Have you ever detected a noxious, funky scent in your house or office but couldn’t find the source? You may be surprised to find its stinkiness may be located quite literally under your nose— in your air conditioner. Yes, your air conditioning unit could actually be the source of your odor. In today’s article, we address the gross why your air conditioner can sometimes smell bad, and provide fixes for it.
The issue is skin squames and bacteria.
Air conditioners are pretty cool creations that help keep us comfortable in all of the seasons in our lives. The catch is they have to be maintained and cleaned, because without maintenance and cleaning-they can be a base camp for unwanted bacteria who like to partake of human shed skin flakes, known scientifically as “skin squames,” as a food source.
This is meaty how it works: When your air conditioning unit works to circulate air… it is inevitable that it takes in small bits of dust, pollen, and yes, your skin squames. Inside, skin squames become a buffet for the bacteria that live in the air conditioning unit. When the bacteria eat the protein in the skin squames, they produce a steaming potluck of awful smells that include ammonia, ( smells like pee) and volatile fatty acids ( smells like stinky feet).
The Solution: How to Get Rid of Bad Odors
Now that you have identified the offending foul odors, let’s take a look at how to get rid of bad odors and breathe fresh air again.
Cleaning And Maintenance:
The best practice for keeping odors out of your AC system is to keep it clean and having routine maintenance. Here are a few things you can do:
Replace or clean filters frequently: Dirty filters collect dust and allergens, even skin squames. So to maintain clean and fresh air flow in your AC system, you should frequent cleaning or replacement of filters in your air conditioner.
Clean evaporator coils: The evaporator coils will also get dirty or grimy overtime creating opportunity for bacteria to breed; If you want to have this part serviced, hire a professional who will clean your coils to keep system operating efficiently and effectively.
When we talk about odors, besides AC cleaning, the other important thing is keeping it dry. Keeping your system dry will help with odors….lightly increased moisture can perpetuate the problem. Make sure your drainage system in the air conditioning unit works perfectly, and that there are no leaks or excessive humidity underneath, around, or on top of the unit.
Air Purifiers:
Using air purifiers with HEPA filters in your residence or office is an option. Air purifiers can catch any airborne particles in your air conditioning system, including skin squames.
Odor Eliminators:
If after all of the above, your odor problem continues, it may come to using odor eliminators or air-fresheners designed for this purpose in a HVAC system in the space, as they do help to absorb unwanted odors and help your indoor air to smell fresh.
Your air conditioner could be dressing funky, but you can proactively do something to stop this. With cleaning, maintenance, using air purifiers and odor eliminators, you can stop odor issues to help allow fresh air indoor again. Time to ditch those odors and have a more pleasant indoor air quality!
Fixing bad odors is another story but keeping your AC running effectively saves you money. For one of the best long-term care practices, ask if the air con compressor should be chemical cleaned.
