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Advice on How to Clean a Window Air Conditioner

Cleaning a window air conditioner may sound like a daunting task but it’s actually relatively easy and can be done without taking down the unit. It’s also smart to do this regularly if you want your air conditioner to have a long and effective life.

How to clean a window air conditioner mold buildup?

If you sense even just a slight mildew smell when you turn on your A/C unit you might want to try using some hydrogen peroxide. The standard 3% solution sold in stores will do the trick – just fill a spray bottle with it turn the conditioner off, and spray the intake and the outflow areas of the unit. Allow the chemical to dry off and then turn the A/C back on.

If the smell of mildew persists you can remove the unit’s filter and spray the inside of the A/C. It’s wise to place a tray underneath the unit to catch the dripping peroxide.

How to clean a window air conditioner’s filter?

You can remove the unit’s front panel to easily access its filter. Before doing that, you’ll want to turn the unit off and disconnect it from the power supply. To remove the panel you’ll have to unscrew it and/or remove the tabs holding it in place. After that, removing the filter should be easy.

To clean the filter you can simply run water through it. If it’s clogged with grime or dirt you can vacuum it first. To avoid so much dirt from building up you can ideally clean it once per month, particularly if you’re using the unit daily.

Once the filter has dried off completely, simply put it back into place. After a while, you may also need to replace your filter as this is one of the first parts of an A/C unit to go out of commission. Simply contact the unit’s manufacturer and see if and how you can get a new filter from them.

How to clean the window A/C unit without removing it?

In addition to cleaning the filter, you’d also want to clean the entire unit once per season. To do that you’ll need to once again disconnect it from the power supply and open up the front panel. Next, you might want to comb the aluminum fins of the A/C. A fin comb or a soft bristle brush should do the trick and remove all the debris and dust from the fins.

After that, blow the coils and the fan with condensed air to clean them up. You can get such a canister from most home improvement stores or online. Then, you can use a vacuum cleaner to gather all the dust and debris from the base of the unit. If you want, you can also use a low-pressure hose to rinse the case, coils, and tray of the unit – just be careful not to get the control panel wet and then let the unit dry off completely before turning it back on.

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