Most homeowners are familiar with duct cleaning. You have probably seen a big truck pull up to your neighbor with all kinds of pipes and hoses being offloaded and thought to yourself, should I get my air ducts cleaned? I know my neighbor is doing it, but are they getting ripped off?
Will Duct Cleaning Fix Your Problem?
Duct cleaning is like every other topic on the internet, you will find good and bad. I think most of the bad information about duct cleaning comes from contractors selling people a service the homeowner either did not need or most commonly was not the solution to correct the customer’s problem. This is why you must be careful who you hire to assess your indoor air quality. Check out their reputation, read their reviews, watch their videos, and read their articles.
My Home is Dusty
This is probably the #1 reason people have their ducts cleaned… dust. If your home is dusty, especially really dusty, it can be embarrassing and even affect your indoor air quality. Since dust likes to linger in places not easily cleaned like tops of refrigerators, tops of door jambs, and other flat surfaces that could be hard to reach, it makes sense that it would hide in duct-work.
Dust in Duct-work Won’t Affect You
Some critics of duct cleaning (myself a few years back) like to say:
“the dust in the ducts is not necessary to clean because it is usually caked on the sides and does not come out of the HVAC system, therefore does not cause dust or other issues.”
I agree there is some truth to that, but what those critics are overlooking is the dust can be a breeding ground for mold, bacteria, and dust mites. These are allergens and can become airborne and become a dust source as well.
Cleaning the Ducts Can Reduce Allergens
Since dust mites and other allergens feed on dust, cleaning the duct-work and making sure other hidden dusty areas are cleaned regularly should improve your indoor air quality. Dust mites are the #1 cause of asthma among children. If parents want to eliminate risk factors of asthma, cleaning the ducts can help. Also, make sure you install great air filters and change them or clean them regularly.
If you are an asthma sufferer, prone to seasonal allergies, suffer from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), have a history of heart disease or other respiratory illnesses, very young or an older adult; according to the EPA, you are more susceptible to indoor air pollution. Make sure you take all precautions necessary to improve your indoor air quality.
I hope you found this information useful. Please comment below if you have any questions or would like to say hello.
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