Why does my air con smell bad?
The most common cause of AC smells is a build up of dirt & bacteria in the AC system. If you’ve not used your AC for a few months, mould & bacteria can grow in the vehicle’s air-vents leading to a distinctive, mildew odour which is both unpleasant & unhealthy.
Vehicle AC systems are made up of small components where dirt & bacteria can get easily trapped. When you park your vehicle and turn off the ignition warm air condenses on the cold air vents causing mould to develop. Unfortunately, due to the positioning of the air conditioning components physical cleaning is not possible which is why we recommend a specialist, anti-bacterial treatment.
- Bacteria & mould build up is the most common cause of AC odours
- This build up is both unpleasant & unhealthy
- AC components are small & complex, making physical cleaning impossible
How to get rid of air-con smells
So what can you do to banish these nasty odours? There are two recommendations to eliminate odours from your air conditioning:
- A professional antibacterial system cleanse
- Pollen filter replacement
Air-Con cleaning
Thankfully there are specialist treatments available that are designed to cleanse the system, leaving it clean & fresh.
The most effective method is using a highly concentrated, professional AC system cleanser which is designed to eliminate the mould & fungi in the AC system which lead to unpleasant odours. These professional treatments eliminates odours at their source as opposed to masking fusty smells with artificial fresheners & fragrances.
The antibacterial system cleanse is quick & easy, taking around 15 minutes to complete. We offer this service in all our branches and it can be booked online for £19.95
Pollen filter replacement
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing your pollen filter (sometimes known as the cabin filter) at least every 2 years or 12,000-15,000 miles. This could be more often if you live in highly polluted areas or drive in the city.
As the name suggests, pollen filters are designed to filter out pollen, dirt, dust and vehicle emissions from the air before it reaches your cabin. However, as they’re such a hardworking component, pollen filters do have a relatively short lifespan and once they start to become clogged with contaminants and particles, they stop working effectively. This leads to allergens, particulates or even moulds getting into your cabin while you’re driving.
If you’re experiencing unpleasant odours our air con technicians might recommend a replacement pollen filter alongside the antibacterial cleanse. This is usually a straightforward job, with most pollen filters taking a matter of minutes to fit, however some vehicle models have pollen filters which are more difficult to access & change.