How To Prevent Mold Growth In Air Conditioners

Mold is a common problem in a moist and humid environment. Air conditioner when infested with mold may spread the spores around the walls of a room. Cleaning out molds is not an easy task; therefore necessary preventive steps should be taken before it becomes a serious problem.

The following steps will help in cleaning and preventing mold problem:

Open cover on the outside unit

An outside unit with its cover left off will encourage molds.
Water will condense on the coils, and since it is open it will attract dust to accumulate on the coils and give rise to molds. Filters allowing dust to pass through will also be a threat in this case. Choose filters with the right ratings.

Keep a clean filter

Keep an eye on the filter of the unit to ensure that it is always clean. Better still, you can use disposable filters which are easy to replace when necessary. If the filters are non disposable, clean them regularly for example on a weekly basis using warm soapy water.

Clean the back and front fins

Target removing dust as much a possible from the blades, duct opening and the base cover. Carefully wipe the dust from the fins, in the direction the fins run. Use soft medium stiffness brushes to clean out any stubborn dust. Straighten any bent fin using a fin comb tool. Add little bit of bleach to your cleaning water. Soak a flexible mop in the solution and use it to wipe the interior of the vent.

Re assemble only when dry

After a careful removal of the dust, wipe away any excess water. Let it idle for some hours, so as to be completely certain that it’s dry before reassembling back. Never forget to fit back the filter before switching it on.

Check for any leakages and moisture accumulation

Any leakage within the unit should be repaired as this will certainly increase the moisture content and thus promote the growth of molds. In areas of high humidity, regularly check for possible areas within the unit where moisture may accumulate to prevent the infestation by the mold.

Discard mold infested materials

With utmost care, put all the mold infested materials in a heavy gauge plastic bag and dispose off properly. Preferably go through the door of the just cleaned room to avoid contaminating other rooms.

Seek professional cleaning

Cleaning molds from the air conditioner is tedious especially if not detected early enough. At the same time if not checked in time it may spread to other parts of the unit and give bad smell to the room. Therefore if you have effortlessly tried cleaning without any success, take the air conditioner to a professional for a thorough cleaning to save the life of your machine.

Maintaining a mold free air conditioner is a routine exercise. Since molds excel in a moist and humid environment, regularly clean up your unit, removing all the dust and moisture which might have accumulate before. Ensure you have filters of the right ratings to keep off the dust to prevent mold growth.