This highly unsatisfying experience affects homes and businesses all over the country. It is way too hot outside for you to turn your air conditioner off, but another minute of that horrible stink can tempt you to put your head in an oven just to get away from it.

Causes

Clearly, this is a problem that needs solving. It is too stinky to be ignored! AC units in Gainesville may be emitting a foul odor for a number of reasons, but mold and mildew are the most likely causes:

• It is a good rule-of-thumb that just about everything inside a building that could cause a foul smell is related to mold or mildew. Because your air conditioner unit needs to produce moisture and condensation in order to cool the air, your air conditioning also attracts mold and mildew. The spores of these types of fungus are attracted to moisture because they need it in order to survive. 
• Mold and mildew also need a food source, though. Just as a fire needs both fuel and a spark, mold and mildew need fuel and moisture. Things like dust, human hair and skin particles, and dead insects can attach to the fins of the AC unit or the drainage areas as air cycles through them.
• This combination of pollutants and moisture in an AC unit can attract spores of mold and mildew. Like bad food in a trash can, the smell that fungus releases is easily picked up by humans. This is a defense mechanism against eating or drinking anything that is rotten. That is why you will probably smell a foul odor from your AC.
• The smell can vary, depending on the source and type of fungus. It can smell like dirty socks, cheese, heavy dust, rotten food, or human waste.  
• You do not need to discard a unit that is emitting foul odor. 
• Try looking at the condensation drainage area of an AC unit. Buildup here can allow fungus to grow. Remove the drainage line and clean it with bleach, which is naturally fungicidal (kills fungus). Then, scrub the drainage line to remove any of the buildup that the mold and mildew are feeding on. 
• You can also try opening the top portion of the unit to check for mold or mildew accumulation. You might smell it before you see it.
• Clean the drip pan that is near the heat exchange part of the AC unit, as water accumulates there. 
• Specialized coil cleaners are made to combat odor issues. They soften residue that has built up in the machine and enable you to hose it out. However, you must dry the parts that you clean after you are done. Remember that moisture is one of the 2 causes of fungal growth.
• Another place where mold and mildew may reside is the air filter. Be sure to change these disposable parts monthly.
• Remove any dead insects, dust, or other matter from the outside of the machine, as they may eventually worsen the odor problem.

Solutions

Breathing foul-smelling air is unappealing for a reason. Your body is trying to tell you that you should not be breathing something. Mold and mildew odor is caused by active spores that can damage your body should you breathe it in. If you notice that your air conditioner blows stinky air, try the above troubleshooting techniques or have an expert in AC units in Gainesville evaluate and solve your problem as soon as possible.