Why Does Car Air Condition Smell?
Car air conditioner is designed to provide ease and comfort to drivers. Ironically, it can also be the source of bad odor in the car’s interior under certain circumstances. This causes additional and unnecessary stress to car owners. Seeking for a solution to this problem requires a thorough understanding of its causes and reaps results that are more than just eliminating the foul smell.
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Background
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The usual rotten odor coming out of your car air-conditioner is mainly caused by the build-up of bacteria and mildew in the air conditioner evaporator. The air condition evaporator’s normal operation involves the cooling and drying process that initially produces moisture. This moisture is then evaporated when the heating and drying process takes place. This entire operation and the fact that the evaporator is hidden from light exposure create a highly conducive environment for bacteria, fungi and mildew to grow and reproduce. This growth and reproduction requires time that is why older cars with older air-conditioning systems are largely affected.
Risks
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Because bacteria, fungi and mildew are involved, the issue is not anymore limited to just a foul odor problem but it extends to health risk concerns as well. Being exposed to the smell coming from these microorganisms may cause harm to humans. Several types of bacteria, fungi and mildews can trigger headache, allergic reactions, tonsillitis and fever.
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Other Causes
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There are cases where eliminating bacteria and mildew is not enough to get rid of all the bad smell. This is because bacteria and mildew are not the only contributors to the air conditioner’s bad odor. When your car air-conditioner smells like dust, tobacco or sweat, this may be due to the release of hydrophobic substances and lower fatty acids during the cooling and drying processes of your air evaporator. These substances’ unfavorable smell is long-lasting and becomes highly noticeable when the air conditioner is turned on.
Solution
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Using car fragrance to mask the smell of your car is not a permanent solution. Washing your evaporator with a normal cleanser is also not enough to kill the mildew. Make sure that you use a reputable disinfectant that has the chemical elements to sterilize your entire air conditioning system. An ideal product should also have highly preventive abilities against the growth of bacteria and mildew without damaging the car’s physical components. However powerful the disinfectant may be, it should still be safe for humans and the environment. As for the other bad odor causes, you can install a deodorization filter that blocks the flow of odorous components into the ventilation openings of your car.
Benefits
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Getting rid of the foul odor in your car can also lead to some other benefits. By cleaning and disinfecting your air conditioner system, you can prevent any possible contraction of illnesses caused by bacteria and mildew. Keeping the air conditioner system clean consequently improves its performance and efficiency, thus saving you money and energy. Proper maintenance also prolongs the life span of the system’s individual parts.
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References
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