How to Clean a Moldy Midea U-Shaped AC Air Conditioner | NOT EASY!

In this video, I clean my Midea U-Shaped AC. I thought that I was going to take it apart or at least take the front panel off and that wasn't the case. This might be the best way to clean it or the worst? Not sure! If you have ever cleaned this AC or one similar to it, let me know in the comments how it went for you.
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Videos produced by The Fixer are provided for informational purposes only. All material provided within this video is for informational, educational, & entertainment purposes only. Some of these projects, materials, and techniques may not be appropriate for all ages or skill levels. Please use all safety precautions while following any instructions or concepts provided by this video. Viewers must be aware that by doing projects on their homes they are doing it at their own risk and The Fixer cannot be held liable if they cause any damage to their homes. It is the sole responsibility of the viewer to educate themselves on their local codes and regulations before undertaking any sort of project. Always have safety in mind and have fun!

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

Buy the Midea AC here- amzn.to/3Lg1FOT Watch the installation and review video here- kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqbbZXV7gM6obM0 Subscribe to my channel- bit.ly/Fixer2 Thanks for watching! 😃

[@stocksconfidential8862]

Are their any window air conditioners that are meant to be taken apart to clean?

[@marcb.hankin6792]

You should not be recommending this product to anyone. 'm going to send Consumer Reports (which recommends this product) a link to this video. It's my opinion that the fact that the product is prone to creating mold and that cleaning it is impractical if not impossible, creates a reasonable basis for concluding that the product has a design defect that should have been disclosed to purchasers who were deceived. Midea's tech support tel. line told me yesterday, August 5, 2024, that mold only occurs if the product isn't used properly. What a joke. They also told me that the only way to clean mold is by using water with baking soda. But a Google search reveals that baking soda does not kill all the molds that develop in air conditioners. I'm going to report this also to the FTC.

[@stocksconfidential8862]

@@marcb.hankin6792 Good for you. I have one of these as well and its scaring me to use it

[@marcb.hankin6792]

I cannot thank you enough for the video. I'm going to send Consumer Reports (which recommends this product) a link to your video. It's my opinion that the fact that the product is prone to creating mold and that cleaning it is impractical if not impossible, creates a reasonable basis for concluding that the product has a design defect that should have been disclosed to purchasers who were deceived. Midea's tech support tel. line told me yesterday that mold only occurs if the product wasn't used properly. What a joke. They also told me that the only way to clean mold is by using water with baking soda. But a Google search reveals that baking soda does not kill all the molds that develop in air conditioners. I'm going to report this also to the FTC.

[@lilia8138]

The same problem, my new Midea can not be used because of mold and it is impossible to get to contaminated areas. Customer service is a joke.

[@-P.V]

MIDEA has a design flaw, and Midea will not take any accountability. Midea customer rep didn't even know there is a new production U shape model. Model# with a V (no drainage holes) is the older unit and newer February 2024 model# with a U (has a drainage hole). Midea should be replacing any unit that has the design flaw (model# V) and was purchased through an authorized dealer. Again, Midea will not take accountability for their design flaw. Report to BBB and Consumer Affairs to get the ball rolling. A design flaw is always at the fault of the manufacturer. If you have the older model# V mildew/mold build up will occur rapidly. Model# V has a design flaw and should have been recalled. No excuses.

[@lilia8138]

@@-P.V The thing is that after disassembling the air conditioner, we discovered that the drainage hole in the back will not affect the mold in the front in any way, they are connected only by a tube through which freon flows and the control unit wires. Yes, there is a terribly slimy mass in the back, but the mold itself was in the front, moisture accumulates there too, and has nowhere to go. After we washed the fan and cleaned everything there, we stopped turning it off at all, at night on fan, and so far there is no mold smell.

[@snoozieq4584]

I love that you were using distilled white vinegar! Best all around cleaner, ever! I would have tried one of those hand held steam cleaning brushes with white vinegar and water solution. A 1:1 solution. Spray the fan blades and let it soak to loosen the mold/dirt accumulation first of course then hit it with the steamer brush. There has to be a better way to access the blower fan. Cleaning it, just like the dust trap/filter is routine maintenance. Love the video! Thank you for sharing!

[@walterbordett2023]

I helped a friend clean a large window unit whose condensor section was totally clogged with debris and dirt and mold. We took off the outer covers and put the entire unit into a bathtub and used spray cleaner and a hose to really clean it out. Then we used the discharge air from a shop vacuum to speed up drying the unit out. Worked fine. Was not easy or fast, but it did work out. This split unit is a pain to disassemble but IMHO if you want to do a good job, you need to get the blower and the evaporator coil (coil on the cool side) both clean of mold and dirt. Might be work looking onto more major disassembly.

[@peterfritzsche5930]

So I had a mold issue in my U unit, and I found that disassembling the front to remove the fan blower wasn't too difficult once you knew where all the screws were. To clean the blower wheel I just used my pressure washer on a low power setting/cone, and that cleaned the blower wheel in a few minutes. All in all, it took me maybe 3-4 hours, but that includes about an hour struggling to clean the wheel before using the pressure washer, and extra time spent watching the disassembling video and finding all the screws.

[@airconputerTV]

Great job. Thanks for sharing this video

[@NickChristianMacDonald]

thanks for vid. dont' know if it's been said yet, but, if you clip the top center peg of the metal part, it is MUCH easier to take out to clean, and then place back in. i even clipped the bottom right section of the metal wiring in order to avoid the plastic peg that is in the way.

[@MikeTheFixer]

Finally bought one of these after seeing your video long time ago. Love it so far , but yes mold to come. I had an old a/c that would run just the fan after shut down to dry the evaporator. Think il start doing this. -vinegar, paint brush maybe? Air compressor? ( but where will it blow the crap too) all things il try eventually 🛠️

[@laquandaboney2547]

I simple use some industrial strength white vinegar and spray all of the insides and outsides and let it dry. I also clean the filters with vinegar and water. I agree that if I break the AC that I’ll just get another one- can’t buy another life, but so far no issues with spraying everything with vinegar and letting everything dry for 24 hours.

[@Truthwillsetufree722]

Alcohol is good too

[@spaceburger80]

This is most definitely the easiest way to clean this component, no question.

[@AffectionateDriftwood-vr2sf]

You'd think the manufacturer would male it an easier process like a click and remove system so it can be cleaned properly, or maybe they need this to show that it's not probably as good as pther models. In the uk....we just open windows haha that is our air con but in the recent heat we've had, walking fully clothed into the water on a crisp blue beach was great but u can't do that every day! Maybe something you can talk to them about in upgrading its potential! Could be a good sponsor...who knows but love the try it attitude.

[@abansalify]

Vinegar can corrode the pipes. Can we use ac spray or isopropyl alcohol

[@jstar1000]

You can buy a AC cleaner foam you spray inside and all over the unit once removed like you have it and let it work in and fall off. Also the mold that is super bad for you, Black mold or Stachybotrys, only grows on wood products not plastic or metal. Probably not a huge issue with that mold but cleaning it is a good idea.

[@theguardingdark1183]

Great video. Just took that grill out. It "had" an accident so won't be going back end, ever. But I live alone (well with six cats) so should not be a problem. If you do decide to get rid of it let me know. Would be happy to give it a good home. Just let me know an offer + shipping. Hate to see something just get thrown away. Thanks.

[@tgivy]

I did this today. I removed the black grill and swing part just like you did. From there, I used a wet vac at the bottom of the coil and turned the garden hose on it. I did it while still installed in the window and the mess was minimal. I was surprised to see the display light up with it unplugged. I guess the motor spinning generates enough to light it up. Might not want to let it spin to avoid damage. Mine was fine after.

[@asgardian6638]

So no way to do a full break down and cleaning like you can on traditional units? I've got a 12k traditional unit i was wanting to replace because it started leaking condensation on the inside with a nice 12k like this, but if i cant take it down to do an annual full cleaning spray down outside it may not be worth it. I dont want to spend 400-500 on a "disposable" unit due to cleaning issues.

[@Blink_____]

I pretty much cleaned one of mine in a similar manner to this the first time. But it didn't solve the issue. Part of the issue may be air quality issues in the home in my case (some rooms even a brand new unit will start producing smells after the compressor cycles a few times), but the only way to really attempt to clean these is to really disassemble them by taking the shell apart. There's a lot of crap inside the air chamber the blower sits in as well, and there are spots you can't physically reach / see. The best inexpensive tool I've found to get inbetween/underside of the fan blades is a GUM proxabrush, but even then I had the blower wheel out of the unit and would submerge it in cleaning solution, then use the small brush, rinsing it off several times per individual blade. Unfortunately these things were just not designed with any kind of maintenance in mind. The outer shells in particular have a nasty locking tab system that requires a lot of time, pressure, and patience. If you're careful the inner coils shouldn't be an issue, but I also suspect that even hitting them with a "safe for plastic" etc type coil cleaner that foams and self rinses, the very top of the inner coils may still have crap in them because part of the plastic housing actually sits on top of those coils and may be preventing the cleaner from getting to the very top unless you take that piece off. I'm dealing with that potential issue right now with a unit I replaced a blower motor on. Ultimately it's a lot of work to get it apart, and some screws will probably strip/break upon removal (brittle plastic or something idk). How much work people want to do depends on how badly the care. Definitely not as easy as cleaning a traditional unit.

[@GBR9794]

you have to clean the coil and water pane as well, that's where most mold located in any AC.

[@Blink_____]

@@GBR9794 obviously if I took it apart that far, I cleaned the coil and pan

[@danzmachinz2269]

Thanks, would there be any disadvantage in using this as a normal window ac besides the buttons being high up? I have provisions for a hole/cage..

[@tom8592]

I don't know if this can be used on an air conditioner, but it works fantastic on bathroom ceilings, and even siding of my home kills mold instantly. RMR-86 Instant Mold and Mildew Stain Remover. I bought it on Amazon I don't recommend breathing it in.

[@NathanCrouse611]

I found this video first, but I searched a bit more and found a better disassembly video and I'm glad I did. Taking the unit apart really isn't that hard and it's absolutely worth the hassle. With the method in this video it's really never going to be clean and with mold or mildew you really don't want to mess around with that. Follow this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6SzeIt_YtOJoKs The change I made was that there's another screw under the foam piece that comes out and the whole grey plastic assembly comes out as one piece and then you can take it apart on a bench. There was a lot of mold buildup everywhere in my unit and there's not a good way to clean all the fins of the blower using the method in this video, it does need to be removed.

[@MundiTaurus]

Yeah, they are waaay over-hyped. And, from my experiences, CS is terrible. ... @The Fixer 2 You could have cut the ends that go in the holes a little shorter to make it easier to get back in, and out, later. The only other things I can suggest (because I just started using these) is to spray something in there once a week. I used to use Lysol to spray in my vehicles external vents with the AC, then heater, running full blast. NOTE: That may not be a good idea with a vehicle that has a cabin filter. It may be assumed it can gummy up the filter. So, yeah, over all, just use a mix of white vinegar and 70% alcohol (of some mixture). The alcohol will help it dry faster because of it evaporating better. EDIT Oh, yeah, a good paint brush may help. Maybe horse hair?

[@danielhackleman2140]

One thing l noticed those back and forth fins just pop off.

[@thalanys7184]

Could you use water (garden water hose ) or the electronic is to present to do it ? Could you use steam machine (small tip) with foaming cleaner a/c ? I'm shopping right near for a/c u shaped, seeing your video, I don't think U shaped is made to be clean. I cleaning mine each spring before use and fall before storage, it's the key to keep them for atmost 10 years.

[@anthonypacheco7396]

Sup man looking to buy one of these but do you know if it can come apart in the middle? I want to know if I can take it apart and install it through a wall instead of a window, and I don’t want to make a big hole. More like a little rectangle so that I can slide one half through the inside and the other through the outside. Tried my best explaining what I wanna do lol, any answer would help. Thanks

[@creed200569]

I’d recommend using those long q tips

[@sisterstaceyhelpsthehomeless]

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING.😊😊😊😊😊

[@Truthwillsetufree722]

Just to let Yal know I just cleaned mine it was a pain but I used a hard brush sprayed it with alcohol I vacuumed it I wiped it all out then sprayed it with Lysol very bad design on midea part I’ve been sick and now I know why I have 4 of these in my home sucks

[@MKLA000]

If I don’t put the black bracket back, would there be problem? I don’t worry anything drop in there nor there is naughty kid

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

Then I wouldn’t think so but I am sure it was there for a reason. 🤷‍♂️

[@Truthwillsetufree722]

Little advice those fins are removable

[@JoeOberster]

You have to disassemble the entire unit to get to it, though.

[@maximkuleshov8852]

@@JoeOberster nope - I just plucked mine with my bare hands. You need to do it one by one though

[@kjku9326]

Can i just buy those japanese brand spray for aircon cleaning? It is pressurized and I use those on the grills. It contains some sort of cleaning material that fizzles and some are foamy. Supposed to melt dirt and mold. Can i use it on that part? Will the excess liquid drop on the drain tray?

[@jw3843]

It is about as hard to clean this as any of the mini split units that I have ever worked on. Same type of blower wheel. Same type of plastic housing and have to be careful to not break anything. The only thing easier about a mini split is the blower is on the bottom and they make a cleaning kit so you do not make a huge mess and can use a water hose. Have to take the shell off of them and get it down to the coil and blower and use chemicals and a water hose if you are lucky. Had to do plenty of them as a HVAC tech, lots of places you could not use a water hose because it is in an office building. Not fun and I hated working on mini splits. If they had one of these windows units instead, I would take it out and clean it outside and make the job so much easier. I did a few window unit cleanings too but they had the old style blowers. I have seen another video of a guy replacing the motor on his midea unit, it is a lot to access it, but I would do that to clean it and use a water hose or something to clean the stuff off the blades, hoping to get it all off, use soap or something to help break it up. Could even use lysol if you take the blower wheel out. Then probably dip it in white vinegar to kill anything on it and let it dry. This happens to a lot of mini splits and regular air conditioners. If you were in a dry climate, it might not grow but dirt could still get there, but in a humid area it will happen every year. Traditional units are much easier to clean and service as a service technician. Dirt is going to pass through the coil even with the filter. The filter does not stop all dirt. And mold or what ever can grow inside. If you want to keep that from happening, you could look into getting a UV light to go inside of it. They make them for mini splits and traditional air conditioners. They work and keep the units clean. At least the parts the light shines on.

[@sisterstaceyhelpsthehomeless]

WHY DON’T YOU MAKE A VIDEO WITH ALL OF THIS INFO AND TAG ME BECAUSE OUR HOUSE UNIT WENT OUT SO I HAVE ONE U STYLE AND TWO 5000 BTU UNITS. I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET WITHOUT DESTROYING THE UNIT. EVERYONE DOESN’T HAVE MONEY TO JUST THROW AWAY A UNIT. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

[@jw3843]

@@sisterstaceyhelpsthehomeless here is the link to the video I watched of a guy replacing the blower motor. Shows how to take them apart. You will most likely brake some of the tabs no matter what you do. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6SzeIt_YtOJoKs

[@veronicavalenzuela3513]

How do you clean the back there is like slime or slug build up in the corner of mine where it drips. Please also explain the cause of that.

[@emilydavis1938]

You're the best thank you!!

[@oldunion]

The grill panel is held in by a screw. You have to remove the white casing to get to it. Then it just lifts out. I left mine out after full disassembly and cleaning.

[@cecilialux144]

hi! can you please explain this further

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

Yeah this is what I referred to in the beginning of the video. There is a lot to it that most people would not want to do so I showed an alternative. 🤷‍♂️

[@jamielovinitt]

Bugs keep coming in through mine & it's driving me crazy! 😵‍💫Anyone know what I can do to fix this issue???? I just took the filter out and there was even a couple spider eggs behind it!😫

[@r.deanmcknight136]

I just cleaned mine, got the 12,000 btu u shaped unit, and though not entirely difficult but extremely time consuming. I will say though the easiest to clean due to EVERYTHING can be removed for cleaning, just have to remember what went where and what screw. But it was simple to do, unlike other window units that are difficult to thoroughly clean. 😉👍

[@curtiscollins2174]

Does anyone use the swing feature??

[@MrKoladge]

I keep mine all together and use a portable steam cleaner with cleaner and comes out like new without taking nothing apart..

[@lindaroyal8161]

Major pain in the butt. I, personally would not do it; which leads me to the decision of not buying one that difficult to clean. I'm guessing, the majority of the window units available are all hard to clean. Also assuming that most don't clean them on a regular basis of even once a year before the season starts. You'd think, someone would come up with a design that's way more user friendly and safer for consumers to use. It's pretty scary they're mold traps and harmful. Wonder if the mini splits are safer.

[@fathermetallica94]

My issue I’m having with one of my units is that it’s only blowing air from the middle and right side. My other unit blows air straight across.

[@MikeOOW]

That’s probably because the left portion of the “squirrel cage” is clogged with dust/dirt so air can’t pass through the blades. Turn the unit off and use a flashlight to verify. 9:27

[@fathermetallica94]

@@MikeOOW I’ll check it out! Thanks!

[@MrGaborseres]

I never quite understand why these windows units do not have a proper drain line.....they all accumulate water and drip rusty ugly water on the outside on the wall and windows sill....this unit is no exception....

[@stefaniap.7458]

Damn it.. I got 3 of these

[@letstrend]

Why not get a hose and just wash it down then let it dry out?

[@Blink_____]

It's not ideal, you'd need a high pressure stream and a way to not get absolutely soaked by the blowback. Some people have used waterpiks to clean the blades top/bottom. I prefer to just rip it apart and scrub and wipe down everything

[@seadogharris2102]

What actual function does that black grate serve? Why not just cut it out and toss?

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

Pretty sure it is to stop little curious fingers from getting to the blue fan wheel. I happen to have 30 little fingers to protect in my house so I wanted to leave it in there. 😁👍

[@user-io6be1kz5k]

That’s exactly what I did. I would not advise doing that if you have small children.

[@mwa1252]

I was watching another video about this and the guy removed the black grill as you did, but he didn't bother putting it back. Seems reasonable since breaking off that middle piece would probably void the warrantee anyway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYK2mquOj7lsY6c

[@lilia8138]

It will not help what you do, you won't get the mold that's underneath of that rotating part. Ours go to the garbage after 3 months of work

[@lilia8138]

Midea didn't think at all about how to clean it. Yes, it works quietly, we bought it in May 2024, and we have been suffering from a mold smell for a month now. Midea didn't think about maintenance, it's impossible to reach contaminated areas and it's impossible to pull it out of the case like a regular AC. Customer service did not help at all.

[@rskurka1]

It's probably done on purpose. I'm guessing most people don't have the ability or don't want to take it apart to clean it, so they just buy a new one. More money for madea. If they made one that was easy to clean they would not sell as many.

[@lilia8138]

@@rskurka1 We were able to disassemble ours, take out the rotating part and clean everything inside. You certainly wouldn't buy the same model again if this one was thrown out.

[@MiztaBonze1608]

Well, looks like I’m buying a new one.

[@jordann1266]

Thank me later. Use a water pik. literally knocks it off. 7 minites you can finish the entire wheel.

[@Ken-zr8fl]

The Fixer?? You gotta be kidding me. Just unscrew the front, pull it off, unfasten unclip the blower housing and pull the blower out and clean it... It;s not that hard.

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

From this comment I can tell you have never actually done this on a Midea u-shaped. It’s not that easy. 😁👍

[@Ken-zr8fl]

There 3 screws on the front and it pulls off. Then there's 3 screws on both sides that house the blower. 4 plastic clips that unhook. Undo the wiring connectors and separate the blower housing and pull the wheel and motor out. I've done several and I can tell by the way you whine about it you probably should just throw it out

[@thefixerhomerepair2]

@@Ken-zr8fl Yes I understand it can be done, I even said how to in the video. What I am saying is it is much easier to type out how to take it apart than to actually do it. I don't think a lot of people would be comfortable doing it so I showed an alternative. I am wondering though how you even ended up here if you have already done several. Why watch a video about it? 🤔 Anyway, thanks for the comments.

[@chuckger1625]

@@Ken-zr8fl Ken- ant tricks or suggestions on how not to break off the 4 plastic clips when getting at the housing? What are you using to get the few hidden or blocked screws for the housing

[@ramirovillafrancajr4199]

Cant i just spray some hard core alien green acid antimold ... Im tired from work plus im lazy and don't got the xtra fin time n money.. 😂😢😮❤

[@djlancematthew]

So use long Q-tips, you say…

[@ramirovillafrancajr4199]

Book on tape 🤣🤣🤣

[@js8039]

Please be careful using terms like “book on tape” you’ll have some of these latter generations running around with books taped to their heads.😂😂. Also, I find it ridiculous that this unit can’t be disassembled more completely. Surely the manufacturer will chime in on this or reach out to you .

[@marcb.hankin6792]

I'm going to send Consumer Reports (which recommends this product) a link to this video. It's my opinion that the fact that the product is prone to creating mold and that cleaning it is impractical if not impossible, creates a reasonable basis for concluding that the product has a design defect that should have been disclosed to purchasers who were deceived. Midea's tech support tel. line told me yesterday, August 5, 2024, that mold only occurs if the product isn't used properly. What a joke. They also told me that the only way to clean mold is by using water with baking soda. But a Google search reveals that baking soda does not kill all the molds that develop in air conditioners. I'm going to report this also to the FTC.

[@lynnew5619]

Sorry, not worth the time, effort & risk. What price is your families health?

[@apolcz]

I don't think it's worth cleaning that deeply. Mold spores aren't good to breathe in, true, but mold exists everywhere and we can't control everything. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@cejkwo100]

I would of left that grill out so you don’t have to mess with in in the future. I don’t see it serving any purpose

[@creed200569]

I Agree

[@curtiscollins2174]

Swing feature ​@@creed200569