schedule cleaning services to suit your personal needs

When Spores Are Chilling Out: Dealing With Mold In Your Air Conditioner

9 June 2015

Felecia Coleman

Your air conditioner is prime real estate for mold growth. If mold starts growing in your air conditioning unit, it can lead to allergies, respiratory issues and other health concerns. As a result, it's important that you're keeping your air conditioner clean to avoid mold development. Here are a few things you need to know about mold growth and air conditioning systems.

What Causes Mold in the Air Conditioning?

There are two main factors that contribute to mold growth in an air conditioning system:

Condensation: When the air in your home is warm and humid, the cooler temperature of your air conditioning system's air ducts can actually lead to condensation in your air conditioner. If the system is operating the way that it is intended, the moisture dissipates as soon as the system is turned off. If the air inside the house is too humid, though, that moisture can't evaporate. This leads to persistent moisture that can cause mold growth.
Dirt and Dust: Air conditioning systems draw in air from around the intake vent to cycle through the system for cooling. From the intake filter to the air ducts where the air is expelled, there are areas for dust and dirt to collect. These particles of dirt and dust provide a necessary food source for mold to survive.

How Do I Know if There's Mold in My Air Conditioning?

One of the first things you'll notice if your air conditioner is growing mold is a musty smell to the air in your home. Inspect the air ducts, drip pans, cooling coils and intake vents for any visible mold signs. These are the most common places for it to grow. If you're not seeing any mold in the air conditioner, but you're certain that you smell it, call an HVAC technician who can evaluate the system in greater detail.

How Do I Remove Mold From My Air Conditioner?

Removing mold from an air conditioner isn't as easy as just wiping it away. And, there are many small spaces inside the air conditioner that can be hard to reach when you're clearing away mold. You may find that working with a professional is the best way to ensure that you're getting all of the mold out of the system. If you want to do it yourself, though, there are a few things you need to know.

Always Be Safe: Before you try to clean out mold from your air conditioner, make sure that you have protective gloves and a face mask. This protects you from exposure to the mold spores, which may cause skin irritation and respiratory problems.
Make a Cleaning Solution: Add a half-cup of baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent to a cup of water. Spray this on the spaces where mold is visible, and let it sit for a few minutes before you clean it.
Clean the Mold: Wipe the treated area with a soft rag or a scrub brush. Then, wipe the whole area clean with damp paper towels. You may need to repeat the process several times before all of the mold is gone, but once it is, spray the whole surface with the cleaning solution and wipe it away one last time to make sure that there's no residue left behind.

For more information, contact Commonwealth Moisture And Mold Specialists Llc or a similar company.

Share

About Me

How many hours do you spend cleaning your home each week? Do you find it difficult to get to those difficult areas, like the bathrooms, as often as they need to be done? Have you considered hiring a cleaning service to come out and help you get the work done? I had never thought that I would be able to afford to hire a cleaning service, but my mother bought me a year's service for a Christmas gift. After that year, I hired the company on to come out and do just the three bathrooms and my kitchen once each week. To find out how you can schedule cleaning services to suit your personal needs, keep reading.