Photo: NoobInNature NIN / Pixabay
Know how to clean the air conditioner – as well as other parts of the car such as the gas tank – it is essential not only to guarantee its good performance, but also to avoid bad odors that are released from it and even diseases caused by the dirt that accumulates in your system. Although it is most advisable to do it with an expert, we can also carry out this task on our own, following some simple steps :
1. Start the car at idle, that is, keep it parked but with the engine running.
2. Make sure the air conditioning is off. Then, turn on the heating and bring it to full power.
3. Close the windows and get out of the car, making sure all the doors stay closed for at least 5 minutes. In this way, you will disinfect the ducts of the system and eliminate humidity, which is mainly responsible for the reproduction of bacteria or other microorganisms that cause diseases.
4 . It is advisable to continue with the disinfection process using a special product that you can find in any specialized car store. To apply it, you will need to use a mask as a protection measure, that way you will be careful not to aspirate the product.
5. Apply the product, turn on the air conditioning and, as you did before, get out of the car to let it work for at least 5 minutes.
6 . After time passes, it will be time to turn off the air conditioning and open the doors to let the air circulate inside the car.
7. If you plan to use the car after this process, leave the doors and windows open for at least half an hour while driving.
Air conditioning maintenance can also be completed by cleaning the air vents . These cracks, which also tend to collect a lot of dirt, can be cleaned using foam brushes and a mixture of warm water, vinegar and lemon, according to wikiHow.
It will also be important to replace the air conditioning filter , the location of which may vary depending on the make or model of the car. To find it, you can consult the owner’s manual or check the dashboard, as it is almost always located underneath it, on the driver’s side or on the passenger side.
If after this you do not notice an improvement in the performance of the air conditioning, it is best to take the car to an expert who can give you an exact diagnosis of its failure.
You may also be interested in: Ford will open Ion Park, its new battery research and development complex for electric vehicles