You can make window air conditioners smell better by thoroughly cleaning the front and back of it to get rid of any bacteria, mould or mildew growth.
Window air conditioners smell because bacteria, mould, and mildew grow inside the unit if it is not cleaned properly and maintained.
This can make your window unit smell bad. To make your window air conditioner smell better, you need to clean the unit thoroughly and then wait for all the components to dry before you use it again.
Why your window air conditioner smells
Window air conditioners have made the world of residential air conditioning accessible to many people who do not have the money to install central air or that cannot install ductwork and vents in their buildings.
Even though window air conditioners are so convenient to install, they still require some cleaning and maintenance to ensure that bacteria does not grow in the machine.
When these particles start to grow in your air conditioner, this can result in unpleasant odours being blown all throughout your room.
How to make window air conditioners smell better
Since window air conditioners have hot air, dust, dirt, and moisture within one unit, they can become the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mould, and mildew, which is the cause of bad smells and can be a risk to your health.
Thoroughly cleaning your window air conditioning unit is the most effective way to make it smell better and to prevent it from having a bad odour again in the future.
To do this, you need to make sure that your window unit is turned off and unplugged from the power outlet. Then, you need to clean the front and the back or outside part of the window air conditioner.
During this process, you can remove the unit from its casing in your window and complete this process outside, or you can do it while the air conditioner is still in place, but then you need to place towels on the floor to catch any water that drips down during the cleaning process.
After you have cleaned the filters, and front and back of your air conditioner, you need to spray it down with water and wait for it to dry completely before you can plug it in, switch it on, and use it again.
Cleaning the front of your window air conditioner to make it smell better
To clean the front of your window air conditioning unit, which includes the air filters, coils, and front cover, you need to work in stages, as is explained below follows:
| Cleaning stage | Process |
| Stage 1: Remove the air filters and clean them | To clean the air filters, you can either just use compressed air, like from a canned duster, or you can use an air compressor on its most gentle setting to ensure that you do not damage the filters. You can also use lukewarm water and a soft brush to gently scrub the filters |
| Stage 2: Clean the evaporator coils | Once the air filter is removed, you will be able to reach the evaporator coils. It is important that you work in the same direction as the coils and do not damage them while you clean. You can spray these coils with a speciality coil cleaner or a diluted version of a mould and mildew spray |
| Stage 3: Clean the vents and front cover | You can then use this same mould and mildew spray to spray down the front of the unit. You can use a toothbrush to ensure that you clean all the vents, nooks, and crannies of the unit properly |
Cleaning the back of your window air conditioner to make it smell better
Cleaning the back or outside part of your window air conditioner to get rid of any mould, mildew, or bacteria is a less involved process. In this case, you need to straighten out the fins with a fin comb and then just spray them with the same mould and mildew spray.
You can then spray down the unit to get rid of any leaves and debris that are caught in the outside unit, using a hose with a spray nozzle.
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Spraying everything down and leaving it to dry
After you have cleaned the unit, you can spray everything down with some water to ensure that the cleaners do not leave a sticky residue on your window air cleaner. You can also place drain pan tablets in the bottom of your unit to keep it smelling fresher for longer.
Wait for everything to dry completely before you reassemble your unit and turn it on again. This should take about 24 hours.