Poor MaintenanceĪdditionally, mold can start to form in your air conditioner if you take your eye off the ball in terms of keeping it properly maintained and cleaned on a regular basis.Ī long-neglected and jammed air filter will noticeably reduce the airflow in your home, so you may even spot this change before you notice mold and the resulting unpleasant smells. So along with the dust and other debris that finds its way into your AC unit, human skin cells create the ideal haven for mold to not only survive in your conditioner but to thrive. This was found in a study published in the International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health, led by Lai Ka-man, Ph.D., former associate professor of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). The skin cells you shed all day and every day – also known as “skin squames” to give them their scientific name – are essentially breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the tiny bacteria that already live in your air conditioner.Īnd once these microbes have digested the protein in your skin cells, the breakdown of the protein Keratin (found in hair and fingernails) is what goes on to produce the foul ammonia-like smell. ![]() ![]() ![]() So here’s where things get a little gross.
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