4 Reliable Tips for Air Duct and Vent Cleaning

To clean or not to clean? Vent and Air Duct cleaning are quite tricky. This is because detecting when exactly your vents and air ducts require attention can be a tad difficult! However, once you get the hang of it, you can greatly improve the air quality of your home.

After all, as per PR Newswire, an average house accumulates a whopping 40 pounds of dust every year! Considering that most of us spend 60-90 percent of our lives indoors, it means that the quality of the air you breathe indoors matters a lot.

Whether it be reducing utility bills, eliminating odors, or improving the air quality inside the house, it is always good to clean your vents and air ducts. Try to clean your air ducts and vents once every six months.  

Here are five reliable tips that will help you along the way.

1. Know the DIY process and how far to go with it

Do you think you can pull off cleaning your vents all by yourself? If so, we are here to provide you with a short guide on how to do it. All you will need is a vacuum, broom, screwdriver, and a cleaning brush.

• Turn off your HVAC system.
• Unscrew the vent covers using the screwdriver and use the cleaning brush to remove all dust and grime that you can see.
• Use a vacuum to clean off the dust. No household vacuum will be enough. You will need a heavy-duty vacuum.
• Clean the grills on the ceiling as well by using the vacuum and then screw back the covers.

It sounds simple right? It is if there is only dust that you need to clean! However, for an air-duct, you will need a deep clean by a professional. This is because, unlike a vent, air ducts are not easy to clean.

Hence, we won’t recommend that you try the task out by yourself. This decision will, in the end, negatively impact the air quality in your house.

2. Test for molds

Mold tends to develop in areas of the house where moisture accumulates in the absence of proper ventilation. In case this occurs inside the air ducts and vents of your house, it can cause the growth of a very unhealthy indoor environment.

Why? Well, the air duct will end up causing mold spores to be released into the indoor air. Not only will you be breathing into thin air, but it will also ruin your furniture!

To avoid this from happening, whenever cleaning your air ducts and vents, always try to ascertain the appearance of molds within them. To do so, you might have to seek the help of a lab. Take a sample from your air duct and send it for testing. This will help you know whether you have a mold issue.

If you do, you will have to remove and replace the air duct or vent. Also, note that in case mold does exist, remedying it also involves identifying what enabled the mold to develop in your house in the first place.

If you ignore this stage, you might end up experiencing the same issue again, despite deep cleaning your air ducts and vents biannually!

3. Select the right service provider

Unless you are confident that you can do the task yourself, we advise you to let the professionals take care of vent and air duct cleaning. Now, finding the right service provider is anything but easy. After all, there are a plethora of options to choose from!

Make sure to do your research and ask for quotes from multiple companies before settling down for one. Also, seek consumer reviews and recommendations to know how well a company cleans air ducts and vents.

Also, try to stick to local companies. For starters, an air duct cleaning Eau Claire company is ideal for those living in Wisconsin since such companies are well-versed with the unique weather challenges of the city.

Apart from this, you might want to:

• Ask the service provider for clear evidence that suggests that your system needs cleaning. This will help you ascertain their expertise.
• Clearly restrict the use of chemicals unless you understand the pros and cons of using chemicals in your air ducts.
• Stay away from companies that recommend duct cleaning as a routine task for cooling and heating maintenance. This isn’t true and might suggest that they recommend duct cleaning when it is unnecessary.

By keeping the mentioned factors in mind, you will easily choose the right air duct cleaning service.

4. Be clear about the duration of the service

A lot of people underestimate just how long duct and vent cleaning tends to take. Depending on the condition of your vents and ducts, it can take a significant amount of time.

Since you are likely to see professional help for the task, make sure you and the service provider are on the same page regarding the duration of the service. This will help you plan other tasks accordingly. For instance, it will help you decide whether you need to take your pets to someone else’s house.

Also, decide what you will do to take care of your home and furniture during the process. While some companies will cover your furniture and floor for you, others will not.

Knowing what is included in the service and its duration, you can prepare for the project accordingly.

Ending Remarks

Vent and air duct cleaning can seem like a very big hassle between finding the right service provider and preparing your house for the project. However, it is essential for your health as well as the health of your house!

Plus, it is not a task you must perform daily or monthly. If you hire the right people for the job, you only need to clean your vents and air ducts once every six or four months.

Considering the many benefits of air duct and vent cleaning, the hassle is surely worth it.

Author bio

About Ashley Rosa: Ashley Rosa is a freelance writer and blogger. As writing is her passion that why she loves to write articles related to the latest trends in technology and sometimes on health-tech as well.  She is crazy about chocolates. You can find her at twitter: @ashrosa2.