You switch on the aircon to get that sweet relief from the heat. But what you don’t see is the party going on inside. Dust, skin flakes, and dampness make perfect conditions for all sorts of microscopic creatures to thrive. This includes bacteria and fungi growing and multiplying in your cooling coils, drain pans, and pipes.
Your aircon is like a petri dish. And you’re breathing in whatever’s growing in it. Lab experiments found mould like Alternaria_betae-kenyensis, Cladosporium_delicatulum, Aspergillus_sydowii, and Verticillium_dahliae. Fancy names for stuff that can make you properly sick. And it’s not just the mould. Bacteria love it in there too, especially with all that moisture.
The Mould Problem And How it Affects Your Health
Let’s focus on mould, because this is a real issue. Your aircon creates the perfect environment for mould to grow by providing moisture, food (dust and skin particles), and oxygen.
Mould can trigger all sorts of allergies: sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, breathing problems. And if you’ve got asthma? You’re asking for trouble. Then there’s the mycotoxins. These are the toxins mould produces, and they can do some real damage to your lungs.
But it’s not just mould. As your aircon circulates the air, it’s trapping all sorts of particles in the filters and coils, including dust, hair, pet dander, insect droppings. And if your filters are not cleaned regularly, it’s just being blown around every night.
Finally, there’s dust mites. These little creatures live in your dust and feed on your dead skin. And their droppings and dead bodies are what make you sneeze and itch. If you’ve got asthma, they can trigger an attack.
Chemicals in the Air
If you stay indoors with the windows always closed and your aircon on, it can also build up levels of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). These are the fumes from smoking, paint, varnish, cleaning products and more. Which causes headaches, dizziness, maybe even long-term health problems.
| Contaminant | Examples | What It Does To You |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteria | Legionella, Mycobacterium | Makes you cough, causes infection |
| Mould | Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Black Mould | Allergies, breathing problems |
| Dust | Normal house dust | Irritates your lungs, causes skin irritation |
| Pet Hair | Cat, dog hair | Makes you sneeze and itch |
| Dust Mites | Little buggers in dust | Allergies, asthma problems |
| VOCs | From paint, cleaning stuff | Headaches, dizziness, long-term health problems |
What Can You Do About It?
It’s simple: clean your aircon. Regularly.
- Clean your filters: Every 1-3 months. More often if you have pets or allergies.
- Clean the outdoor unit: Once a year. Spray the insides and get rid of the leaves and debris.
- Check the drain: Once a month. You don’t want water sitting there and building up into a jelly-like grime.
- Clean your coils and piping: Or, get a pro to do it.
- Watch for mould: If you see or smell it, deal with it quickly.
A professional aircon servicing will use proper cleaning chemicals to thoroughly flush out the unwanted organisms and particles that can affect your health. Your aircon will also work more efficiently after that!