Air Ducts Need Spring Cleaning Too

With spring cleaning in full swing, and allergy season in full bloom, you’re probably asking yourself if you’re doing all you can to get your home as clean as possible by reducing allergens in your home and improving everyone’s health in the process. With asthma affecting almost 25 million Americans and allergens causing hay fever and allergic rhinitis in 50 million Americans, getting rid of mold, animal dander, dust mites, pollen, and other allergens is priority one in many homes. The CDC intones the sentiment professing that allergies are among the top ten leading causes of chronic illness in the United States.

Knowing that 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children experience allergy symptoms from mild to life-threatening, getting every area of your home clean is important. One area often overlooked when spring cleaning commences is air duct cleaning. Air duct cleaning’s effectiveness on helping those in your family breathe easier has been the subject of some debate, but when you consider the purposes served by your air ducts, it seems cleaning them is common sense.

While there are no scientific studies showing air duct cleaning improves allergies, getting rid of dust and all it contains, specifically allergens, would appear to be a way to minimize your contact. Your heating and cooling system, as well as their ventilation can trigger or minimize allergies. These HVAC systems push air throughout your house in the floors, ceilings, and walls.

How to Know Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning

As you know, your home’s heating and cooling systems recirculate the air inside your house along with all the accumulated dirt, dust, and pollen. If pollen counts are high, keeping the windows closed will keep dust and pollen outside, but if pollen counts are low, opening your windows and doors can help you freshen up your home ridding it of dust and pollen.

Now when it comes to your air ducts, which do all the recirculating, there are often visual signs that a good cleaning of the ducts is in order, and other times, you may need to rely on other determining factors. Look first for dust or even mold in and around your air vents. If either is there, your ducts need cleaning.  If, on the other hand, your ducts “seem” clean, but haven’t been cleaned in 10 years or more, they need to be attended to right away. Another clue that cleaning is due is if your allergies flare up or your asthma isn’t well controlled (and you are taking your medicine as prescribed) when you turn on your heat or air conditioning. And a final, more obvious clue that your ducts need cleaning is your house seems dusty, even if you clean every day. The truth is, if you have allergies, asthma, or other breathing issues, cleaning your ducts is a must!

Air Duct Cleaning

When the time come to have your air ducts cleaned, be sure you if there are any underlying causes of your duct issues. Common air duct issues are mold caused by moisture buildup, poor air filtration, and even debris from mice, squirrels, birds, cockroaches, and the like. Issues like these and others may require an air duct specialist along with another professional to solve an underlying cause.

Professional Air Duct Cleaner utilize powerful vacuums and other tools as need to remove any debris. If mold is present, pesticides and cleaners may be needed (be certain your cleaning professional is using chemicals approved for use in HVAC systems before proceeding). Professional air duct cleaning in an average home will typically cost $500 to $700 and take three to five hours. While you’ll need a professional to clean your air ducts, you can do your part by changing air filters and cleaning vent covers regularly.

And remember the team at Signature Maids is always ready to lend a hand with all your cleaning needs!