts also claim that it will improve your family’s overall respiratory health, which is a big bonus.
Your window air cleaner filter must be dust-free all the time to achieve good airflow. It is one of your window air conditioner’s most major parts because it is your system’s main front liner in filtering the air from small particles and impurities like mold spores, dust, and animal fur that can cause unwanted allergic reactions. You do not want this kind of discomfort, so if you prefer to enjoy healthier lungs, you need to start by taking good care of that air filter. Here’s how you can do it:
- First and foremost, you have to remove the front panel gently before doing anything so that you can gain access to the air filter.
- The next thing you need to do when you have already removed the front panel is to locate the air filter.
- When you successfully locate the air filter, you can now move it out of its position. Do not apply too much force, or you might damage the filter and be forced to buy another.
- Warm water is highly recommended when cleaning the air filter. There is no special way of doing this part, so you can wash it however you want it but make sure to use warm water and do not be too rough with the air filter, or you might damage it.
- If your air filter collected a lot of dirt, you need something a bit better than just a good old normal warm water. Add a tablespoon of detergent in your warm water and thoroughly apply it in your hardworking air filter and see the magic happens.
- Put it under the sun to dry it out and make sure it is really dry all over because you don’t want to attract mold into your window air conditioner and put the trouble into the unit.
- Place it back gently into its original position and put back the front panel.
The Deep Cleaning Method
The deep cleaning method is the last entry in our ‘how to clean a window air conditioner’ guide. You can do this type of cleaning method for your window air conditioner on a periodical basis to retain the vigor of your unit like you just bought it Yesterday. You must know that patience and concentration are needed in this method because you will take your AC unit part by part, and after cleaning it thoroughly, you need to assemble it again correctly. Here is how you do it:
- The very first thing you need to do is, of course, take out the air conditioner itself from your window and do it as carefully as you can because you might drop the unit and cause serious problems inside the AC.
- Place on a firm table and start removing the parts. Again, you need to start with the front panel, the unit’s housing, or the case and do not forget the pins that enable your air conditioner to be connected to the window.
- Get a clean piece of clothing and give it a good amount of any window air conditioner coil cleaner. Be sure to choose the safe coil cleaner for your AC to avoid unwanted damage to your unit.
- Start wiping the parts you removed from your unit with the clothe infused coil cleaner. You also need to include the other parts of your unit, like the interior coils and aluminum fins, for the sake of deep cleaning. When you are done, let the coil cleaner do its job on the parts for several hours. If you are satisfied with the coil cleaner’s result, you can stop here, but if you aren’t, you can proceed to the last part.
- Give the parts of your unit a good scrubbing using a soft bristle brush. Again, don’t be a brute when scrubbing the parts, especially on the coil. If there’s unyielding dirt that won’t give up without a fight, you can try to use the coil cleaner again. When you are satisfied with your deep cleaning work, assemble the pieces back together and try to turn on your AC to make sure everything is working fine.
Conclusion
Learning how to clean a window air conditioner on your own is a worthy skill. Plus, you won’t need to spend money and hire an expert anymore to get it cleaned. From now on, you can make cleaning your AC a hobby with the easy steps we’ve just given you. Find out more about cleaning appliances.