Just like with any part of your house, mold can grow inside your air conditioning unit. Unfortunately, it can cause severe problems to your AC which may lead to a complete unit replacement.
In this blog, we’ll talk about how mold grows inside your air conditioning unit, how to prevent it, and how to remove it if it happens.
How does mold grow inside your air conditioning unit? 
Mold grows because of the presence of humidity and moisture in your air. They develop in your air conditioning unit when there’s a moisture build-up inside it.
Mold builds-up can be caused by a leak or spill inside your AC when it’s not cleaned properly.
The primary parts of your air conditioning unit that are prone to this leak are the condenser and evaporator as they are the ones in charge of condensation to produce cold air.
Aside from this leak, the presence of dust in your air conditioning unit also contributes to the growth of mold.
Dust particles are a good food source for mold spores, making them thrive in an environment. The worst part is that these mold spores waft through the air, spreading mold all over your house.
While it may be tricky to open your air conditioning unit, there are common signs on how you’d know that there’s a mold build-up inside your air conditioning unit. Here are some of them:
– Musty smell inside your room, especially when the AC is turned on.
– Black sports on the ceiling, around your AC unit, drip pans, and air ducts.
– You experience allergy-like symptoms when using your AC system.
What happens when there’s mold in your air conditioning unit?
Mold is considered a fungi. They play a special role in the ecosystem just like any other living organism.
The presence of mold in the outdoors helps in the decomposition of dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees. However, when they develop indoors, they can be pretty dangerous to you and your home appliance.
Health hazards 
The presence of mold spores in the air can cause allergy-like symptoms like stuffy nose, wheezing, red and itchy eyes, and skin itchiness.
Unfortunately, people with asthma and allergic rhinitis may develop more severe reactions, such as fever and shortness of breath.
AC failure
The presence of moisture in the air increases its temperature, which means the AC needs to exert extra effort to achieve its target room temperature.
Aside from this, mold may hinder the performance of the evaporator and condenser. This would create a domino effect of malfunctioning that will lead to AC failure.
House damage
Mold may feed on your home furniture and other areas of your house, especially those made of wood.
They would cause their materials to cripple and disintegrate, which may cause severe damage to your home.
How to prevent mold inside your air conditioning unit?
Fortunately, preventing mold build-up inside your air conditioning unit is simple. As long as you do these things regularly, you can prevent your AC from failing due to mold.
Regular cleaning
It’s best to clean your AC every month, especially during summertime when you use it continuously. The cleaning process includes replacing air filters, using an anti-mold disinfectant, brushing coils, and keeping air ducts clean and dry. As much as possible dust off grates and vents every week to avoid dust accumulation.
Maintain the drain pans
Standing water in your AC drain pans is the main cause of mold build-up, so make sure to drain its pans every day.
When your AC system has a drainage system, see to it that it’s working properly and not holding water inside the unit.
Use a dehumidifier
At times, the build-up of mold is not triggered inside your AC system but within your room. When this happens, you tend to feel warm despite your AC being on its lowest setting. This will force your unit to work excessively. It’s best to get a dehumidifier to clean the air.
How to get rid of mold inside your air conditioning unit?
When there’s a mold build-up in your AC, here’s a quick DIY solution that may help you get rid of it: 
- Wear safety glasses, a face mask, and gloves as molds may be irritating to your skin and eyes.
- Remove your AC unit and place it outside to avoid spreading spores around your home.
- Open the AC unit and use a blower to remove dust and debris within your unit.
- Prepare a cleaning solution made of water and bleach.
- With a clean towel, use the solution to clean the filter and other parts of the AC unit affected by mold.
- Use a different towel soaked in water to remove the solution within the AC. Avoid touching electrical parts.
- Let your AC sit and dry before placing it back inside your house.
It’s worth noting that this DIY solution only works for mild mold build-up. If your AC system is fully covered with mold, including electrical parts, it’s best to bring it to professional maintenance service providers.
This will help you reduce the risk of damaging the motor of your AC which will lead to a complete replacement of your air conditioning system.
Prevent mold from taking over your air conditioning unit.
Mold might be microscopic, but they can bring great damage to your air conditioning unit. Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening with the right maintenance procedure.
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