Air Duct Cleaning Tips

Cleaning your homes air ducts can be an important step in providing your family with a healthy home, but before you rush out and hire a crew or start cleaning them yourself, check to see if it's even necessary.

Most dust in your home's air ducts will collect dust on the sides of the ducts themselves and not release the dust into your home. Many times, you will find that the source of contaminants in a home are either brought in from the outside, are from cooking or smoking, or maybe just from not cleaning the home effectively enough.

There are definite times when you home's air ducts need to be cleaned. For instance, if you have had mold on any of the components of your heating and cooling system. Some air ducts have insulation that can get wet and lead to mold. If the insulation does in fact get moldy and cleaning does not remove it, be sure to replace it. Keep in mind that the conditions that created the mold in the first place should be dealt with so the mold does not grow right back.

If you have found any sort of creature living inside the air ducts, you should arrange for critter control to visit your home first and remove all living beings. Then, call for a duct cleaning service to come in at once and disinfect the air ducts. Professional air duct cleaners will typically come in and clean all of the components of your heating and cooling system. Check before you contract with a provider to make sure of the services you are paying for.

Health problems and illnesses can be caused by contaminants being released into the air by the air ducts, but it is actually much more likely that your household vacuum releases more dirt into the air. If however, you or a family member is experiencing any health problems, changing to a bagless vacuum and getting the air ducts of your heating and cooling system checked out is a good idea.

When selecting a duct cleaner, make sure the company is associated with the National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NCDCA) and then contact at least three to come out and give you an estimate. Beware of anyone trying to scare you about the health dangers and risks of dirty ducts and never hire anyone who tells you that air duct cleaning should be done routinely. Check references of the company you want to hire and ask if they hold any licenses. Some states require air duct cleaners to be licensed.

After the cleaning is complete, inspect the job to ensure your satisfaction and if remote photography was used, asked to see it. You can find an air duct-cleaning checklist at jessiemalakouti.com for your convenience.

Preventing the air ducts from becoming instantly filthy, change the air filter in your heating and cooling system to a high efficiency filter and do the same on your vacuum. HEPA filters help to remove the allergens in the air and can actually increase the life of your equipment.