How to Clean Mildew Odor From Air Conditioners

Mildew odor is not a welcoming smell, especially during the hot summer months. One source of mildew odor is your air conditioning unit's screen filter. This guide will outline a step by step process to eliminate mildew odor and to keep it from coming back.

Things You'll Need

• Basin
• Liquid disinfectant
• Toothbrush
• Newspaper
• Clean cloth
• Hand-sized whisk broom

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Instructions

• 1

  Open the front cover of the air conditioner unit and remove the screen filter.

• 2

  Place the screen filter in a deep basin. Place the basin in your kitchen sink.

• 3

  Run lukewarm water over the screen filter until the basin is 3/4 full.

• 4

  While holding the screen filter firmly against the basin, dump the dirty water from the basin into your toilet and flush.

• 5

  Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the water in the basin is clear.

• 6

  Fill the basin with lukewarm water and add a cap of liquid disinfectant.

• 7

  Go over the screen filter twice on each side with the toothbrush to remove any lingering debris. Rinse the screen filter and lay it out to dry on newspaper.

• 8

  Dump the basin in your toilet. Fill the basin half way with lukewarm water, add a cap of liquid disinfectant and your clean cloth.

• 9

  Take the whisk broom and dust off the air conditioning unit.

• 10

  Remove the clean cloth from the basin. Wring it out. Wipe it over the outside of the air conditioning unit and the inside of the screen filter cover.

• 11

  When the screen filter is dry, place it back inside the air conditioning unit. Turn the unit on. If a mildew odor still exists, repeat steps 1 through 11.