Over time, your air ducts will become dirty. Coated with dust, dander, allergens and dirt, it is impossible to keep them clean. The air moving through your HVAC system will pick up these allergens and bring them back into your home to reduce indoor air quality. While you cannot prevent the dirt and allergens from drifting into your system, you can improve the air quality of your home by having the ducts cleaned.
Why do the Air Ducts Need Cleaning?
The air ducts of your home constantly move air from the living areas of your home to the HVAC system to be warmed or cooled. After being treated, the air returns to your living areas to keep your entire family comfortable. The steady flow of circulating air picks up dust, debris and allergens from the home. Moving through the ducts, it can form an unhealthy lining on the inside of ducts. The air moving through the system can also pick up these allergens and put them back into your living space, so people with seasonal allergies will find that they are suffering throughout the year.
Even new homes can have filthy ducts. Vents are put in place before the walls are finished, but contractors don’t cover them when they start finishing the walls. The dust, debris and allergens all fall into the vents to leave them coated with a heavy layer of debris before you even move in.
When Should the Ducts be Cleaned?
There will be warning signs if your ducts are overly dirty and should be cleaned. The biggest warning signs are ongoing respiratory, allergy or asthma problems among family members. Chronic health problems like nasal congestion and headaches can also point to dirty air ducts. If you feel better when you leave the house and health complaints mysteriously reappear when you’re home, then you will want to have your ducts inspected.
If you have pets or smokers in the house, you should invest in this service. Homes that have gone through any renovations that involved kicking up dust and dirt will also have dirty ducts. The pet dander, dust, debris and cigarette smoke are pulled into the system every time your furnace kicks on, and you can only remove it by having the network cleaned.
Other warning signs can be seen by looking around the house. Is there a musty odor when the furnace or air conditioner runs? Do you find dust on the furniture right after cleaning? Is the airflow through your system weak? Put a new filter in your system and change it after 30 days. If it’s extremely dirty, the problem could be hiding in your vents.
Benefits of Cleaning Air Ducts
Cleaning the ducts in your home will improve indoor air quality and make it easier to breathe in your home. However, the benefits go beyond simply cleaning the air. With improved airflow, your furnace will last longer and run more efficiently to help you save money.
Your home will be easier to clean when less dust is blowing in from the ducts, and you won’t have to deal with the mystery odors. This helps you save time as you spend less of your precious free time searching for mystery odors and trying to keep the dust under control.
Most importantly, your family’s health will improve when the allergens are finally removed from the house. They will breathe easier, and problems like chronic headaches and year-round allergies will be relieved.
Make an investment in your home by having the pollutants removed from your air vents. Pulling them out of the ducts will improve the air quality inside your home and make your family healthier. The ducts are nearly impossible to keep clean, so you should plan to invest in this service every few years to keep the ducts clean and your home fresh.