How To Clean Air Ducts in Your Home?

Did you know that dust, dander, dirt, hair, and bug fragments can accumulate in your air vents and ducts and pollute the air you breathe?

Cleaning the ducts will reduce the amount of dust in your home. When the ducts are clean, dust-laden air is pulled out of the air duct system.

Suppose you start thinking about all the dust and debris that gets into your air ducts. Cleaning them now and then makes sense. A dirty, dusty air environment isn’t what anyone wants in their house, is it? You need to clean your air ducts if you want to improve the quality of the air in your home. If anyone in your family suffers from allergies, it’s even more important to pay attention to the quality of the air you’re breathing!

Although it may be expensive to get your air ducts cleaned by a professional air duct cleaning company, you can do it yourself. You can also contact duct cleaning companies in your area. It is not as tough as it may seem, and knowing how to clean home air ducts will help enhance your heating and cooling systems. Additionally, it can save you money on your energy bills.

1. Cleaning 101: what to clean, what not to clean, and how to clean

2. Checklist of things you need to complete the job

3. Ways to prevent air duct contamination

4. FAQs

Cleaning 101: what to clean, what not to clean, and how to clean

Every time you clean your home, you have to choose: what do you clean and what do you ignore? This is especially true of air duct cleaning. Air duct cleaning is not just a matter of making your home look better.

Your home’s air ducts are a part of your heating and cooling equipment. And if they become clogged, it can make your heating and cooling system less efficient and even lead to health issues for you and your family. That’s why cleaning your air ducts is so important, but you must do it correctly. Cleaning the dirty duct system’s dirty parts can improve the air quality even if you can’t access the underground ducts.

Here are some tips on cleaning the air ducts in your home correctly and what to focus on.

Get your AC ducts cleaned just by following a few steps:

1. Always disconnect the power source to your air conditioning units and heating system before beginning any work.

2. Unscrew your vent covers and wash them off. You can either put them in the dishwasher or rinse them by hand. Set them aside to dry.

3. Protect your walls and floors from dust by covering the openings of your supply vents with paper towels. You will remove the covers to do your cleaning, but it’s a good idea to replace them after you are finished each time. The return duct is usually dirtier than the supply duct.

4. Use your brush to loosen the dust on the sides of the ductwork.

5. Clean your ducts with a vacuum. Use the hose with the nozzle and brush attachments to remove all the dirt. Dust may still be present on the walls, so wipe them down with paper towels. Repeat for every opening to your ductwork.

6. Swap out your air filter. Replace your air filter with a new one once you’ve removed some dust from your ducts.

7. After you have cleaned all of your vent covers, be sure to put them back.

Checklist of things you need to complete the job

You will need the following tools to clean your air ducts:

Furnace Filter. You will have to change the furnace filter when you are finished. Be sure to select the correct type of filter for your furnace.
Gloves. You must wear gloves and a dust mask or goggles while cleaning.
Vacuum. You will need a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and dirt from your air vents. A regular household vacuum cleaner may not be powerful enough. Ensure the vacuum cleaner you rent has a long hose to reach into the ducts. Use your vacuum to clean the dust out of the blower compartment and return the air boot.
Brush. A stiff-bristled meeting will work well, but if you do not have one of these, something that resembles a toilet brush will do the trick.
Power drill. If you need to remove screws from vents, a power drill can be helpful. But you can also use a screwdriver, as long as it fits the type of screws used on the registers in the areas of your home.
Cleaning cloth. A microfiber cloth is the best option for cleaning.
Paper Towels. Paper towels are an essential cleaning supply. They’ll help you save time and effort by helping you clean up messes quickly. Keep a good stock of paper towels on hand to make cleaning as easy and efficient as possible.
Screwdriver. A screwdriver is a valuable tool when you need to remove the vents for cleaning. You may also need to use it to access dirty return registers. Remember, cleaning the outside and the inside components are essential. An expert will ensure that all parts of your vents are cleaned thoroughly, so you won’t have to bother about removing and cleaning your ducts yourself.

Ways to Prevent Air Duct Contamination

An HVAC system that is consistently maintained will not need to be cleaned as often. You may take a few steps to ensure your system does not become contaminated:

Your heating and cooling system manufacturer should recommend a high-efficiency air filter. This will ensure good indoor air quality.
If you notice that your indoor air quality is poor, it would be better to change your filters. If you have allergies, you might feel more affected when the filters are dirty.
To prevent air from circumventing the filters, insulate the area around them. Additionally, check that all filters are accounted for.
During your air duct cleaning, the coils and drain pans of the air ducts should be cleaned too.
To keep ducts free of contamination, vacuum regularly and control dust. For best results, use a HEPA vacuum that traps tiny particles.

Conclusion

Air duct cleaning is an essential part of home maintenance. When your air ducts are clogged, you lose energy efficiency and money. Over time there can be a buildup of dust, dead skin, and allergens. This could be harmful to your health, especially if you or someone in your family is sensitive to allergies.

Alternatively, you can hire a professional to clean your air ducts. It’s a quick job, but you have to do it right. Professional duct cleaning differs from DIY duct cleaning because the professionals use advanced tools. Keep your ducts clean by using a HEPA vacuum. Some experts say that cleaning your air ducts won’t stop health problems, but it’s still something you should do. If you don’t remove mold and bacteria from your vents, they’ll end up in your living space. Even if it’s not something you must do yearly, you should still clean your air ducts when necessary.

We hope you’ve found our blog post about home air ducts helpful in cleaning! If you need a hand, you might want to take a look at our air duct cleaning service.

FAQs

1. Does cleaning air ducts make a difference?

Although there haven’t been many conclusive scientific studies, there’s reason to believe that duct cleaning does make a difference in indoor air quality and the health of your family.

2. How do I know if it’s time to clean my air ducts?

If you notice dust and dirt both indoors and outdoors, your ducts likely need to be cleaned. To prevent future accumulation of dust, be sure to replace your HVAC system air filters regularly. You could also think about using an air purifier.

3. How often should you clean your air ducts?

The recommended average is to have air ducts cleaned every year, but experts advise that homes with pets or children with allergies should have them cleaned more frequently.

4. What happens if air ducts are not cleaned?

Without regular cleaning and upkeep of the air ducts, the moisture will eventually turn into mold and mildew. The real problem here is due to what your ducts do: disperse air throughout a structure. If you have moldy air ducts, that mold will be blown throughout your home or business.

5. Does duct cleaning help with allergies?

An air duct system cleaning is usually recommended for people experiencing allergies or asthma symptoms. This should be done regularly as it can help reduce the number of allergens in your home and help relieve allergy and asthma triggers.