Safe Mold Cleaning from AC

The appearance of the mold at the homeplace can bring not only the damage to the property but serious health problems. This is why it is important to perform regular cleaning and keep the humidity at the appropriate level. Although, there are a couple of places, which mold can occupy and stay hidden for a long time. One of such places is an air conditioner, which is especially dangerous because its main function is to cool and ventilate the air, so spores have all conditions to spread faster.

However, some signs should be monitored and periodically checked, which may help you to remove mold from AC before it will spread to all home: specific musty smell during AC’s operating cycle, changes in housing image, and, of course, the appearance of mold on it. Emergency Plumbing recommends the detailed guide with actions to be taken in case some of these signs were noticed.

PREPARE YOUR TOOL KIT

It is nice to have things mentioned below at home just in case, but in case of real need, such as mold detection they should be necessary used. So ensure you have the following:

• PPE: face mask, eyewear, gloves;

• Materials: water, washing powder, mild dish soap, bleach;

• Tools: 5-gallon bucket, cloth, screwdriver, scrub brush, vacuum cleaner.

STAY SAFE

It doesn’t matter how the problem is huge, but you should always follow simple safety rules: put on PPE and turn off the AC and ensure it is unpowered by unplugging it from the source.

DISASSEMBLY

Remove the grille from the housing. Usually, it can be done by pulling it and then pushing down, but it is also rather possible that the screwdriver will be required for screwing.

Now the filter that is situated behind the grille should be removed. After the cleaning, you may have 2 options to use the old one after the cleaning or to replace it with the new one. Unfortunately, is you have disposable filters you should be ready for replacement. 

Then the metal cover should be lifted, although before lifting you should unscrew it from the housing.

CLEANING

Returning to the filter that was removed during disassembling. To clean the filter is an easy process. You need to put it in a sink with hot water, so it will be fully covered by it and leave it for soaking for approximately 15 minutes. Then clean it with the scrub brush from both sides, rinse and leave it for drying. 

Then clean the interior of the AC with a vacuum cleaner using all possible attachments. The aim is to remove all the dust and dirt. When the vacuum cleaning is completed the interior surface should be wiped. 

Mix the bleach (0,5 cup) with mild dish soap (1 tablespoon) and hot water (3 gallons) in a bucket prepared before.

Scrub the AC’s surfaces and grille with this solution using cloth, sponge or brush, so it will become free from mild. Note, that it is better to clean all surfaces because spores of mold are imperceptible and leaving them will allow mold to grow further. Before rinsing, leave the solution on surfaces for at least 10 minutes, so all spores will be eliminated. The rinse and leave for drying.

When you will be sure the AC system is dry, reassemble the AC unit and use it in the usual way.

Emergency Plumbing sincerely hopes you this Guide will help you to clean AC easily and to avoid mold exposure at your homeplace.