What are the best car air conditioning cleaning products?

Car air conditioning is no longer a luxury item. There will soon be no such devices that would be considered a luxury left in the car at all, not counting the very exotic ones or those that you can easily do without. Climate control systems were previously considered for use only in those regions where the average annual temperature was very high, and the population could afford expensive items for comfortable movement.

Today, either the temperature on the planet has increased so much, or the public has become richer, but almost every production car in the middle price segment has air conditioning. This is, in principle, good, but the maintenance work has increased significantly. The air conditioner needs to be cleaned over time, otherwise it ceases to be beneficial and becomes downright harmful.

By the way, you can buy components for a car air conditioner here: https://starter.ms/components/autoconditioner

Why clean car air conditioners?

Maintenance of climate systems is due to the fact that they mainly breathe too polluted air, which simply prevents them from working. Columns of dust, constant garbage squalls in megacities and constant condensation can turn the device into a real apparatus for the proliferation of bacteria and diseases. Fungi, microorganisms and other nasty things thrive on a damp and uncleaned evaporator. This is their second home, and if they don’t clean the evaporator for a long time, then it’s their first. The need to clean the system arises when the first symptoms appear:

• water, moisture, evaporation in the air ducts of the ventilation system;
• an unpleasant odor accompanies every time the air conditioner is turned on;
• low efficiency of the device even at full power and at low outside temperatures;
• noisy operation of the device;
• The air conditioner may spit out warm air or not respond to the compressor at all.

This is already an extreme case, which indicates the need for urgent intervention in the design of the device, otherwise you can pay with expensive repairs of not only the evaporator, but also the compressor.

Air conditioner freshener Klima Fresh Plus

Liqui Moly Klima Fresh is an aerosol air conditioner freshener that, in addition to eliminating unpleasant odors, also fights bacteria and fungi, pathogens of various diseases - with regular use. Has a pleasant aroma. And it is extremely simple to use.

It is used both for showroom vehicle maintenance and individually by individuals.

Properties

The Klima Fresh air freshener contains a broad-spectrum biocide. This substance destroys numerous bacteria and fungi, making the air inside the car clean and harmless to health.

Its main properties:

• removal of musty odor;
• destruction of fungi and bacteria;
• air freshening and deodorization;
• increasing travel comfort.

In addition, the composition acts quickly, it can be used at any convenient time - without disassembling the ventilation system and special preparation.

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Application area

The product is intended for cleaning and deodorizing the air inside the car. For use only in car air conditioners. Kills fungi and pathogens, making your stay in the vehicle more comfortable and enjoyable.

Technical description

Instructions for use

Here's how to use this air conditioner cleaner:

• dry the outer surfaces of the evaporator using a car heater;
• turn off the device (air conditioning, climate control);
• set the ambient air temperature and the maximum air supply speed in the internal recirculation mode;
• Shake the can of air freshener thoroughly;
• bring it to the area of ​​the internal recirculation air intake (usually this is the place at the feet of the front passenger seat);
• spray;
• turn on the automatic stove at the highest power;
• Allow the air ducts and evaporator to dry.

After just 10 minutes of air circulation, the interior will be fully processed, removing all repulsive odors and pathogens.

Important! Klima Fresh Plus air freshener must be sprayed with the car windows and doors closed. You can open them after the product has been applied and the air conditioner surfaces have dried.

What is an air conditioner cleaner

A car air conditioning cleaner is, of course, not a specialty, but a chemical composition that works to clean the system completely or partially, with complete disassembly, partial disassembly, or without disassembling the device at all. It all depends on the degree of neglect of the air conditioner and the intensity of its operation. Cleaners work differently, everyone has different compositions, and each clinical case has its own dosage and composition. There are also universal remedies, but, like everything universal, except poisons, they work mediocrely. If the car is not old and the device itself is not too worn out, then there is a possibility that there will be no side effects from cleaning the device and all the work can be done with your own hands.

There are a whole bunch of manufacturers of this chemical and we will not list their names, because they do not pay us for advertising. Suffice it to say that all these products are presented in the form of sprays, aerosols and other easy-to-use formulations, and the higher the price of the cleaner, the more convenient it is to use. In order not to pay for a beautiful label and a fashion brand, you can prepare these compositions on your own based on chlorhexidine. There are also several of its analogues. It will be much cheaper, but that’s not the point right now. Any antiseptic can clean up the air conditioner evaporator if you want to play and experiment with their composition.

Review of recommended products

What is required to clean the air conditioner? First of all, you should buy a chemical that has disinfectant properties. Finding such a tool is very easy. It is sold in any specialized automobile store or even a car dealership.

Cleaning products from the household chemicals department: improvised products such as chlorhexidine are diluted with alcohol in a 1:1 ratio. Chloramine is diluted a little differently: 1 tablespoon of the composition per 1 liter of water. Lysomorphine, in turn, is also diluted, requiring 50 grams of the substance per 1 liter of water. Next, I will describe methods of using other most common means for cleaning car air conditioning.

Cleaning with an antiseptic spray: Using standard antiseptics such as Loctite Hygiene does not require training or professionalism. The main condition for obtaining results is to spray the product so that it gets on the evaporator. After some time, the active substance from the spray begins to interact with bacteria, kills them and the mold is removed.

This method is also very good because in addition to cleaning, the antiseptic spray creates a protective film on the evaporator, which will prevent the formation of new colonies of microbes and bacteria on it.

For maximum efficiency, simultaneously with spraying the spray, you should turn on the circulation mode of the car air conditioner at maximum speed.

Ultrasonic cleaning: the operating principle of such a system is simple, it can be found in household sprayers and air humidifiers. The membrane begins to vibrate under the influence of ultrasound, breaking the liquid into ultra-fine droplets that form fog. The effectiveness of this method directly depends on the antiseptic, namely on its quality. Most often, this method is found in services, since not everyone can afford such an installation that costs 22,000 rubles.

The ultrasonic method is most suitable for car services. An ultrasonic atomizer is placed in the car interior, and with its help the active substance enters the air purification system. The mixture is sprayed into very fine droplets, which actually form a thick fog. The product circulates through the system many times, thus interacting with mold and bacteria and destroying them. If necessary, the service can carry out partial disassembly of the system, dismantling the deflectors. The mixture is supplied to the evaporator using a special gun.

Hot Steam Treatment: Steam treatment occurs at high temperatures, which can permanently damage and deform the plastic parts of the air cleaning system. But if you take this factor into account and set the steam supply temperature correctly, you can get an excellent result, because in hot steam even the most persistent bacteria disappear without a trace without the right to return.

Destroyed fungi and mold are washed out immediately, and strong steam pressure can penetrate into the most secluded corners of your air conditioner, leaving no trace of bacteria. The nature of their appearance is very simple - when cooling after a long journey, the moisture is conditioned on the evaporator, thereby becoming an excellent breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria. The dust that settles on the evaporator becomes a breeding ground for more than 143 types of bacteria. Therefore, steam cleaning is almost the most effective way to disinfect and get rid of bacteria.

Operating principle of cleaners

There are several types of antiseptics, and to understand their principle of action, it is enough to study the biology course of any medical university in the first six months. In short, these compounds destroy bacteria, remove debris, dust and various types of contaminants not only from the evaporator, but also from the entire cabin ventilation system, cabin filter and external air intake ducts. Preparations that have a foaming effect are perhaps more effective, since the penetrating power of the foam is much higher than that of conventional sprays.

True, foaming agents are not so good at removing dirt from the evaporator, but they do a better job with air ducts. The technology for their use is quite simple and it is indicated on each package. You just need to remove the cabin filter, fill everything you can with foam, wait a certain amount of time, and then start the car and run the air conditioner. It’s better not to be in the car at this moment, because all the crap will fly around the cabin. After the first start, it is necessary to ventilate the interior of the car. The more thorough the better.

How to clean the indoor unit of an air conditioner?

So, now learn more about how to clean your air conditioner. It makes more sense to start with the internal unit - manufacturers usually make access to its internal elements as easy as possible.

First of all, lift the front panel and fix it in this position. By the way, many brands generally make this element removable: the device is more convenient to maintain, and the “door” itself can simply be taken to the bathtub and washed under running water - a lot of dirt also accumulates on the inner surface of the panel. Other outer parts of the body, vertical and horizontal blinds, and side surfaces also need to be wiped with a damp cloth.

Among other elements that require cleaning, the indoor unit has the following main parts:

• Filter or filter system.

In simpler air conditioners, only coarse mesh filters are usually installed, trapping the largest dirt - dust, hair, wool, etc. They are simply removed, first cleaned with a brush or vacuum cleaner, and then rinsed under running water. Don't forget to dry them thoroughly before reinstalling them!

But in more expensive models there are different filters and even their systems: carbon, photocatalytic, electrostatic, plasma and many others. Here you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Carbon, for example, simply needs to be replaced every few months, and photocatalytic - after a few years. And the plasma one is cleaned in the same way as a regular one - as it gets dirty.

• Fan.

There are two types of fans: with a removable impeller and a non-removable one. In the first case, it is washed right on the spot with a brush and water with detergent, and then dried by turning on the split system - the dirt will come out, so you should take care in advance not to stain the floor. In the second, it is disconnected according to the instructions and washed with soap and then under running water. This method requires certain skills, and if you don’t have them, it’s better to entrust the work to a master.

• Radiator and heat exchanger.

The outer parts of the radiator grille and thin plates of the heat exchanger are carefully cleaned with a brush or brush, without disassembling. It is also possible to use a vacuum cleaner at medium power. Dirt is brushed from top to bottom to avoid damaging parts. In case of heavy contamination, the surfaces are treated with water from a spray bottle (or simply with a damp cloth) and dried by turning on the device in recirculating mode.

• Drainage system.

It consists of a container in which condensate is collected and a tube that removes it (condensate) outside the room. Accumulated dirt can clog the pipe, causing the air conditioner to leak. We disconnect the pan from the board and the drainage hose and wash it under running water. But cleaning the channel is more difficult, and it’s better not to do it yourself. The fact is that blowing and washing the tube requires a compressor or a vacuum cleaner that works for blowing. And it’s better to do this alternately on both sides: from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. Therefore, before you clean the air conditioner yourself, you should think about which jobs are easier to do yourself, and which ones you should contact a professional for.

Cleaning air conditioners with aerosols and the price of compositions

Aerosols are even more convenient and easier to work with. Everything is like in commercials about automatic compounds that drive out nasty green-eyed microbes. The car starts, the air conditioning is turned on at full power, the can is placed on the seat instead of the front passenger and the spray is activated. It goes without saying that at this time the car must be completely closed, and the driver must be evacuated to a safe place. Frankly speaking, the instructions that talk about the direct harm of the compositions to human health and the long process of weathering the cleaner from the interior are somewhat alarming.

The price of the drugs ranges from 400 to 2000 rubles, depending on the level of the brand, the promotion of the outlet and the ease of use of the drug. But there is no way out, and if there is an unpleasant smell in the car and harmful bacteria are flying around, you have to spend money on a cleaner. Breathe deeply and clean air, fresh and spacious roads for everyone!