BLOG

Your air conditioner keeps you cool and comfortable during the summer, but it comes with its drawbacks. Of course, these issues certainly don’t warrant you keeping the AC off during the hottest months of the year; doing so would make you lose sleep and can even expose you to dangerously high temperatures. However, you should take measures to prevent your AC from making you ill.

There are many illnesses associated with air conditioners, including asthma, seasonal allergies, and more. But these aren’t ordinary issues. Poor maintenance and general negligence makes your AC into a dirty, dust-filled system that can affect your health.

So, if you want to stay both cool and healthy, follow these AC care tips. Here’s how to have a safe and healthy summer indoors while running the air conditioner.

Replace Your Filters

Air filters are designed to trap dirt, dust, and dander, and keep them out of your home. However, they can only hold a certain capacity of air contaminants, and once they’re full of such contaminants, they’ll lose their ability to filter your air. Worse, they may start dropping dust bunnies and other gunk back into your vents. Your return air vent and the air conditioning unit have filters that should be changed every month or every 3 months, depending on the type and location. Talk to an AC repair specialist to get a recommendation. 

Hire Professional AC Cleaning

Sometimes, the inside of an air conditioning unit can become incredibly dirty. Dirty fans, condensers, and related parts can contribute to dirty air, even if you’re committed to replacing your filters regularly. Never attempt to DIY this job. You can damage sensitive components of your AC unit, at best, and electrocute, cut, or burn yourself, at worst. Call an air conditioning technician for a thorough cleaning job.

Hire Professional Duct Cleaning

Dirt, dust, and dander can also accumulate inside of your air ducts. What good is keeping your AC and its filters clean if the air is just going to blow through dirty vents? Air that moves through your ducts will simply collect the contaminants and distribute them out of your vents and into every room of your home. Dirty ducts can contribute to incredibly poor indoor air quality, which can make you and your family very ill. 

Address Standing Water

Standing water in the drain pan under your AC unit can become rancid, especially once mold locates the standing moisture. If the drain pan overflows, the air around your AC unit can become moldy and stinky. This can make your indoor air musty and dangerous to the senses. Fungal spores in the air can trigger asthma attacks, allergies, or worse. If you notice that your air conditioner is dripping water, contact an AC repair specialist as soon as possible. They’ll remove the standing water and address the cause of the problem.

Follow the above tips to keep your air conditioning unit and all of its related parts clean. Cleanliness keeps you healthy by improving your overall indoor air quality. The air you breathe matters. Keep it clean. Remember that you can contact AC maintenance and repair professionals near you for general advice on improving your indoor air quality.