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The ducts inside your house play an important role, distributing clean air throughout your home via your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system.
However, over time and with continuous usage, your HVAC air ducts become contaminated with dust and mold, drastically reducing the overall quality of air inside your home’s environment.
Did you know? Dirty air ducts can also cause insect and rodent infestation. As a result, it could lead to health problems, especially for people who have recurring allergies and other sensitivities.
Plus, dirty or clogged HVAC air ducts can also lead to reduced HVAC operational efficiencies, resulting in a spike in your heating and cooling bills.
While there aren’t any specific guidelines stated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regarding air duct cleaning, it will be worthwhile to inspect them and have them cleaned ASAP. Doing so will allow you to have fresher, cleaner indoor air free from dust and dirt particles.
Plus, there is always a chance that you might notice reduced allergy symptoms and fewer foul odors inside your home. So, with that in mind, let us look at some ways you can keep your HVAC air ducts clean and clear for the foreseeable future. Some of these ways are listed down below.
Hire a Professional Duct Cleaning Service
For most homeowners, duct cleaning will be a challenging task. After all, everybody doesn’t know how to use specialized duct cleaning equipment. Plus, cleaning ducts and air conditioning vents is too much work for a single individual to handle.
Fortunately, you can always hire professional HVAC duct cleaning services to ensure that your air ducts go through a complete clean while avoiding preventable injuries that might result from the duct cleaning process.
It is possible because these professionals are fully equipped with the knowledge and equipment for efficient air duct cleaning. So, pick up the phone and contact your local air duct cleaner to do the job for you!
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Look for Signs of Mold
Mold typically develops in high moisture areas that result from inadequate or improper ventilation. That said, if your air ducts become moldy, it can lead to an unhealthy indoor environment.
Such a thing occurs when the mold present inside the ducts spreads mold spores throughout your home, entering your body when you breathe in the contaminated air.
While mold is generally visible, one easy way to ensure it is present is to collect a dirt sample from your air ducts and send it off for laboratory analysis. If the test comes back positive for mold presence, your best course of action is to have your air duct insulation replaced.
Check for Debris and Clogs
Suppose you don’t unclog and clean your HVAC ducts on time. There is a likely chance that your HVAC ducts can get clogged due to dust, debris, and even insect infestations. In that case, dust particles will likely enter your home’s environment via the air distributed by the HVAC system itself, leading to severe health issues in the long term.
So, it will be wise to hire a reputed duct cleaning service or clean them out yourselves. Whatever approach you take, considering doing it as soon as possible.
Change Your HVAC Filters Regularly
Air filters will eventually trap dirt and dust particles and become clogged over time, requiring replacement or extensive cleaning. That said, you can avoid unnecessary HVAC maintenance costs and hard work by replacing your HVAC air filters once every three to four months.
However, this usually depends on various other household factors such as the presence of pets, the season, and levels of dust in the area, to name a few.
Vacuum and Dust Regularly
Dirt, dander, dust, and other particles might end up collecting inside your HVAC air ducts from everywhere. However, doing typical household chores such as dusting and vacuuming can prevent such particles from entering and depositing inside your HVAC air ducts for good.
After all, keeping your home clean from the inside will eventually contribute to improved air quality and prevent occurrences of respiratory problems, asthma, and allergies.
Clean Vent Covers
Floor vents are easy to remove and clean. Generally, you can lift them with little force. However, for wall vents, you’ll have to use a screwdriver. That said, if your air vent covers are incredibly dusty, use a vacuum cleaner with its dust collection attachment to remove dust and debris from the vent cover’s surface.
If you don’t, the dust deposited on the air vent covers will likely enter the air duct itself, leading to dusty air being circulated throughout your entire home.
Conclusion
There is no shadow of a doubt that your HVAC system’s air ducts need regular maintenance. Ignoring maintenance best practices such as cleaning or replacing HVAC filters can invite allergens, fungi, viruses, and bacteria inside your home.
So, ensure that you get in touch with a professional duct cleaning service if you value your and your family’s health.
