Here’s how to do it. First, make sure your air conditioner is unplugged, then take off the front panel and remove the filter. If it’s covered in dust or hair, use a vacuum to clear away as much debris as you can. From there, wash your filter with warm, soapy water and set it out to dry.

Use the water hose spray to clean off loose debris (grass, leaves, etc) on the outside unit. Spray the outside unit with the coil cleaner. Wait 10-15 minutes as the cleaner foams and bonds with the dirt on the coils. Rinse the coil cleaner off with the hose.

The good news is that you absolutely can spray water on your air conditioner if it needs a cleaning, and nothing bad will happen. Spraying water on your AC’s condenser also helps it run more efficiently. In fact, your condenser needs a regular spritzing in order to keep doing a good job.

Tips for Caring for Air Conditioning Units

1. Replace Your Filters Regularly. One of the simplest and most effective ways of keeping your air conditioner working properly at all times is to keep the filters on it clean.
2. Hose the Unit Off.
3. Keep it Cool.
4. Keep it Covered.

twice a year

Surprisingly, we found that dirty air conditioner condensers often perform better than clean ones. The change in condenser coil heat transfer performance ranged from a 7 percent increase to a 7 percent decrease for the coils we tested. The average change was … none at all.

The most obvious sign of a dirty evaporator coil is an overall drop in system pressure. As long as you know what constitutes a normal pressure for your system, you should be able to tell if the current pressure is below that level. If it is, a dirty evaporator coil is probably your culprit.

While there are a number of commercially available coil cleaning solutions on the market, air conditioner coils can be cleaned with a solution of a mild household detergent and water. The detergent and water mix is applied to the coil using a low-pressure sprayer.

Other problems that can arise when your air conditioner coils are dirty: Decreased cooling due to your AC unit not running as efficiently. This means a less comfortable living space. Higher electric bills due to decreased efficiency and wasted energy.

Dirty filters restrict the flow of cold air which can cause it to build up inside the air conditioner. The final result could be the formation of ice on the coils. Clogged filters can cause allergens to build up in the duct system and then release into the air you breathe each time the system kicks on.

It’ll cost anywhere from $100 to $400 to clean your AC coils as a standalone service. For highest system efficiency, get this done every year and up to once per month. Condenser coil cleaning, the one located outside your home, happens during your annual AC tuneup for $75 to $200.

The Best AC Coil Cleaners

1. Nu-Calgon Evap Foam Evaporator Coil Cleaner. No-rinse solution.
2. Frost King ACF19 Air Conditioner Coil Foam Cleaner. Self-rinsing solution.
3. Nu-Calgon Tri-Pow’r HD Cleaner for Condensers. Excellent cleaning power.
4. ComStar 90-298 Coil Safe Coil Cleaner. USDA certified.
5. WEB Condenser Coil Cleaner.

Take your spray bottle, vinegar and water. Mix ½ water and ½ vinegar inside the bottle. Shake the solution well, and apply it to the evaporator coil and condenser coil. Vinegar will not harm the parts and is a very effective cleaner.

How to clean A/C evaporator coils using mild detergents and water

• Mix warm water and a simple detergent in a spray bottle, hand sprayer or garden sprayer.
• Apply the water and detergent solution to the evaporator coils.
• Give the solution a few seconds to a few minutes to soak in and loosen debris.