How to Clean a Wall Air Conditioner Without Removing it?

According to Statista, there are now about 1.9 air conditioning units in the world and the figure is likely to drastically increase to 5.5 billion by 2050 as predicted by the International Energy Agency (IEA). This chart shows the global electricity demand growth from 2018 to 2050 by energy use category. Source: Statista.

CLEANING YOUR AIR CONDITIONER WITHOUT REMOVING IT

Most people believe they need experts to clean their air conditioning units but that’s not true. Cleaning is part of the maintenance process that can be done personally and without external help. How often you should clean your unit, however, is down to personal choices. While some people like to clean their units as often as daily, some prefer to do it monthly. This might be due to other things they need to make out time for in their lives. Before we look into the scheduling and how you can clean your wall air conditioner without removing it, let’s look at the tools you need to have to get this done;

• Dry towel
• A bucket
• Detergent
• Spray bottle
• Water
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Vacuum cleaner (this might be needed in case of a lot of dirt)

Having known the right tools to keep for this cleaning process, let’s discuss the cleaning process itself on a daily and monthly basis.

DAILY

If you choose to clean your unit daily then the process is pretty much simple. Here are the several ways you can do that;

1. SPRAY WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

If you’re cleaning daily, then the first thing you need to do is to fill your spraying bottle with enough hydrogen peroxide to sufficiently clean the unit. Before you do this, make sure the unit is turned off and also protect yourself from harmful chemicals by wearing gloves and a mask. Spray the whole outflow and intake area of the unit with hydrogen peroxide which is a great element to clean.

Once you’re done spraying with hydrogen peroxide, you’ll need to leave the unit to dry properly before turning it back on for operation again. That is why it is advisable to try this method at night or whenever you won’t need the AC for a long period during the day so it can get dried properly. Safety should also be a priority!

2. DEEP CLEAN THE UNIT

Sometimes when the unit is too dirty, then spraying only the intake and the outflow areas won’t be enough. In this case, the best thing to do is to deep clean the unit. How do you do this? To deep clean, you need to take out the air filters and spray them duly. Also, ensure that the filters are properly dried before putting them back into the air conditioner.

Alternatively, you can just wipe the filters with a dampened towel. Once you’ve done this, wait till it dries before slotting it back into the air conditioner. Leaving the filter to dry before putting it back into the air conditioner is very important. You don’t want to cause more damage when cleaning so you need to be very careful.

MONTHLY

Cleaning your unit monthly is not a bad idea, especially if you’re a very busy person and have to share your time among several other things. However, you should be prepared to spend more time as you’ll be having a lot to clean compared to when you’re opting for the daily cleaning schedule. At the time of the cleaning, you’ll realize a lot of dust must have been stuck in the air filter and several other parts of the unit, which is the reason why it takes longer to clean.

Below are the steps you need to take to clean your wall air conditioner effectively;

1. CHECK THE FILTER OUT

The first thing you need to do when cleaning your unit is to check out the air filter and bring it out of the unit. The technical ‘How To’ is always indicated in the manual but generally, you’ll have screws attached to the front panel. For some units, they come with tabs but whatever comes with it, you’ll need to take them off first. The filter is usually well placed in a slot so it is very easy to identify. If you want to be sure how to get yours out, you can check the manual that comes with your unit.

To remove the air filter, you’ll most likely need a towel dampened with a soap solution. With this towel, wipe the filter before putting it to clean off completely under running water. In a case where the filter is really dirty, you might need a vacuum cleaner to get it to be as clean as you want it to be.

Also, with the help of a brush, you can clean the filter. Due to its delicate nature, you’ll need to be careful with using a brush, and always ensure that the brush you’re using is soft. Once you use a brush to clean the dirt off, you can then proceed to clean the filter with soapy water.

2. LEAVE IT TO DRY OFF COMPLETELY

This is as important as cleaning it in the first place because if you do not leave it to get dried completely, there will be complications similar to what you’ll get if you do not clean it at all. Whenever you clean your unit’s air filter, always ensure it dries off completely before putting it back in. If you insert it into your unit when it’s still wet and you, by any chance, put the unit on, it may cause significant damage to the unit itself.

NOTE: Do not hesitate to replace the filter if you notice that it is beginning to wear out. This is to prevent major damage to your unit because it’ll be running on a weak air filter and not only that. It will result in poor air quality which is not good for the health of anybody around the home breathing it in.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I clean the coils on my wall air conditioner?

The process is pretty much easy. Firstly, you’ll remove the AC cabinet to access the coil. You can then proceed to use a brush to clean off the dirt.

2. How do I clean an AC evaporator coil without removing it?

After you must have mixed warm water and detergent in a spray bottle, spray the coil and leave it for a couple of minutes to loosen the dirt on it.