How to clean an aircon yourself: AC filter cleaning step by step, the cleaning bag, and what to leave to a technician

A careful owner can deal with the dust filter and the outer casing. Everything behind the filter means water close to electrical parts and belongs to a technician.

• Turn the aircon off with the remote, then switch off the circuit breaker that supplies it. Wait a few minutes until the fan has come to a complete stop.
• Stand on a sturdy stepladder on a flat, dry floor, ideally with someone holding it, never on a swivel chair, a plastic stool or the edge of a bed.
• Spread a towel or plastic sheet below the unit to catch falling dust.
• Have ready a soft-bristled brush, a soft cloth, a basin of clean water and, for a greasy filter, some neutral washing-up liquid.
• Read the cleaning section of the manufacturer's manual: front panels and filters come out differently from one model line to the next.

• Lift the front panel until it stays up by itself, without forcing the plastic catches.
• Draw the filter gently downwards and out, keeping your fingers away from the sharp aluminium fins behind it. Deodorising and fine-dust filters are removed separately, and many of them must not be washed in water; look them up in the manual.
• Remove the dry dust first, with a vacuum cleaner or a few light taps; water on a dusty filter makes mud that clings to the mesh.
• Rinse from the inner face of the filter towards the outer face, so that the water pushes the dust back out. A greasy filter can soak briefly in warm, not hot, water with a drop of neutral washing-up liquid, then be brushed lightly along the mesh.
• Shake off the water and leave the filter to dry naturally in a cool, airy place.
• Meanwhile, wipe the front panel and the casing with a soft cloth wrung thoroughly. No water goes inside the unit.
• Refit the filter the right way round, and only when it is fully dry. Close the panel, switch the breaker on, start the unit and check that the air flows freely.

It is a waterproof, funnel-shaped cover that wraps round the indoor unit, catches the rinse water and sends it through a hose into a bucket. The coil and blower wheel can then be washed with the unit still on the wall, and the wall and floor stay dry. Without a bag, the unit has to come down or towels and plastic sheeting go underneath.

In Vietnam it is sold under several names, among them “túi vệ sinh máy lạnh” and “bạt vệ sinh máy lạnh”. They are the same thing.

The bag collects water and does nothing else. It does not keep water off the control board, the louvre motor or the wiring connectors, which have to be taken out or wrapped in waterproof material before any spraying begins. Where those parts sit varies between brands and model years, and finding and covering them is the hard part.

Daikin's operation manual warns against washing an air conditioner with water, since it can cause electric shock or fire, and adds that water on electrical parts can cause a malfunction. A technician cuts the power and covers the electrics before rinsing. Home attempts usually go wrong where those steps were skipped:

• Water reaches the control box, the louvre motor or a connector, and the unit shows a fault or short-circuits once the power returns.
• A bag of the wrong size, or one tied loosely, spills over its edge, down the wall and into a wooden floor, the curtains or the bed.
• The hose kinks and the bag fills. The weight drags the indoor unit out of line or off its mounting bracket.
• Pressure set too high, or a jet aimed across the fins, dents and flattens the aluminium.
• Strong chemicals of unknown composition, or several products mixed together, corrode the unit and leave an unpleasant smell.
• The power goes back on before the parts are dry, or the ladder shifts while both hands are busy.

• Measure the length and depth of the indoor unit before choosing a size; slightly too large is better than an exact fit.
• Choose a thick waterproof layer, tightly sewn seams, a stiffened mouth and a hose long enough for the bucket to stand firmly on the floor.
• Buy waterproof material to cover the control board as well. The bag does not do that for you.
• Check your aircon's manual. If its cleaning section covers washing the filter and nothing further, leave deeper rinsing to someone qualified.

What keeps the work safe is the covering and the control of water before, during and after the rinse.

• Run the unit to note its condition, then cut the power at the breaker.
• Take off the front panel and the filters. Study how the unit is built, then remove, or seal in waterproof material, the control box, the louvre motor and the sensor tips.
• Fit the bag tightly round the indoor unit until no edge gapes, and lead the hose into a bucket standing on a floor already covered with towels.
• Rinse the coil and the blower wheel at moderate pressure, following the direction of the fins, and stop at once if water seeps from the rim of the bag.
• Rinse again until the water in the bucket runs clear, then check the drip tray and the condensate drain.
• Take the bag off, wipe the casing dry, let the parts drain, then reassemble, restore the power and test.

On a unit in daily use the filter needs washing roughly once every two to four weeks (every two, according to many manufacturers' manuals). A technician's deep clean is due every three to four months for such a unit, and about every six months for one that is seldom on. Shorten both intervals with young children, elderly relatives or pets at home, or building work nearby. After a long idle spell, as in an apartment left empty or only just handed over, have the unit cleaned before it runs again.

Book sooner if the unit smells musty on starting, cools slowly, drips or makes an unusual noise.

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Intervals room by room, and what each kind of unit costs to clean.

Aircon leaking water, icing up or not cooling

For a unit that has already started to misbehave.

On an UpClean visit the Up specialist, an identity-verified cleaner trained to our Up Standard, shields the control board, the wall and the furniture. A water-collection bag suited to the type of unit is fitted. The coil and blower wheel are rinsed at just enough pressure, the condensate drain is cleared, the unit is test-run and the gas pressure is measured. A wall-mounted unit of 1–1.5 HP (horsepower, its capacity rating) costs a fixed 250,000 VND, agreed beforehand. The Up Report follows by WhatsApp or Zalo, with before-and-after photos and any technical notes.

Everything from the first enquiry to the report can be handled in English. Before the visit you are sent the specialist's name and photo, which is also what a building's management office wants when it requires outside staff to be registered.

To book, phone or message 0968 726 135 (WhatsApp and Zalo on the same number), 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week, with the number and type of units and your building's name.

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The scope of the clean and the areas we cover.

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