How to Clean Your Window Air Conditioner so it Runs Like New

How to Clean Your Window Air Conditioner so it Runs Like New

Does your window air conditioner seem to lose its ability to cool over these last few years? Does it seem like your air conditioner is working harder and harder? In this article I show you how get that old air conditioner to function like new again.

Remove from the window

Depending on the size of the air conditioner its best to take it out of the window if at all possible. Some air conditioners that cool large size rooms take almost two people to remove. If the unit is too big than we can try to clean it where it sits. Smaller units are easier to remove and you can take those out easily. Once removed you can take it outside in the driveway or garage. Where you remove it to will depend on what cleaning method you choose. I will discuss those options later in this article.

Remove the faceplate

When removing the faceplate there are two or three screws that you have to remove to pull of the faceplate. If your room air conditioner has knobs on the front remove those too. Take the faceplate and wash it. The easiest way to do this is to use the garden hose on it and spray out all the spray and dirt. When your done you can wipe it down with wet wipe to remove any excess dirt. Clean the faceplate throughly so it looks like new.

Remove the filter

Most air conditioner filters you have to clean as well. You can use a hose or compressed air and make sure it gets cleaned thoroughly. The older window air conditioners had replaceable filters. No matter which one you have make sure to replace or clean it so that no dust or dirt remains. If you use water just let it dry for a little while.

Cleaning the air conditioner unit

Now its time to clean the unit. The methods you choose to do so entirely depend on you. Its not enough just to clean the filter. You want to clean the coils and the fan. I used a garden hose and took the unit outside and sprayed water through the coils and the fan. Not only did this take less time it did a great job. If you use this method just let the water drip out. If you let it drip out for awhile you should be okay before you plug it back in. The electric motor is sealed and water won't get inside. You can use a tooth brush to clean in the coils but this takes a little more time. You can also use compressed air. I would recommend if you use this method use two cans of compressed air to make sure its throughly cleaned of any dust and dirt. The larger units you leave in the window you can use the compressed air, tooth brush, or drag a hose through to wash it out the back. However using water inside the house could make a mess. Better to use the compressed air method.

Dust and dirt makes the unit work harder and use more electricity. The unit will cycle more often when dirty which can cause blown fuses and circuit breakers.

Wipe it down

Once you have cleaned the coils wipe the unit down and put it back together. You can put it back in the window. Once you run it you will notice the difference right away. Not only will it look brand new but it will work like its brand new.

No need to replace that old air conditioner just clean it and watch it work like new.

2 Comments

Greg 2/28/2013
Thank you for your information as a former owner of a large window air conditioner service and warranty business I find that to many people fail to pull there units out of the window and really get them clean once and a while. I have cleaned thousands and here are a few more tips. Put a plastic bag around the motor, even though its sealed it helps with the bearings. Prop the ac up on one side that the water runs out as you clean it. Really clean the inside coil good with top job or simple green I always liked to know my air was recirculation across a clean coil.
Sometimes because the condenser wont come clean, you may have to remove the screws and very gently pull it out of its shroud to get it clean.It may take some strong detergent or even an electric pressure washer reviews, using the fan tip of course.
good luck

Juan Huang Lo 6/27/2012
LOL. "Coils"? Really. Perhaps if you knew the subject a bit better you would have earned the $25 Yahoo paid you. An air conditioner pulls room air through the filter and then the evaporator. The evaporator will not get horribly dirty for quite a few years. The dirt will accumulate on the room side. It is the condenser that generally gets fouled with dirt and the by product of certain trees; cotton wood trees are the worst! A fan blows through the condenser and blows particulate matter with it. You can tell it is clogged when you feel the output while it is running. Stand outside and feel the air coming out. It should be equal in the corners as it is in the center. If the air is weak in the corners, it needs cleaning.