How to clean your air conditioner

Air conditioners do an important job, filtering out impurities from the air in a room so that you don’t have to breathe them in.

But over time, it’s equally important to clean an air conditioner so that the particles it filters out of the air are removed completely from the room. 

With just a few simple steps on a regular basis, you can help your air conditioner to work efficiently and keep your air purified.

1. Clean or replace the filter

Replacing the air filter can take a matter of moments and is the easiest way to completely remove any impurities the air conditioner has filtered from the air it sucks in.

Make sure your replacement air conditioner filter is the right size and type for your system, disconnect the power and simply swap it into place.

Smaller units may have a filter that is designed to be cleaned rather than replaced. This is often done just by vacuuming the particles from it, or sometimes by using warm soapy water and letting it dry thoroughly before putting it back in place.

2. Clean the outputs

It’s possible that some particles, dust and other unwelcome impurities will find their way through your air conditioner, so clean the output vents too.

Again, this can be as simple as dusting or vacuuming them, but it’s important as it helps to make sure any dust that has settled on them is not just blown back into the room when the air flow increases.

If you’ve noticed an increase in allergies or sneezing, it’s always worth taking a look at your air conditioner’s outputs to make sure it’s not actually just a problem with airborne dust.

3. Clean the drains

If your air conditioning system has accessible drains for removing condensates from the internal workings, make sure you keep those clean too.

This is particularly important as any part of the system that is often wet poses a potential risk from algae growth and other moisture-related pathogens. 

Again, cleaning can be very simple, and might be a matter of giving the drain a miniature ‘chimney sweep’ using a pipe cleaner.

Follow the instructions!

In any air conditioning system, if you follow the instructions you receive when you first install the product, you can expect longer, more efficient use out of it.

Don’t be afraid to call an expert if you’re in any doubt. Regular air conditioner maintenance will pay for itself, compared with the cost of an inefficient or broken system that you have to replace before its time.