How to clean the air ducts in a car from dust

Many car enthusiasts are interested in the question of how to clean the air ducts in a car in order to remove the unpleasant smell in the cabin. Why is this question so interesting to so many? Because after a while a rather unpleasant smell reigns in the cabin.

One could put up with it, however, many people know that an air conditioner without maintenance can lead to serious consequences, such as infectious diseases. (Link to the material – “How to clean the air conditioner in a car”).

How to get rid of this smell? The first thing you need to do is check the ventilation system and remove all rubbish from there. Often, in order to clean everything efficiently, both ventilation and air conditioning, the instrument panel is removed. Removing a torpedo is a lengthy and complicated process (for example, 2109 and 2110), which is why many people do not want to do this. Of course, you can get by with such products as foam or liquid preparations that kill all bacteria, but such cleaning will not give good results.

HVAC System Cleaning Methods

How to clean the air ducts in your car and eliminate the unpleasant smell? The most popular way is to purchase a gas can containing antiseptic. You need to use it like this. First of all, you need to turn on the recirculation mode in the cabin, then turn on the fan at 50% of its power. Thus, we monitor where the unpleasant odor is coming from.

You can use a lighter to determine the air flow. Then you need to direct the balloon into the area so that the outgoing flow enters the air duct. Then we open the bottle. Then you need to close the car doors and wait 10 minutes for the cleaning process to take place.

What can you say about this method? Speaking on the positive side, this method will not take much energy from you. Disadvantages - this type of cleaning is not effective enough and will not completely eliminate the problem.

How to clean

For detailed cleaning of hard-to-reach places, you won’t be able to get by with just wet wipes or rags soaked in water. Since it is difficult to penetrate into these bottlenecks without special devices. Drivers resort to certain tricks and use toothbrushes or paint brushes.

For hard-to-reach places, there are special car brushes with three separate teeth connected at the base.

All these tools and brushes can be moistened with water so that dust can stick to the surface. It's also good to use alcohol or an alcohol-based solution to dip your brush into. If the brushes have hard bristles, then they will cope well with old dirt.

Method using foam antiseptic

This product should be used as follows: first, you need to remove the cabin filter and direct the entire pressure of the foam into the ventilation and air conditioning systems. After this, you need to start the car and warm up the cooling system. Such actions will allow the foam to expand, thereby allowing it to penetrate deeper. Then you need to wait until the foam settles for about 10 minutes.

The next step is to turn on the heater so that the foam begins to evaporate and the antiseptic vapors enter the system.

The procedure for cleaning a car air conditioner and disinfecting it

It is most justified (both from the point of view of rationality and ease of use) to clean the car air conditioner once a year in the spring before the onset of the summer heat. All work can be done with your own hands; fortunately, you do not need to have any special qualifications for this.

The process of cleaning a car air conditioner consists of three main stages:

Replacing the cabin filter;
Cleaning air conditioning system elements with compressed air;
Treatment of the car air conditioner with an antibacterial composition (disinfection).

Let's look at each of these stages in more detail.

Replacing the cabin filter. We have already written above about the importance of frequently replacing the cabin filter - it prevents the accumulation of dirt and dust on the air conditioner evaporator, the appearance of which can lead to mold and mildew.

Many automakers advise changing the cabin filter once every 30,000 km, but in our conditions and on our roads this needs to be done at least once a year or after a mileage of 10,000 km.

Cabin filters come in regular and carbon types. It is believed that the latter are better at retaining fine dust and odors from the street, but they are also more expensive than usual.

The procedure for replacing the cabin filter itself does not cause any particular difficulties even for novice car enthusiasts. To do this, you need to find in the car’s operating instructions where the filter is installed in the car, then use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws securing the filter cover, remove the old filter element and install a new one in its place.

Cleaning air conditioning system elements with compressed air. A car compressor for inflating tires is quite suitable as a source of compressed air. But if you have any other compressor, for example, a construction one, it will be even better.

First, the cooling radiator of the car air conditioner (condenser) is blown with compressed air. It is usually located in the engine compartment behind the engine cooling radiator. A stream of air blows away all adhering dirt and dust from the fins of the condenser.
After this, air is blown through the plastic air intake grille (located under the windshield of the car) and the air deflectors in the car interior. This operation will remove dust that accumulates there and does not come out naturally with the air flow.

Disinfection of car air conditioning. This is usually called the treatment of the air conditioning system with a special antibacterial composition.

Almost all antibacterial cleaning products for car air conditioners are based on a soapy chloro-alcohol solution, which forms foam when sprayed. It is applied using a tube through the air intake outlet or drainage hole. Dirt should then flow out through the drainage.

Keep in mind that if the evaporator is heavily contaminated, the aerosol only kills bacteria, while the environment for their occurrence (dirt) remains, so the smell of dampness will definitely return to the car interior again. Only regular replacement of the cabin filter can prevent contamination of the evaporator.

Thus, if shortly after antibacterial cleaning of the car air conditioner a strong smell of dampness appears in the car interior, then, most likely, only removing the air conditioner evaporator and washing and cleaning it can help in this case. But without the appropriate experience and equipment, you won’t be able to do this kind of work yourself.

A few tips for eliminating odor

First, you need to monitor your cabin filters. They must perform their task well. If desired, remove unnecessary debris and dirt from the filter between filter replacements. You should not skimp on the filter, as a cheap one may have gaps through which some of the unpurified air can get in. Such a filter will only cause harm. I think you have received the answer to the question of how to clean the air ducts in a car. There is one more recommendation.

Final Rule

. It is always necessary to dry the evaporator before the vehicle is left idle for a long period of time. To do this, you need to turn off the air conditioner in advance, for example 6 minutes. The fan does not have to be turned off. Since hot air will help the evaporator dry, thereby preventing bacteria from multiplying in a dry environment.

I really love it when the inside of a car smells nice. A pleasant smell does not always need to be achieved by installing a “stinker” or an air freshener. Sometimes it is enough to monitor the condition of the coatings in the cabin, clean it, not smoke (I don’t smoke) and behave as carefully as possible. However, I am never satisfied with just the order in the salon. External cleanliness is part of victory. It’s the same in the human body, no matter how much deodorant you spray on the smell and no matter how much you wash, if there’s dirt inside, I’m sorry. So let's start cleaning from the inside.

It turned out to be a day here, which I devoted to cleaning the Prius. I started, of course, with washing the car. Along with the car wash, they vacuumed the interior and polished the windows and other surfaces with special products.

Then I went to the dacha, where I opened up the whole car and started disassembling the dashboard and dashboard in order to clean the central air ducts. There are only 4 of them, everything is very easy to disassemble, we take it and pull it towards ourselves. For convenience, I ordered special plastic things from Aliexpress that help me poke around in the car.

After removing the outer casing of the air duct, simply pull out the inner one. And when you pulled it out, look at it carefully, it’s all covered in dust and soot. This is what you breathe and this is what has been with you in the cabin for years. We change cabin filters, use air fresheners, ionizers, air purifiers and who else? But the price of all this is insignificant, if right in front of our noses behind a small grate there is so much soot and dust that one is amazed.

Why do you need antibacterial cleaning of a car air conditioner?

To understand why you need to regularly clean and disinfect the air conditioner in your car, let's first understand how it works and works.

The car air conditioning system is filled with refrigerant. Under high pressure pumped by the compressor, the refrigerant enters the evaporator (heat exchanger located in the cabin), where it changes from a liquid state to gas, and is cooled sharply.

Moisture condenses on the ice evaporator, which mixes with dust in the air flow blowing on the evaporator. Over time, dirt accumulates and develops mold, mildew, and bacteria.

In order to reduce to a minimum the amount of dirt and dust entering the ventilation and air conditioning system with air, there are special cabin filters in cars.

But in addition to dirty air inside the car, other dangers may threaten the air conditioner:

Road dirt gets into the space between the engine cooling radiator and the car air conditioning radiator (condenser). This leads to impaired cooling of the air conditioning compressor and its breakdown, followed by expensive repairs.
Dirt is also a cause of corrosion of aluminum parts of the car air conditioner. Any microcrack can lead to a refrigerant leak, which again will lead to the need to repair the air conditioning system in the car.

How to make your own cleaner

If for some reason you don’t want to buy a car air conditioner cleaner (you want to save money or you don’t have the opportunity to visit the store), then there are several simple folk recipes with which you can make fairly effective products that can compete with factory-made compounds. For example:

Air conditioner cleaning hose

Chlorhexidine . This is a popular and cheap remedy, sold in pharmacies, and used in medical practice as an antiseptic. It is available in various forms, but to create a cleaning composition you need to buy a solution for external use with a concentration of 0.05%. After this, chlorhexidine must be mixed with medical alcohol in a 1:1 ratio. Another option for using this product is to warm it up a little and apply it without impurities using a sprayer inside the air conditioning system.
Chloramine . This is a less popular and rather rare liquid. However, if you have the opportunity to get it, then you need to dissolve it in the proportion of one tablespoon per one liter of water.
Lysoformin (specifically Lysoformin 3000). This is a fairly expensive modern drug used to ensure sterility on surfaces. Due to its high cost, its use is controversial, since there are factory-made air conditioner cleaning products that are much cheaper. However, if you decide to use lysoformin, then it must be diluted in a proportion of 50 grams of the product per liter of water.

It is better to warm up the system in advance by turning on the engine for 5.10 minutes. Next, use a sprayer to apply the solutions to the intake holes and into the system pipes (it is advisable to avoid getting drops on the impeller). You can also apply part of the product from the passenger compartment, having previously set the recirculation mode. At the end of the procedure, you need to turn on the oven to dry. As you can see, the cleaning process is similar to factory products. Please note that cleaning with the popular Chlorhexidine is best done at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, so it works more efficiently!

How to clean deflectors from dust, dirt and other harmful contaminants

The car has deflectors that must be periodically cleaned of dust so that a comfortable temperature can be maintained inside the car and your respiratory tract is protected from inhaling harmful substances.
However, if you clean only certain parts of the ventilation system, you will not be able to completely adjust the climate control system. Clean air and a comfortable temperature in the car interior depend on the operation of all parts of the ventilation system.

If you regularly use a vehicle, the ventilation becomes clogged with dust, dirt, grease from tobacco tar, and so on. As a result, it becomes dangerous to breathe in the cabin for both the driver and passengers. To avoid this, you should regularly clean the deflectors from dust, dirt and other harmful contaminants. After reading this article, you will learn how I showed a friend how to clean dust in stove deflectors, without any homemade products.

Car air conditioner: clean it or save money?

We answer the most pressing questions about the design and maintenance of car air conditioning.
Now we have begun to pay especially close attention to everything related to the microclimate or cleanliness. In modern cars, the “weather” in the cabin is provided by three interconnected systems: ventilation, heating and air conditioning. They can also become a potential source of bacteria or viruses. If you pay attention to their cleanliness, this can be avoided. Today we will answer the most pressing questions about the design and cleaning of a car air conditioner, and also try to instill a good habit: cleaning it before the start of the summer season.

Details

Reasons why you should clean the deflector in the car interior

If you use the car actively, especially in the summer, this will undoubtedly lead to contamination of the interior and devices that are designed to cool and purify the air.

Such devices include deflectors. After a certain period of time, they begin to become covered with plaque and become dirty, and as a result, they cease to cope with the task. For this reason, the deflectors must be cleaned regularly, otherwise the climate control in the car interior will be impaired.

REFERENCE! If the deflector is dirty, it begins to threaten the health of the driver and passengers.

To avoid this, you need to stock up on some tools and special products to help clean the ventilation system in your car.

How to clean dust deflectors in a car

To clean the deflector, drivers use different methods. Sometimes car owners disassemble the deflectors to clean them of accumulated deposits. This method is the most effective, but its implementation requires technical knowledge, without which you can damage the device during assembly, as a result it will begin to crack or break completely.

REFERENCE! If you are not confident in your abilities or do not have enough time, then it is better to choose a method of cleaning without disassembling the deflector.

One such method is steam cleaning. This procedure is standard and is included in the list of actions when ordering dry cleaning for a car dealership. However, it costs a lot, which is its significant drawback.

Mechanical cleaning of car deflectors

The easiest way to clean the deflector is to use ordinary paint brushes or thin paint brushes. You will need several pieces of different thicknesses. You should moisten the bristles with warm water, squeeze them out and walk through hard-to-reach places.

Drivers with children are usually more creative and often use slime for cleaning. They just need to tinker between the slats, where the plaque is located.

REFERENCE! The slime has a sticky surface, so it attracts dust and dirt perfectly.

A brush for cleaning blinds perfectly helps to cope with the problem of contamination of the deflector. You can also use a special narrow vacuum cleaner attachment, which is needed to get rid of dust and dirt between books and in other narrow places.

Chemical cleaning of deflectors

If you have more time, patience and experience, then to clean the deflector it is better to remove it and then wash it with a degreaser. If you are not sure that you can avoid damaging the device, you should use special car care products. An aerosol or foam is suitable for this. They should be sprayed onto the surface and wait the amount of time specified in the instructions. After this, you need to thoroughly wipe the surface with a dry cloth. The ventilation system must then be left to ventilate.

In car services, deflectors are cleaned of dust using professional installation. It is brought inside the machine and the recirculation mode is turned on, after which the disinfectant liquid turns into a fine suspension, reminiscent of fog. This suspension passes through all the internal parts of the air conditioner, thanks to which even the most inaccessible places are cleaned.

REFERENCE! This procedure costs approximately 1500-3000 rubles in the salon, if not more.

Types and features of air conditioner cleaners

Before proceeding directly to the review of popular products for cleaning car air conditioning, it is worth familiarizing yourself with their types and features of use. So, currently on the shelves of auto stores you can find the following types:

Using a foam cleaner

foamy;
aerosol;
smoke bomb.

Despite their diversity, they work on a similar principle. In particular, the active substance, regardless of its state of aggregation, is placed inside the air conditioner (on the evaporator), after which the system is turned on. This cleans the car air conditioner from bacteria, dust and dirt. However, to improve the effect, it is better to dismantle the evaporator and wash it separately. Do not forget also that it is recommended to change the cabin filter at least once a year. Cleaning your air conditioner is a great time to replace it accordingly.

Read also: How to remove super glue from glasses

Perhaps the most effective, and therefore the best, air conditioner cleaner is a foam one. This is achieved due to the fact that thick foam (from almost any product, regardless of brand) penetrates the tubes and cavities of the automobile air conditioning system, thereby removing all dust, dirt and germs. Aerosol cleaners are less effective, although there are some good ones among them.

It is worth mentioning the so-called smoke bombs. They are intended primarily for disinfection. After activating the checker, hot smoke containing quartz begins to intensively come out of it. Please note that such cleaning must be carried out when there are no people and/or animals in the cabin! The cleaning procedure takes about 8.10 minutes. After this, the interior must be thoroughly ventilated.

Detailed operating instructions are usually printed on the package body or additionally printed on the attached sheet. However, in most cases, the algorithm for using air conditioner cleaners is similar and consists of the following steps:

remove the cabin filter;
Apply cleaner to the air conditioner evaporator (as thoroughly as possible, on all sides);
close the filter element plugs;
raise the car windows and close the doors;
turn on the stove at maximum speed, but do not turn on the air conditioner, but set it to air recirculation mode;
Also add air conditioning cleaner to the drainage hole, and its residues may flow out;
wait the time specified in the instructions (usually up to 10.15 minutes);
turn on the stove in heating mode in order to dry the interior;
open the car windows and/or doors for ventilation;
Reinstall the cabin filter (preferably a new one);
make sure the air conditioner is working.

In some cases (if it is heavily soiled), the air conditioner can be cleaned twice. In case of very heavy contamination, when traditional cleaners do not help, it is necessary to perform mechanical cleaning of the device. To do this, it is better to contact a service station or a specialized car service.