All air conditioning units need care and attention, including your window air conditioning unit. You can clean up and take care of your window air conditioning unit on your own, or you can hire an HVAC contractor to take care of your unit for you. There are four maintenance tasks that you should do on a regular basis.

#1 Clean the Air Filter

Most window air conditioning units come with filters that allow you to clean them and put them back in place. To clean the filter, just pull it out and rinse the filter off with some warm water and soap. Be very careful with scrubbing the filter; you don't want to damage it.

Over time, the filter will break-down. When the filter starts to break down, you are going to want to replace the filter. Depending on how often you use the air filter, you will have to replace it once or twice a year.

#2 Clean the Coils

The coils on the inside facing part of your unit need to be cleaned. Generally, you can just take your vacuum cleaner and vacuum up the dirt on the coils. However, at least once a year, you should clean the coils with an all-natural cleaner and then allow the unit to dry completely before using again. This type of deep-cleaning only needs to be done about once a year.

#3 Fix the Fins

The fins on your air conditioner face outwards. They should be cleaned off with a hose when your air conditioner is unplugged and turned off. Use a spray attachment on your hose to clean the fin attachments.

After you rinse off the fin attachments, check them out to make sure that they are straight. They need to be straight in order to function properly. If they are not straight, use a special fin comb to straighten them out. If you don't have a fin comb, you can use the edge of a knife to straighten them out; just don't stick the knife far into the air conditioner.

#4 Clean Out the Pan

Many window air conditioning units have a drip pan. The drip or drain pan is located at the bottom of the unit. There is a hole that allows the drip pan to drain to the outside. Over time, dirt can accumulate inside of the drain pan, and the drainage hole for the pan can get clogged as well.

To clean the drip pan, you need to remove the entire unit from the window and unscrew the drip pan from the bottom of the unit. Clean the pan off with some dish soap and water, and use the sponge to wipe off the bottom of your unit as well.

With a little care, your window air conditioning unit can last for a long time to come. For more information, contact your local air conditioning maintenance services.

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