Aircon, extractor fan, washing machine: maintaining appliances in a holiday let

These four appliances have one thing in common: they work perfectly until you ignore them, then break down or start to smell, always in peak season. Each takes just a few minutes a month to maintain, and this prevents emergency callouts and guest complaints about smells or heat. This guide gives you the exact steps for each, and how often to do them.

What to do, and when

None of these jobs show up in an end-of-clean photo. All are obvious when they have not been done.

Air conditioning: just the filters

A clogged aircon filter causes three problems at once: it reduces cooling, increases energy use, and most of all spreads a musty smell throughout the room as soon as you turn it on. This is the top complaint in air-conditioned properties, even before breakdowns.

On a wall-mounted split unit, the job takes ten minutes:

1. Switch off and unplug the unitIf possible.
2. Open the front panelWhich usually lifts upwards on most models.
3. Remove the two filtersSimple flexible grilles that pull out towards you.
4. Rinse them under lukewarm waterDirty side down so the dust washes away instead of passing through. Use a little washing-up liquid for greasy filters.
5. Dry thoroughly in the shade.Refitting a damp filter is a recipe for mould, which is exactly the smell you want to avoid.
6. Wipe the air vanes and front panelBefore closing up.

Two extra points beyond the filter: the condensate tray and its drain hose, which can block and cause drips down the wall, and the annual professional service, which is the only time the refrigerant circuit should be touched. Cleaning the filters is not a substitute for a full service.

The extractor fan: out of sight, out of mind

The extractor fan runs constantly and nobody ever looks at it. Its extraction grilles in the bathroom, toilet, and kitchen get covered in a grey fuzz that eventually blocks airflow. When this happens, moisture stays in the bathroom, mould appears on the seals, and smells linger: exactly what the extractor fan is supposed to prevent.

Every three months:

1. Unclip or unscrew the extraction grille.It usually comes off by hand on most systems.
2. Wash it in hot soapy waterScrub, rinse, and dry.
3. Vacuum the visible ductWith a narrow nozzle, but do not force it inside.
4. Check that nothing is blocking the air inletsIn the window frames, those little vents at the top of windows that guests sometimes close, thinking it will stop a draught.

You can check if an extractor fan is working in one second: hold a sheet of paper up to the grille, it should stay in place by suction.

The washing machine: the number one source of smells

A smelly washing machine transfers its odour to all the laundry, and you end up looking for the problem in the detergent, drying, or storage. There are three main culprits, all easy to access:

• The door seal. Pull it back and wipe the bottom fold: this is where water, hair, and detergent residue collect. Do this at every clean, it takes ten seconds.
• The detergent drawer. It pulls out completely on almost all machines. Rinse it and scrub its housing, where a slimy build-up forms.
• The drain filter, behind the flap at the bottom right. Clean it once a month, with a tray underneath: there is always some water inside.

Once a month, run an empty cycle at 90°C with a cup of white vinegar or a specialist product, drum empty.

And the ongoing habit that solves half the cases: leave the door ajar and the drawer open between stays. A closed machine with trapped moisture will smell in forty-eight hours.

The tumble dryer

The lint filter must be emptied after every cycle, no exceptions. A clogged filter doubles drying time, overheats the machine, and is a genuine fire risk.

On a condenser dryer, there is a second, larger filter behind a flap at the bottom: rinse this every six changeovers. Also empty the condensate water tank after every cycle, or the machine will stop mid-dry and guests will find their laundry still wet.

A tumble dryer that takes two hours to dry is almost never broken: it just has a blocked filter.

What needs a professional

Three jobs are not part of routine cleaning and are best scheduled in advance: the annual aircon service, chimney or stove sweeping (required by law and by insurers), and hot water tank inspection. Record these at the property level, not in a personal diary: they need to survive a change of manager.