AC Deep Cleaning Dubai
A service wipes an air conditioner down. A deep clean takes it apart. The difference matters when the unit already smells, the airflow has dropped away, or dust is landing on the furniture faster than it used to.
The indoor unit comes off the wall or drops out of the ceiling, the coil and the blower wheel are washed properly, and the drain pan is cleaned out rather than rinsed. It is the job that gets a tired unit back to what it should be doing.
- Unit stripped, not wiped over
- Blower wheel washed off the shaft
- Drain pan and line cleared out
- Room sheeted before anything opens
What a deep clean fixes that a service will not
These are the complaints that bring people to this page. All of them come from the same place: the parts of the unit you cannot reach without taking it apart.
The smell in the first minute
Damp, earthy, strongest when it starts and gone in a minute. That is air passing over biological growth on a coil that never fully dries. Wiping the fins does nothing. Washing the coil through does.
UsuallyGrowth on the coil and in the pan
Airflow that has faded
The blower wheel is a cylinder of small blades and each one silts up with a hard grey film. Loaded like that it moves a fraction of the air it was built to. It has to come off the shaft to be cleaned, which is why a service visit never fixes this.
UsuallyA loaded blower wheel
Dust reappearing straight after cleaning
If the unit is throwing dust back out, the coil and the wheel are holding it. On a ducted system it may be the ductwork instead, and it is worth putting a camera in before assuming.
UsuallyThe unit, or the ducts
When it turns out to be the ductsWater marks under the indoor unit
The pan has been overflowing quietly. Sludge in the pan and the first section of drain is the usual reason, and a deep clean is where it actually gets removed rather than poked at.
UsuallySludge in the pan and drain
Cooling that never quite arrives
A coil coated in film cannot transfer heat, so the room takes hours and the unit runs constantly. People assume it needs gas. Often it needs washing, and that is a far cheaper answer.
UsuallyInsulated coil, not low gas
When gas really is the problemA new tenancy or a handover
Moving into a flat where somebody smoked, cooked heavily, or simply never had the units cleaned. Deep cleaning before you unpack is the cheapest fresh start there is.
UsuallyBefore you move your things in
What happens in your room
This is wet work done indoors, so the preparation matters as much as the cleaning. Nothing gets opened until the area under it is protected.
Most single split units take between one and two hours. A ceiling cassette takes longer because the panel and the drain pump come out as well.
- 1
Cover and protect
Furniture moved clear or sheeted, floor covered, and a collection bag fitted around the unit so the wash water goes into a bucket rather than down your wall.
- 2
Strip the unit
Cover, filters and drain pan off. On most units the blower wheel comes out too. Electrical parts are isolated and kept dry throughout.
- 3
Wash the coil and wheel
Coil flushed through fin by fin with a proper cleaner, blower wheel washed blade by blade, pan and drain line cleared and flushed until they run clear.
- 4
Rebuild, run and check
Everything dried and refitted, the unit run, the drain tested with water and the outlet temperature measured. The room is left as it was found.
Units we deep clean
The strip down is different on each of these, and the time it takes is different too.
Wall split units
The most common request. Either cleaned in place with a collection bag, or lifted off the wall where the fixing allows it.
Ceiling cassettes
Panel down, filters out, coil and drain pump cleaned in the ceiling. Usually done after closing in a shop or an office.
Ducted indoor units
Reached through the access hatch. If there is no hatch we will make one, because a ducted unit that cannot be reached cannot be maintained.
Fan coil units
Chilled water flats. The coil holds the same growth as any other, and the drain pan is usually the source of the smell.
Window units
Slid out of the opening and washed through completely, both coils, then resealed on the way back in.
Grilles and diffusers
Taken off, washed separately and refitted. It is the part everybody can see and the part most companies leave.
Deep clean, or duct clean, or neither
These three get confused constantly, so here is the plain version. If the smell arrives with the air and the unit is a wall split, it is almost always the indoor unit and a deep clean is the answer.
If you have a ducted system and dust is coming from the grilles in rooms far from the unit, the ductwork is worth inspecting first. And if the unit is running well, cooling properly and not smelling, then neither service is urgent and a normal maintenance visit is all it needs.
We would rather sell you the right one once than the wrong one twice. Describe what you can smell and see when you call, and we will tell you which of the three it sounds like.
Regular servicing insteadWhat people book with this
AC Duct Cleaning
Ductwork brushed and vacuumed out, with before and after photographs of the inside of your own ducts.
AC Maintenance
Scheduled servicing that keeps cooling steady and the electricity bill down on a unit that runs all year.
AC Repair
Not cooling, leaking water, tripping the breaker or making a noise. We find the fault before we quote it.
AC Installation
Split, ducted, cassette and window units supplied and fitted, with the pipework and drain done properly.
We also cover plumbing, electrical, handyman, painting, carpentry, tiling and renovation. An annual maintenance contract puts the lot on one schedule, or see everything we do.
Where our technicians go
Across the whole city, from the Marina and Downtown out to Mirdif, Al Barsha and the newer communities. If your building is not listed it does not mean we do not come.
New Dubai
- Dubai Marina
- Jumeirah Lakes Towers
- Palm Jumeirah
- Jumeirah Beach Residence
- Emirates Hills
- The Greens and The Views
- Discovery Gardens
- Dubai Media City
Central Dubai
- Downtown Dubai
- Business Bay
- DIFC
- Al Barsha
- Jumeirah
- Umm Suqeim
- Al Quoz
- Trade Centre
Old Dubai
- Deira
- Bur Dubai
- Al Karama
- Al Nahda
- Mirdif
- Al Qusais
- Oud Metha
- Garhoud
Outer communities
- Arabian Ranches
- Jumeirah Village Circle
- Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Dubai Sports City
- Damac Hills
- Motor City
- Dubai Hills Estate
- International City
Questions we get asked on the phone
What is the difference between AC servicing and deep cleaning?
A service is a check with cleaning in it: filters washed, pressures read, drain flushed, connections tested. A deep clean is a strip down, where the coil and the blower wheel are removed or isolated and washed properly. Servicing keeps a healthy unit healthy. Deep cleaning brings a neglected one back.
How often does an AC need deep cleaning?
Every two to three years for most homes in Dubai, and sooner if anyone smokes indoors, the kitchen is open plan, or the property is near open sand. A unit that has been serviced properly twice a year needs it far less often than one that has not been touched.
Will it get rid of the smell for good?
It gets rid of what is causing it now. Whether it comes back depends on whether the unit dries out between runs, and a drain that does not fall properly or a pan that holds water will grow the same thing again. If we find that, we will tell you what needs correcting rather than book you in again next year.
Can you do it without taking the unit off the wall?
For most wall splits, yes. A collection bag fits around the unit and the coil is flushed in place with the water going into a bucket. Some units and some fixings mean it is easier and better to take it down, and that is a decision made on site rather than sold in advance.
Is it safe with children or pets at home?
Yes. The cleaners are rinsed through and the unit is run afterwards, so there is nothing left to breathe. The room is wet for an hour or so, which is the only real reason to keep small children out of it while the work is happening.
Do you clean the outdoor unit too?
It is a separate job and often the more useful one. A condenser coil packed with Dubai dust cannot shed heat, which shows up on your bill rather than in the room. If the outdoor unit needs it we will quote it at the same visit.
Book a deep clean
Tell us how many units, what type, and what you can smell or see. That is enough to quote it properly and bring the right equipment.