How to Clean an Air Conditioner?

In the hot weather, it becomes extremely necessary to keep your home and workplace cool and for this, air conditioners are installed. Being compact and ductless, split air conditioners are often used by us. It has got an inner unit and an outdoor unit. The inner unit is long and rectangle, installed on the wall whereas, the outdoor unit, also known as a condenser or compressor, is a large metal box, fixed outside the house or workplace.

To get the same cooling as the new ones, the air conditioners should be examined and cleaned at least once in 6 months. This ensures good health of the system and it remains in good working condition for a long time. Let’s learn how to clean the entire unit, both indoor and outdoor.

Washing of the Indoor Unit

Things required for cleaning the indoor unit are cleaning bag, trash bag, gentle detergent, evaporator spray, air blower, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial spray and flush kit.

The stepwise procedure of cleaning the indoor unit is mentioned below.

1. Surround the entire split AC system with a new cleaning bag to prevent falling of any kind of dust or dirt on the floor. Always try to use a bag having a cinch which helps in adjusting the circumference as per the requirement. In case this is not available, then an empty trash bag can also be used.
2. Before opening the front panel, make sure you switched off the power source of the home, and do not forget to turn off the power to the AC. Now, it is required to access the inside of the unit for which laches on the front part needs to be opened.
3. Next step is to remove the air filters from the AC. These are present on the front of the appliance and are long and rectangular in shape. To have the best cooling effect, these filters have to be removed and washed. There must be a tab along the side of each filter that has to be loosened before removing the filters. Now, shake the filters well so that any dust or dirt attached to them gets removed.
4. The air filters have to be washed under the running water and so, take them to a sink or large basin and pour water over them. Sometimes, filters are very dirty, in that case, first clean them by rubbing gently with a sponge and mild cleaning detergent and then rinse them. Ensure to dry them properly before installing them back.
5. Air blower will be required in this step. Attach a thin, canister to the air blower and remove the dust from the cooling fins present at the back of the AC. Cooling fins are actually a series of metallic lines present at the back of the AC.
6. Once coils are cleaned, apply no-rinse evaporator cleaner on them and let them dry for about 20 minutes. The evaporator cleaner can be purchased online or from a hardware shop.
7. The back of the air conditioner is the main site of the formation of toxins. To clean it, anti-fungal cleaning spray should be used. It prevents the growth of toxic particles and spores in the appliance. After spraying, keep the appliance as it is for 5 minutes before putting the air filters back.
8. If you find the air filters are clean and dry, put them back into the appliance. Ensure that it glides back easily and in case, you face any kind of difficulty in doing so, look into the owner’s manual. Once the air filters are cleaned, the appliance will be able to throw clean and cool air.
9. A hose or pipe is present that separates indoor and outdoor units. This has to be disconnected so that a clog is not formed in the drain line. Make use of a pressurized flush kit by which water or cleaner is removed from the pipeline. Keep as it is for about 1 hour to dry it and ensure that all the water has evaporated. Once it is dry, reconnect the hose.
10. The last step is to turn on the air conditioner to ensure the working of all things. For this, switch on the electricity power of the appliance. On starting it, cold air should come out. This air coming out will be clean and refreshing. In case, you face any issue, it’s better to take help by contacting a professional technician.

Washing the Outdoor Unit

The things required to clean the outdoor unit are vacuum, knife, brush attachment, fin comb kit, screwdriver, and hose. The outdoor unit can be cleaned with ease by following the steps mentioned below.

1. The first thing to do is to switch off the power supply to the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
2. Inside the metal unit, are the thin and vertical condenser fins. These may be dirty and so, clean them with the help of a brush attachment and vacuum cleaner. Try to move the brush horizontally and vertically until no dirt is visible in the condenser.
3. If there are any bent metal fins, try to straighten them with the help of a long knife. Fins should be straight and function properly if you want the condenser to work properly.
4. The fan in the condenser should also be cleaned. For this, first, detach the grill from the top of the condenser with the help of a screwdriver. Also, if there is any bolt or screw, remove them too. Since, the fan is wired with the condenser, removing it completely is not possible. Once, it loosens up, you can clear the fan.
5. The condenser fins after cleaning, need to be rinsed with the help of a garden hose. Due to this, the fins will become cleaner and the functioning of the condenser will be better. It is essential to dry the outdoor unit completely before installing it again.
6. Reconnect the grill to the outdoor unit and insert the fan back. The last step is to switch on the power supply to check whether the condenser is working well.

By following the above-mentioned steps, you can do a complete cleaning of the air conditioner at home. It is easy to do and does not even require many materials.