During the hot summer season, you have your air conditioner running. But suddenly, you start noticing some musty smell in the air that emits from your aircon. Just recently, the hazy havoc has hit Singapore and during this time, having a smelly aircon must be avoided in one’s household. The smoke that came in from their neighboring country, Sumatra, caused an uproar among the Singaporeans. This also put many homes’ indoor air quality into an ordeal.

The haze problem has fueled having unusual smelly odors, which allowed molds to grow on the unit’s damp surface– adding up the natural dirt and dust, which is a perfect breeding place for fungi and other microorganisms. Having a smelly aircon does not only cause comfort problems among people living in the house, but can also be a health threat for them. With these reasons, you have to find a way to get rid of that awful smell by dealing with its origin.

Causes of Smelly Air Conditioner
There are many ways to get rid of the bad odor from the air conditioner. But before getting into action, you must first carefully assess other elements that may have triggered this problem to arise. It might be because of damp carpets or clothes, dead animal remains, or rotten foods.

Some other causes of having a smelly aircon are as follows:

1. Large Aircon, Small Room
Your air conditioning unit must perfectly fit the size of your room– nothing more and nothing less. If your room is not too large, a 1-1.5 ton of air conditioning unit would be a good size to cut back on the humidity level of the room, thus allowing it to cool down and give cool air. But for instance, your aircon’s cooling capacity is larger than what you need for your room, it can create that musty smell. This is because the larger the aircon unit is, the more difficult it is to properly perform the latent cooling action that it needs to function. It will then be more inevitable for mold spores and bad smell to grow into your aircon unit.

2. Clogged Water Drainage System
Those air conditioning units that run for extended hours usually turn out to become smelly because of having clogged water drainage systems. The drain is usually blocked with dirt and other grime particles, which causes the water to stay back in the condensate tray, thus when it accumulates on a running aircon, it may spread a filthy rotten smell around your house. You can solve this kind of problem by simply removing the cover of your air conditioning unit and freshening up your condensate tray and drainage holes.

3. Improper Use of Air Conditioning Unit
According to some leading manufacturers of air conditioning units, emission of foul smell can occur if you are not using your aircon properly. If you constantly run your air conditioning unit into “low” mode, it can cause damage for the quality of indoor air. This is because dehumidification will not be carried out properly to the right levels. This may result in mold growth and smelly aircon afterward.

Ways to Remove Bad Odors from Aircon Unit

First and foremost, you need to check the cause of the smelly odor on your aircon. Check the filter, drain lines, drain pan, and even the inside part of your aircon. Watch out for obvious signs of dead mouse or mold growths that can be the cause of the obnoxious odor.

If the problem is your filters, you can simply clean it or, worse, purchase a new one. Many of the aircon units contain reusable air filters that can simply be washed and dried up as maintenance. You can use soapy water and a diluted bleach solution to clean this kind of mess. Make sure that you have cleaned it properly before putting it back into your aircon unit.

Make time to check your drain pan. Old water might be sitting in your drain pan for a long time now that it can cause mold growths, ending up with a really smelly odor. You can clean it easily by using a warm soapy water using your dish detergent. Rinse your drain pan well with vinegar or diluted bleach solution and allow it to dry before putting it back in place.

Set a regular cleaning maintenance for your entire aircon unit. Wipe down your aircon to make sure that there are no mildew or mold growing on it. Check your air vents to make sure that there are no mildew or mold on it.