How to Clean All Air Conditioner Register

Fig.1 Dirty register

By Gary Boutin

Supplies and Tools:  
Flat-head screwdriver 

Dish soap  
Small nylon brush  
Kitchen or utility sink  
Vacuum with long hose 
Towels

4-Foot ladder
 

This post shows the four steps that explains how to clean the air conditioning registers throughout your home. 

Step 1: Fig.1 below is the dirty register, this one was in a bedroom. The outside register fins are covered with dust, and inside the unit the horizontal fins are dusty and dirty from years of use.
Step 2: On a four-foot ladder, use a flat-head screwdriver to remove the hardware screws on each side of the register. Fig.2 shows once removed, vacuum the metal casing in the wall for accumulated dust.  

Fig.2 Removed

Step 3: Fig.3 shows the register in the largest sink in the house. Using hot water, dish soap and a little brush to get between the fins, clean the register. After the register is clean let it drip dry and use a dry cloth before the register is replaced in the wall.

Fig.3 Washing

Step 4: Fig.4 shows the cleaned register is returned to its place over the door. Now when the air conditioner moves air around the room, the register will no longer add dust to the air. This technique can be used in any home, the hardware may be slightly different, but the work will improve the air quality. It's not enough to just replace the A/C Filter when the registers are filled with dust. Now I just had to do twenty more to complete this chore in a 5-bedroom house.

Fig.4 Finished

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