How to Get Rid of Car Air Conditioner Odor

Odors in your car air conditioner can be quite unpleasant. Many people have experienced the problem of turning on the air to get cool and having their nostrils invaded by something that smells like body odor or worse. Read on to learn how to get rid of car air conditioner odor.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Know that the bad smell can often start by going through a drive-through car wash with your air conditioner on the setting "intake from the outside." This allows water to be splashed in through the vents around the windshield wiper area. Either turn your air off or put it on the setting "re-circulate" so no outside dirty water can get into the air conditioning system.
2. Run your car air conditioner on regular setting most of the time, rather than on maximum. Constantly leaving it on maximum can leave odor-causing moisture inside the system. If you do use the max setting, change it to regular shortly before you turn the car off. This will give the air conditioning system a chance to dry out and prevent mildew from forming.
3. Try Lysol spray to get rid of the odor. Spray Lysol directly into the vents around the windshield area on the outside of your car. Then, run the air conditioner on outside air for the first two miles. After that, change to "re-circulate" air. The inside air flow is stronger and will flush the Lysol through the system.
4. Put a new air filter into your car with the next oil change. Dirt, dust mites, stagnant water and other pollutants collect on the filter. Sometimes changing the filter can help to get rid of the odor.
5. Purchase a spray that eliminates odors and purifies the air at your local auto care center or hardware store. There are brands especially for cleaning the air conditioning and heating systems in vehicles. Spray directly into the exterior air intake vents and also the inside air conditioner vents to get rid of the odor. Doing this once a year may prevent odors from returning.