AC leak causing smell and allergies: professional or DIY?« Back to Previous Page

The AC in my apartment in Jumeirah Village Circle has been leaking a bit of water onto the carpet in the bedroom. I've been wiping it up for a couple of weeks, but now I’m getting a weird, damp smell and my allergies are going crazy every time I sleep in there. With this Dubai humidity, should I be calling a professional cleaning company right now, or is this something I can handle myself with bleach and vinegar this weekend?
Posted by Robert Anderson
Asked on April 8, 2026 5:10 pm
This is a professional inspection case, not a DIY project. The damp smell and aggravated allergies strongly indicate active mold growth, which has likely spread from the wet carpet into the subfloor and possibly inside the AC unit itself. In Dubai's high humidity, mold colonies can establish in under 72 hours on wet materials.

Bleach and vinegar are surface treatments that cannot address growth within porous materials like carpet backing or drywall. The core issue is the AC leak, which must be repaired first to prevent recurrence. A professional inspection will use moisture meters to locate all affected areas, including hidden saturation you can't see.

For your health and to properly resolve this, a certified mold assessment is recommended. This involves air and surface sampling to identify the specific mold types and their concentration levels, which dictates the correct remediation protocol. In many cases, the carpet and underlay must be removed and the area professionally dried and treated.

Given the symptoms you're experiencing, it's best to address this promptly to prevent the issue from worsening.
Posted by Sani Admin
Answered on April 9, 2026 3:45 pm