Air conditioning – an indispensable workhorse in everyday life. This device allows you to feel the heat on a cold winter day, and in the summer to enjoy the pleasant coolness. Since it constantly distills a lot of air through itself, it must be regularly cleaned of fungus inside, dust, pet hair, and other contaminants. How to do it at home? You will find the necessary information in our article. Learn how to wash the air conditioner yourself and save your money!
Why should you regularly wash the air conditioner?
If you do not properly wash the air conditioner at home, then over time an unpleasant smell will start to go from the internal module. This indicates that fungi and mold multiply inside. Every time when you turn on the device, it will begin to carry all these nasty things around the apartment, which is why they will certainly fall into the respiratory system of its inhabitants. This is fraught with many diseases, including asthma, allergies and various kinds of dermatitis. If you feel a moldy smell, this is a signal that it’s time for you to wash the air conditioner. Also, the device can “hint” on cleaning with the following factors:
- a decrease in the power of work;
- increased electricity consumption;
- icing of connecting fittings and highways.
We now turn directly to the topic of our article and tell you how to wash the air conditioner with your hands at home.
Filter cleaning
The first thing that should be washed at home – filters in the air conditioner. This stage is the easiest, so even a child will cope with the work. First of all, unplug the device from the network, and then follow the instructions:
- Lift the lid of the device.
- Carefully remove the filters.
- Wash them under running water (you can also use a brush).
- To make your job easier, you can pre-vacuum the filters.
- Dry them and put them in place.
By the way, while there are no filters in the air conditioner, you can vacuum the internal parts of the device. Keep reading Bosch Home Appliances
Radiator cleaning
The radiator is one of the main parts of climate technology. It is responsible for heating and cooling the air. This part has a lot of thin plates that are closely spaced to each other: if they become clogged with dust and dirt, this will lead to a decrease in the performance of the device. That is why it is important to promptly clean the radiators yourself at home or with the help of specialists.
If you intend to do the cleaning yourself, you will need a powerful vacuum cleaner and a long-hair brush. Clean the radiator should be smooth movements, so as not to accidentally damage the plate. Often, when the radiator is not cleaned for too long, the dust combines with condensate, which forms a mud film that is very difficult to remove at home. To eliminate such contaminations, a steam cleaner will be needed, and in everyday life, such a device is very rare.
In the cleaning process, it is important to turn on the recirculation mode in the air conditioner, setting the lowest temperature. In the area into which air is sucked, it is necessary to spray the antiseptic with a spray bottle. But be careful: the antiseptic should not go directly to the radiator.
Fan Wash
Going to wash the air conditioner at home, do not forget about the rotary fan. This element allows the cooled air to flow into the apartment. Very often it is possible to meet mountains of dust, which eventually turn into a steady bloom of dirt. If you don’t clean the fan membrane for a long time, this may cause the air conditioner to stop working altogether.
The fan can be removable or non-removable. The first is much easier to clean: just remove the part and wash it in soapy water. Fixed spare part can be cleaned with a brush, which takes a lot of time and requires a lot of effort. You can also use another method:
- moisten each fan septum with soapy water;
- leave it for a while, so that the dirt has time to soak;
- Turn on the air conditioner for a minimum so that air begins to flow through the part.
Mud particles will fly out of the fan, so it is strongly recommended that you use oilcloth and lay the wall and floor under the climatic device. After the device blows air through the fan, you will probably still need to clean the part manually with a brush.
Drainage cleaning
To completely clean the air conditioner at home, you should clean the drainage system. To do this you need to get to the pallet:
- Remove the case of the indoor unit.
- Using a screwdriver, unscrew a few screws.
- Disconnect the connector connecting the bath and the board.
- After removing the drain tube.
The bath should be washed in running water. The drainage channel must be purged with air: for this purpose, a compressor or vacuum cleaner is usually used, which has a blowing function. After that, treat the drainage system with chlorhexidine: leave the antiseptic for about 15 minutes, then blow the canal again. These manipulations will be enough to qualitatively wash the drainage system of the air conditioner at home.
Washing of the external block
Fully wash the air conditioner at home is problematic, because the appliance has an outdoor unit. Most often it is located outside the apartment, so getting to it is problematic. Fortunately, it is necessary to clean the outdoor unit only 1-2 times a year.
To wash the air conditioner at home, or rather to clean its outdoor unit from contamination, follow the instructions:
- Disconnect the device from the electrical outlet.
- Remove the cap.
- Dispose of rubbish that can be removed manually.
- Treat surfaces with a powerful vacuum cleaner. Try not to hit the electrical circuit of the unit.
- Remove dirt in hard-to-reach places that have not reached the vacuum cleaner using an average pile brush.
- Wipe the surfaces with a cloth.
For maximum efficiency, it is recommended to use a steam cleaner or minis ink. After cleaning procedures, do not turn on the climate control: allow internal parts to dry.
As is clear from the article, it is not an easy task to completely clean the air conditioner at home. If you do not understand the intricacies of the device of your household appliance, we highly recommend you not to try to clean everything yourself. It is better to contact the masters: let the cleaning from specialists and require financial investments, but you will be sure that your climate device will remain safe and sound.