5 top tips to stop your air conditioner smelling

[@RebeccaBartlett-fv2gp]

Thank you, thank you for the tip to spray diluted tea tree oil into the a/c unit to get rid of the musty smell!!! You saved us $250-$300. We cleaned our a/c window unit at the end of year last year before putting it away & then again we cleaned it when we got it out in July. Believe it or not the thing still smelled funky!! So your suggestion was put to use & we sprayed the diluted tea tree oil into the filter system as I started it up. Now, there is no smell coming out of the unit whatsoever! 💋💋💋 Thanks a bunch.

[@dianaross5739]

Thank you very much for your video. My air conditioner doesn’t work, but the Smell comes from the air return. I put a quarter cup of water in a small glass dish and 20 drops of the tea tree oil in the dish. I put Small dish in the air return and blew air from a fan on it. In 10 minutes. The house was smelling fantastic. My sinuses feel good too. You are a genius. Thank you very much.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Thanks

[@AlexlovesAnnette]

Mine was so DIRTY had black MOLD GROWING IN in we have had HEADACHES ,STOMACH ISSUES, ACHYNESS, TIREDNESS FEEL LIKE THE FLU.....BE CAREFUL THIS BLACK MOLD HIGHLY TOXIC. MAKE SURE TO CLEAN THESE WITH BLEACH !

[@julianapatrick7451]

Oh you saved my life and I bless you SO much! Best advice ever!! Why didn't I think of that lol. I didn't know you could put oil in the mini split. Not just plain oil I know but it will wear off eventually and in the meantime it sticks to keep working! God's little cheap miracles! Thank you thank you thank you 🙏🙏❤

[@ravenarajeswary8501]

aaaaaah you're a life saver, the tea tree method worked amazingly! thank you so much, hope your days are amazing on you.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Thanks, I have Covid ATM, so your comment makes me feel better 💐

[@jasonlamson5545]

Thanks so much for this advice, had previously cleaned filters etc, but still a bit musty, the tea tree oil spray worked after reading a few other comments in regards to ratio and where to spray. Thanks so much for this simple fix and your content. KZbin....the answer to all lifes problems :)

[@SagarAbhishek]

Hi, Can you please help me with the ratio and where to spray?

[@Lizzifer7]

Thanks so much, it's great to have some tips! Never had air-conditioning before moving to Brisbane 😅

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Welcome to Australia 🇦🇺

[@dandel351]

Thanks for the info . Did a deep clean on my Mitsubishi split unit today and no matter how much I cleaned it I still had a smell afterwards. Gunna try the Tea Tree Oil and see how it goes.👍

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Get the water soluble tea tree oil

[@dandel351]

@@FullyAirconditioned Ok just like the other commenters, I gave the oil a go. And it WORKED !! I must say when you use the 100% pure stuff its bloody strong. I have 2 A/C units and I went a little over on the larger one as it smelled worse. But it's all good now. Your advice was great. I cleaned out the condensate drains as well to make sure we had no nasty stink coming back in the drain line. Thanks a lot. 👍😄👌

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@dandel351 thanks for the feedback

[@Alkacino]

Tea tree oil and water did the trick. no more dirty socks smell in household :) tnx alot. funny thing the AC is 6 months old but we dont use it alot..so the smell comes from water drain i guess. but oil and water thing worked. soo bye bye smell

[@mellio9077]

Awesome ideas, and on the tea tree oil especially. Thank you so much

[@rulinghabs]

Worked as advertised. Got did of that nasty smell.

[@hollycolotta9859]

Great video! To the point and great tips. going to try! TY

[@hueynguyen1688]

Thank You Very Much for the Tips . It WORKED ( Tea Tree Oil ) ! 😄😄👍👍👍

[@FullyAirconditioned]

No problem, glad to help

[@intheocean007]

This has been very helpful tutorial thanks 👍💖

[@GrimShizuri]

Letting the fan run did the trick for me. Thank you! EDIT: Never mind, the smell is back after 30 minutes.

[@mattmiegel]

I use the tea tree oil and it worked thank you so much you are a legend thank you again

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Thanks for the kind words 👍🏻

[@SagarAbhishek]

@@FullyAirconditioned Hi, I'm from India and I am facing the same issue with my 1.5 Ton Split O General AC. Thanks for the Tea tree Oil hack. Going by the comments, It seems to be a game changing solution. I Will apply the hack to my AC soon. 😇😇

[@davec5237]

Great. Thanks for the sharing. 👍

[@mellow301]

Getting the oil today. Thank you

[@dave3k]

Thanks for creating such an informative video. Just to be clear, we spray the diluted tea tree oil on the part behind the filters while it’s running?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Yes, spray it on the coil

[@madebyjovan]

Just cleaned my Mitsubishi AC this 3 weeks back and it started to have those foul smell. It's weird because it has never happen before :/ The pipe is connected to our bathroom where the water will drip and flow to our drainage (at a distance). Also question, for the Tea tree oil method, how often should we spray it?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@madebyjovan you can use the tea tree oil as often as needed, I would try disconnecting the drain from the point and see if it has any effect

[@madebyjovan]

@@FullyAirconditioned would love to try disconnecting the drain but the pipe is covered with PVC case. Might need to call in the AC guy to do it 🥲 will give the tea tree oil method a try first. But how many drop should I drip into a cup of water to dilute it?

[@kayekodak]

you are a god send. however dogs are very sensitive to tea tree sadly. i want to use this so badly as ee do not use chemicals. and ours has that musty smell. pls help

[@MeandMyself-r3i]

I can’t use it either, I have a cat. Any other suggestions? Thanks

[@Lizzifer7]

Put your animals in a different room or outside while you work on the AC. It evaporates after you let it run for a bit and the smell doesn't come back every time you turn the AC on.

[@simomustafah]

Thanks alot I have same bad smell like some one has pissed inside it .I think from cooking / mold I have ordered tree oil I will update you

[@FullyAirconditioned]

If it’s really dirty it may need a strip down and clean

[@simomustafah]

@@FullyAirconditioned service done only for cover they removed all cover and clean it but coil they didn't wash any way I asked the. To come back & wash it fully then I will use tree oil

[@chriskeo392]

Preventative measures The folks who has one that smells already needs deep cleany

[@2theCore777]

Hi mate, Is it best to spray the tea tree oil with the filters installed or with the filters off, spray straight onto the coil? Cheers 👍✌️

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Spray straight on the coil

[@2theCore777]

@FullyAirconditioned Should I do it whilst the unit running or spray it first & then turn on the AC ? Thanks for your reply 👍

[@dianaross5739]

I believe an American equivalent is 4 teaspoons tea tree oil to 10 TABLESPOONS of water.

[@EMail-tm9kr]

Thanks, just curious why is there a need for a water soluble type? I used 100% oil and ac still works fine. Also, wouldn't water soluble have other ingredients that may not be okay to use in the ac? Can you please provide an example of a water soluble type that would be okay to use?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@EMail-tm9kr soluble just mixes with the water better, but both work, but you will need to keep shaking the bottle with the non soluble

[@EMail-tm9kr]

​@@FullyAirconditionedthanks, makes sense. My concern is if getting the soluble type, I noticed ingredients are: tea tree oil, deionized water, SD-40 alcohol, and polysorbate-60. I'm not sure what polysorbate would do to the ac, but probably too small of an amount to be a concern. I'm more concerned with the alcohol, although great for cleaning, would that be enough of an amount to be considered a fire risk? In any event, how much should soluble be diluted with additional water?

[@kathy1310]

What about using Lavender Essential Oil instead of Tea Tree Oil, will that work as well?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

I wouldn’t use it on an air conditioner coil, stick with tea tree as it’s a proven method

[@kjs1973]

Good Aussie know how. Thanks mate

[@Naniwalife1]

Does spraying on the coils not cause erosion or rusting? I was told by a aircon cleaner not to 😮‍💨😮‍💨 I’m getting a urine smell coming out and it was only cleaned a couple weeks ago

[@FullyAirconditioned]

The coil get wet every time you use it in cooling, it’s not made of steel so it won’t rust, the people cleaning your unit are just trying to keep you using them. Give it a go it’s easy and can be repeated when needed, get the tea tree oil that is water soluble. 👍🏻

[@Naniwalife1]

@@FullyAirconditioned Thankyou!! Trying tonight 💖🥰

[@Cain-x]

@@Naniwalife1 Did this work for you?

[@godsbluehills]

How would you go about cleaning a package system with tea tree oil?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@godsbluehills a package unit as in a large roof mounted unit often used in commercial buildings?? you could do it just up scale to a pump up spray bottle and you would need to remove some panels to get to the coil.

[@RomaaPlays]

Have you looked into using Grapeseed oil as a non smelling alternative? or mixing the oil with a low concentrate of hydrogen peroxide and or baking soda?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@RomaaPlays no, if the smell keeps coming back we strip down the indoor unit and clean all components.

[@RomaaPlays]

@@FullyAirconditioned I have a unit that's only a few months old and I clean it constantly and it smells on fan mode sometimes still, even after I opened it and cleaned the internal components, I think it has to do with the fan wheel. I've sprayed it with different mold killers but smell always comes back... probably will disassemble and soak the fan in bleach 🤷

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@RomaaPlays is the smell coming from the drain ?? On a split system a small amount of air gets drawn up the drain pipe, if some one has connect it to the sewer you could be getting smells from the drain.

[@RomaaPlays]

@@FullyAirconditioned it's a u shaped window ac from Midea, I clean the outside unit every couple weeks or so. I was also suspecting it since the drain is connected to the outdoor pan. some have advised to drill a drain hole but that would make it slightly less effective since the fan throws the pooled water

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@RomaaPlays we don’t have those units in Australia, they don’t meet minimum energy efficiency standards. Basically all units in Australia have inverter compressors, you can get window units but they only very small capacity 2.0kw or 7000btu, any thing above this just doesn’t pass the standard. It’s a very small market for window units in Australia. Split type units with an inverter compressor is the most common and efficient.

[@juliede1708]

Thank you so much 😇

[@coachmomasry4843]

Is the tea tree oil is save for the AC’s coil ? and safe to use while there is kids ?and how to use it should I mix with water ?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Get the water soluble tea tree oil, and mix it with water. it’s sold in chemists as an antiseptic, can be used on small cuts and abrasions so I am guessing it’s quite safe.

[@Faisal_al_shammari]

Can i use mixer of IPA and water and will it be harmful is the futur

[@Lazyspaceout]

Question I have smell that comes and goes with the AC, do you know the problem?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

I am pretty good with air con, but not that good 🤪, try the tea tree oil it will kill any bacteria on the coil, when this bacteria gets wet it can smell

[@ahmedalsufachi3307]

Can i fix the drain by myself!? Is that easy ??

[@superpaolo2654]

How much tea tree oil and water do I need to mix for use on my window AC? Thanks

[@FullyAirconditioned]

One part tea tree oil to two parts water, get the water soluble tea tree oil.

[@superpaolo2654]

Thank you!

[@davegee1]

Great video thxs. Could I use tea tree oil in a spray can or does it need water with it? Can the air-con be running in heat mode to spray tea tree oil or does it need to be on cool mode? Thxs.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

If it’s in a spray can it’s probably already watered down, running it in cooling allows the liquid / vapour to condensate on the coil, if it’s in heating the it will just evaporate off quickly, less time to kill the bacteria.

[@IamDjKsmoov]

Thanks for this....

[@doctormusician8320]

I got the vinegary smell after i got it thoroughly cleaned. What to do?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Can’t hurt, trying the tea tree oil spray

[@nataliawong1469]

my split AC smells bad occasionally (I suspect it's ink smell) after switching it on for a few hours. I work in an ink factory. Is the outdoor unit able to suck air from where the inks are made? Or will the drain pipe suck air from the production area? Bcs I thought that the split AC does not draw air from outside, it only recirculates indoor air.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Correct, air from the outdoor unit dose not get drawn in to the indoor unit, but yes it could be drawing a small amount of air up the drain pipe.

[@nataliawong1469]

@FullyAirconditioned how do I fix this problem? Already asked the AC repairman to service the AC. Not sure what's the outcome. Previously this AC was leaking lots of water and they fixed it by adding a pump.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@nataliawong1469 if it has a pump it’s probably not sucking air from the factory, really the office space should have outside being introduced to give the office space a positive pressure and not allow the fumes in, but it all depends on the set up. Maybe you need to bring this up with your boss, ask if there is a possibility of improving the indoor air quality by having fresh air introduced to the office space.

[@passolaman6338]

I’ve mixed up some tree oil with water per your mix instructions (20ml / half a cup of water) how much do I want to spray in the unit please?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Enough to get the coil damp, just a fine mist.

[@passolaman6338]

Thanks for that

[@yamaworm3478]

My system is brand new and smells mouldy,it’s draining into storm drain outside,do you think that’s what it is?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

I would say so

[@Melanie____]

Oh man I had tenants and the aircon smells like them.. I don’t know how to fix it.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Give this a crack, you may need to do a few times, the only other thing to do is strip down the indoor unit and clean it

[@thatsballer]

What's the ratio when dliuting the tea tree oil?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Use water soluble tea tree oil, anywhere from two parts water to one part tea tree oil = (strong mix) Five parts water to one part tea tree oil = (regular mix)

[@Lloyd.B.]

Is tea tree oil safe for the coils?.. Lots of things can erode them I heard.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Haven’t seen any adverse effects, it’s not a harsh cleaning agent, it a disinfectant to kill bacteria and smells.

[@Lloyd.B.]

@@FullyAirconditioned It would be hard to tell without a microscope if something was slowly eroding the aluminium or any coating on the aluminium. Edge AI said it's PH 5.5 so that seems better than if it was strong acid or alkaline. And there is a product "Safe T Air" especially for air con so I expect it's ok. You should probably put in the description how much oil to water the mix should be, and that it should be the water-soluble type. I bet most people didn't see that comment and tried normal oil. I just checked the stuff I have and it's not water-soluble. The bottle you have in the video, "Thursday plantation tea tree oil", that doesn't say anything about being water-soluble on the website so far as I can see. I tried adding some 99% alcohol but it doesn't help disperse it in the water. I've only found one listing for water-soluble so far, and it's out of stock. Edge AI just said, " Keep in mind that the pH of water-soluble tea tree oil typically ranges from 4.0 to 6.5", so maybe it's not a good idea to use it, depending on what they use to make it water-soluble.

[@Lloyd.B.]

It kind of mixed into the Green+ cleaning liquid I use. It went white, so probably that's micro-blobs of oil. Did the roller fan blade too this time, it was pretty grotty, maybe the stench was coming from that. I also wondered if a big fat spider got caught and died in behind the coils. It smells a bit like dead mouse. Now I can only wait and see if the stench comes back.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Take the front cover off, there is a void where the pipe work can run, there could be a dead mouse behind the cover. The mice can come in through the pipe work hole, you can seal that up with “no more gaps” or “steel wool” or pack the hole with insulation.

[@Lloyd.B.]

@@FullyAirconditioned There's no way a mouse got in it, I put some plastic mesh on the end of the drain hose specifically to stop things crawling up it, and it's still intact. One would have to eat it's way though 5 meters of foam to get to the indoor unit. Stench seems to be gone so far.

[@mikaelmelendez1903]

Can you spray the oil and stay in the room and go to sleep with the smell, or is it dangerous?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Tea tree oil is quite safe, can be used on the body as a antiseptic for minor cuts and graces. I would probably treat the coil in the morning so the smell had dissipated by time you go to sleep, get the water soluble tea tree oil.

[@mikaelmelendez1903]

I just wanted to give you an update. So the smell of mold always comes back every week or week and a half. Do you think I might need to buy a new unit or hire someone to clean it?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@mikaelmelendez1903 strip down and clean

[@andyxgt]

Anybody got positive update after using the oil? I have a 1 month old unit out of 4 that smells only on fan mode, if the ac is running its fine. I am also seeing many types Tea Tree Essential Oil on amazon, are they all the same?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

One part tea tree oil to two parts water, get the water soluble tea tree oil.

[@gerinsz]

unfortunately, same case with me, the musty smell only come out in fan mode, but when the compressor running the smell gone, gonna try the tea oil solution

[@RomaaPlays]

smell comes back every couple days and have to re spray the unit. I would recommend a deep clean first then a mold inhibitor, then having the spray to use every week or so.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@RomaaPlays for a returning bad smell, strip down and cleaning the indoor unit is the best think to do 👍🏻

[@thissonggoeslikethis7186]

Does spraying the mix water oil create gel in the aircon fins? Because my wife has been oil diffusing and when our aircon was serviced, there so much gel created in it. Thanks

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Gel can form in the drip pan, its bacteria growth, Daikin units with drain pumps have an additive in the drip pan because a small amount of water may sit in the pan. It comes in a satchel or cartridge and just sits n the drip pan, it is supposed to be replaced each 6 months to a year. The tea tree oil is an antiseptic and should kill the bacteria, mix 20-30 mil with 1 cup of water and spray on to coil. Do it whole the fan is off so it runs down into the drip pan.

[@whatyousay9816]

@@FullyAirconditioned For further reference the spelling of so-posed to suppose.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@whatyousay9816 thanks fixed 👍🏻

[@user-qm7fl3ck5g]

Going to try tea tree oil and water 🤞

[@colin1235421]

Any guidelines on how much tea tree oil i should mix with water? And how much should i actually spray onto the aircon and how often can I spray.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

If you get the tea tree oil that is water soluble, 20 ml to 100ml of water, a very fine mist spray enough to make the coil damp. You can do as often as you like.

[@MaxHesh7]

​@@FullyAirconditionedYou didn't mention water soluble in the video. I didn't know there was more than one type. How do we know?!? My package doesn't say, but the insert does say it's good for household sprays.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@MaxHesh7 when you mix it with water it doesn’t just float to the top, if you didn’t get water soluble tea tree oil you just need to shake the water tea tree mix often as you are using it.

[@Gmod2012lo1]

Wait, I can spray antiseptics into the AC while it is running?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Yes, Tea tree oil (water soluble) mixed water, a light mist into the coil

[@johnrobinson7336]

spot on

[@x1625]

So, a bit of tea tree oil in water, for 200ml of water is that closer a smidgen a dash or a dollop?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

I guess it depend on how pure the tea tree oil is, the tea tree oil I was using was 100% pure, so I would mix about 5-10m/L with 100m/L of water. If the active ingredient is less then reduce the amount of water. I would do a weaker mixture as you can all ways add more tea tree oil to increase the strength.

[@TheMage1127]

Check to see if it is toxic to pets.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Always good to check

[@jeantarry6726]

It is toxic to dogs.

[@AsiAzzy]

I've installed two split units in two room. Same brand make and model in the same day. One is working ok, the other runs ok but smells bad. It was smelling bad since new. I've used air conditioning spray foam dissinfectant with no success. It look brand new. Installed a year ago. What to check? This unit has a shortened pipe at 1.5m out of original 3m and it has the pipes on the back not the side.. the hole is behind the interior unit. Any tips?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

We’re is the drain going, wall mounted split systems draw a small amount of air up the drain pipe, this could be the cause of the smell

[@AsiAzzy]

@@FullyAirconditioned The drain is outside the building. It's a short pipe through the wall slanted downwards. Drains by dripping outside from 8th floor.

[@vthomas260]

Same here, installed brand new Daikin Cora, two new units. one of them smells bad since new. Heater is okay but AC on cold is really bad.

[@kym712]

what's the proportion of tea tree oil and water?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

20 ml to 150ml water

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Best to use water soluble tea tree oil

[@kym712]

@@FullyAirconditioned thank you. is it okay to spray it directly in the evaporator coil? My AC smells like vinegar. Will this solution solve the problem?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@kym712 I don’t know 🤷‍♂️, just try it, are you sure it’s drawing smells from the drain pipe. Dose it only smell in summer cooling mode and not in heating mode. If so the smell comes from the coil getting wet, so the tea tree oil should work.

[@hankhillsdisappointedsigh]

What's a good ratio of tea tree oil to water?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

For deodorising and killing bacteria 20 ml in 1/2 cup water

[@hankhillsdisappointedsigh]

@@FullyAirconditioned Thanks!

[@SirMux]

Is the tea tree oil method safe to do with a cat present?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Don’t know, best to take the cat out of the room

[@tommylawson72]

Should you remove the filters before spraying the tea tree oil or spray onto the filters ?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Best to remove the filters

[@mitchp30]

We just got ours cleaned a few weeks ago, but for some reason it almost smells like an old pee coming out of it 🤔

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Try the tea tree oil it does work pretty well, it’s something you can do often..

[@DesiredMelanchony]

Is there another substitute for the oil? 😢

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Get the soluble tea tree oil, it’s a natural product and kills bacteria and odours and doesn’t leave a lingering smell. No I haven’t found a substitute.

[@RomaaPlays]

Grapeseed oil, no smell alternative

[@rinse3x]

What if I live in an apartment and don’t know where the drain is

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Try the 4 tips 1st, if there is still a smell and you can't get to the drain, mix up a tea tree water mix about 500ml, remove the filters and pour the mix onto the coli, a small amount at a time say 500lm over one minute. the mix will make its way to the drain pan and down the drain, this should hopefully kill the bacteria causing the bad smell.

[@kelliesabie]

I would avoid using essential oils of any kind near the plastic components. Or at least only use a few drops per cup of water. EOs are highly concentrated and can cause the plastic components to break down and fall apart. Seriously. Look it up.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Tea tree oil is water soluble, it mixes ready with water, goes slightly milky and fully evaporates off. Yea tree oil is sold in glass containers, not plastic because plastic will actually absorb one of the important compounds in tea tree oil, which will turn the oil rancid. Yes I do agree that you should avoid essential oils but tea tree oil is different, thank you for taking time to comment.

[@edubb2491]

How about good old lysol?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@edubb2491 tea tree oil is good as the sent doesn’t come back when the coil becomes damp when cooling with condensation. I don’t think we have Lysol here in Australia, guess it’s something like glen20.

[@DJarry394]

The directions tell you not to use detergent on the plastic casing. Thanks for the tip. I will aim at the metal part. I tried Meyer’s Clean Day room freshener once, but the stink comes back. It goes away after it runs. My concern is mold.

[@GuillaumePaulMarcel]

I thought Dmitri Medvedev was a politician, not a HVAC technician.

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Sometimes I dabble in both, ha ha

[@meas8098]

what if i spray perfume into the aircon filter?

[@FullyAirconditioned]

I don’t know, I’ve never sprayed perfume on air-conditioners filters, the reason I say to use tea tree oil as it is an antiseptic and will kill bacteria that cause odours

[@DJarry394]

Easy

[@TheMage1127]

tea tree oils I meant to add.

[@suthakarsenthooran1384]

New ac smell what problem

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@suthakarsenthooran1384 how new ?? Have you checked all the points in the video ??

[@mattx0825]

Not helpful at alll…..

[@FullyAirconditioned]

Comment not need at all……

[@mattx0825]

Was hoping to hear some useful tips ,,, instead you wasted my time I’ll never be available to retrieve and you got a view added to you account for this … soo yess very much needed ….

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@mattx0825 can’t believe you’re waisting more time bothering to comment again,or is this your thing, leaving negative comments on KZbin video ??

[@mattx0825]

Are we not allowed to voice our opinion???

[@FullyAirconditioned]

@@mattx0825 maybe you should just stick to your funko pops toys and WWE videos