Most of us get our car cleaned and serviced regularly at gas stations and workshops, but we leave out one important part unattended, the air conditioners of the cars.

Why should you clean the car’s air conditioner?

The air conditioners of the cars have become a standard option in every car nowadays and we use them every day year in year out. The compressors of the car’s air conditioners are tucked into the chassis of the car where it is pretty dark and has no direct access to sunlight; this makes it a good breading spot for bacteria and mold. When the air conditioner of the car is in use, we are actually inhaling this mixture of bacteria and mold-laden air. Constant exposure could cause allergies and respiratory problems in adults, children, and pets. However, it is not a big deal cleaning out this bacterium and mold and should be done at regular intervals of two to four months depending on the humidity of the area you live in. A well-kept air conditioning system makes your car more efficient too and helps in giving better mileage for your vehicles.

How do we know when to clean the air conditioner of the car?

The easiest way to detect if your air conditioner needs cleaning is when there is a foul smell coming from the air conditioners every time you use them. A moldy smell, foul odor of cigarettes and pets, itching of eyes, runny noses, loss of cooling or difficulty in breathing while the air conditioner is in operation are signs you need to look out for. The cooling of the air conditioner could be due to less gas in the compressor too. However, more often it is one of these reasons that would require immediate cleaning of your car’s air conditioners.

So, how can we clean the car’s air conditioner?

The process is quite easy and does not require any professional assistance if you understand the simple procedure behind the functioning of automobile air conditioners.

• You will need chemicalized air fresheners or odor eliminators—even a simple aerosol of Lysol should be enough too if you can’t get hold of anything else.
• The first thing you need to do is switch on your car and turn on the air conditioner to the maximum blast mode—with the temperature set to the lowest possible so that the AC’s compressor is working in full swing. There will be a blast of cool air blowing through the vents of the air conditioner into your cars.
• Now switch off the re-circulation button of the air conditioner of your car, so that the compressor of the AC is pulling in air from outside. The cooling would be a little lesser with this option, but our purpose is to let outside airflow in.
• Roll down all the windows of the car and step outside the vehicle.
• Now, look closely and you will find vents outside the vehicle, just below the windshield. If you move your hand over these vents, you can feel air being sucked into the compressor from outside. Spray the Lysol or odor eliminator generously over the vent, so that it is sucked in by the compressor, is circulated inside the vehicle, and exits through the open windows.
• Leave the vehicle running like this for fifteen minutes or so. The disinfectants in the spray will wipe-out any bacteria and mold breeding in the compressor of your cars. You may also leave the windows down overnight inside your garages so that the hazardous fume from the aerosol is completely removed from the car.

Most car ACs can be cleaned this way. For a few new ones, it’s even easier as you just need to spray the odor eliminator (not Lysol) just below the passenger and driver leg space where the vehicle’s suction ducts are present in the outside air circulation mode.