As you know we have to get our air conditioner serviced regularly for maintaining its cooling performance otherwise its life may degrade faster.
When technicians come to your home they perform “two” tasks during the AC service
- AC cleaning
- Checking its cooling performance
For this, they charge a pretty reasonable amount depending on your locality but you can clean your AC at home by yourself without any sophisticated tool.
This is easy.
This post takes you step by step from the entire process of cleaning your AC.
If you follow this guide till the end then both the indoor and outdoor unit will be cleaned.
Step 1: Dry your AC
Before you can start the cleaning process you will have to make sure that the evaporator coil gets dried out.
This will help in the efficient cleaning of the evaporator coil.
Run your AC at least for “30 minutes” with fan mode only.
This will remove the water and moisture buildup inside.
Step 2: Switch off the appliance
This step is crucial as it prevents you from electrical shock.
Turn off the appliance and remove the plug.
Step 3: Open the indoor unit’s front panel
In the indoor unit we have to clean
- Air Filters
- Evaporator Coil
To clean this you will have to remove the front panel.
Tip: Don’t try too hard or it may break.
Step 4: Clean the Air Filters
Remove the Air filters.
These will be full of dirt and may also have bacteria buildup so cover your face to prevent yourself from inhaling dirt.
Tip: Air filters need to be cleaned on a weekly or monthly basis for optimum cooling efficiency.
Clean the filters with running tap water.
It will get cleaned easily.
Then you need to dry them out before they can be of any use in the AC.
Place them in
- Sunlight
- Or running Fan
Step 5: Clean the fins
After cleaning the filters you now have to clean the fins.
You will require
- Old Toothbrush
- Water
You can also put little soap or detergent in the water solution.
Now you have to clean the fins using the toothbrush.
In one go you have to
- Dip the toothbrush in the water solution
- Gently brush on the fins in a vertical fashion
- Again dip the toothbrush in the water to clean the dirt gained from the fins
“Repeat” the process for the entire fins.
It will take you a reasonable time to clean the entire fins like this. Do it slowly.
Note: Fins are delicate so don’t apply too much pressure otherwise it may bend.
If the indoor unit is too dirty then you will have to get your AC serviced by professionals which may involve the use of sophisticated tools like a blower.
Step 6: Place the filters and front panel back
The indoor unit is completely cleaned and now place the filter and the front panel back to their place.
Set 7: Clean the outdoor unit
Here comes the part for cleaning the outdoor unit which contains the condenser.
The outdoor unit is more subjected to dirt and dust due to being exposed in the outdoor environment.
Its cleaning is more important.
Things required
- Running water from a Pipe
Clean the outdoor unit using this pipe. Try to clean it from every side.
Mostly you will be cleaning it from the backside which is exposed by fins.
Note: Water pressure from the pipe should not be too high or it may damage the coil or fins.
Final Thoughts
Now your AC is completely cleaned.
Switch it ON for checking its cooling efficiency.
Its cooling should be improved by a small degree now. If it is not cooling appropriately that means your AC has some malfunction.
In this case, contact your AC service.
