It is not good to have mold in AC vents. It can create a smell that will be embarrassing for a homeowner when guests are in the house.
In addition, the mold can grow in the hidden areas of the AC where the detection is difficult such as the AC vents, as this is the natural spot for mold to grow.
However, if you found it in your AC vents or detect an odor coming from your AC, then the mold may have grown in it. If you are looking for solutions, then you have come to the right place.
As in this article, you will get to know all the details, symptoms, causes, and how to deal with the mold growth in AC vents. So, let us start exploring the info about it.
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Mold in AC Vents Symptoms
Mold can grow due to various reasons. If you want to know that there is mold growth in your AC vents or not, then you can notice it for the following symptoms.
- Foul odors are the most significant indication of mold growth, so when you turn on your AC and smell foul, then there is mold in the AC vents for sure.
- If you feel difficult to breathe when AC is on
- Mold can get different shapes and might appear on the sides and the covers of the vents in dark dots.
- Feel irritation eyes, nose, and throat when AC is on if the people are allergic to mold
- The people with weak immune system find difficulty to survive in AC if it has mold in the vents.
Thus, all these symptoms indicate that there is mold growth in your Air Conditioner vents. It should be fixed before it causes more severe threats.
How to Clean Mold in AC Vents?
When you have found mold in your Air Conditioner vents, then no need to panic. Just relax and apply some remedies to remove the entire mold from your AC. You can clean the mold by yourself if you will adopt protective measures like wearing gloves and glasses.
You can use the mold removers that are registered and available in the market. And you can also apply some home remedies to get the mold out of your AC vents. You can do it as follows.
- First of all, you will need water, detergent, and baking soda. You can also use bleach in place of detergent and baking soda.
- Turn off the AC and open the vent grill. Clean the grill of the vents too for completely removing mold to make sure it will not grow further.
- Vacuum the AC for any dust or debris.
- Spray the solution of the products mentioned above in the AC vents to clean the mold from them. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- You can also spray the soapy water in the AC vents.
- Now use a disinfectant to kill the mold inside the vents and prevents their further growth. Use a mop to go deep into the AC vents.
- Then make sure that it has dried out completely to have no chances for the mold growth left.
- Attach the vent grill to the AC and discard all the tools you have used directly on the mold removal procedure, like gloves or any clothes.
How to Clean Mold from Air Conditioner Ducts?
You can clean the mold from Air Conditioner Ducts by following the below steps.
- At first, you will require the cleaning material. You can use the products found easily at your home, like water, baking soda, and detergent. Mix half tablespoon baking soda, one cup of water, and one spoon of detergent and fill a spray bottle with this material.
- Turn off the AC. Beware of wearing a mask, gloves, and glasses before start cleaning AC ducts.
- When you have reached AC ducts, you need to spray the solution with noticed mold. You can also scrub the place with a cloth or brush if the mold is rigid.
- By this method, you will get rid of the foul smell caused by the mold. But if it is still there, then you can hire a professional for this purpose.
How to Clean Mold from Air Conditioner Coils?
You have to clean the Air Conditioner Coils once or twice a year. This is because the mold growth can cause issues with the pets and the people when the Air Conditioner is on.
You can clean mold from Air Conditioner Coils as follows.
- It would help if you vacuumed the coils with a soft bristle brush or the cloth but made sure that the fins did not damage the scrubbing process.
- Use an ankle coil cleaner to wet clean the coils. In this way, you will get a shiny look at the coils that you cannot get with home remedies.
- After clearing all the debris, apply a mold inhibitor that will work as a protective shield until cleaning for the next time.
- Also, use some odor control products to get great smells whenever AC is working.
Does Vinegar Kill Mold in Air Conditioner?
Vinegar has been used in all the cleaning hacks. It can also be used to kill the mold in Air Conditioner. Add the vinegar to the spray bottle and spray on the mold spot and then leave for some time. You will surely get good results, and you can also use it by combining it with other cleaning products.
What Causes Mold in Air Conditioner?
There are the following causes of mold in Air conditioners.
- The oversized AC
- AC is running at low temperatures.
- Duct’s leakage
- AC unit is a leak
Is Mold in Air Conditioner Dangerous?
Yes! The mold in Air Conditioner can be dangerous as it can cause cough, diarrhea, nausea. Allergic people might get seriously ill with the odors, and the AC can be damaged with the mold. So, it needs to be prevented from staying safe and healthy.
How to Prevent Mold in Air Conditioner?
To prevent mold growth in your AC, you need to do the following steps.
- Make sure to clean the drainpipes regularly.
- Change the air filter once after a month or two.
- Use a disinfectant
- Apply mold inhibitor
- Always keep the Air Conditioner ducts dry as the moisture is the favorite place for mold growth.
- Make a regular check on air intake as these are very near to the mold to grow.
This way you can prevent the growth of molds in AC vents.