Should you clean the air ducts in your house? Are there killer germs or major hazards hiding in your air ducts that are silently killing you and jeopardizing your home’s value?
Or is duct cleaning all a big scam?
The Scary Facts About What’s in Your Ducts!
Dead animals, poison mold and fire hazards …
South Florida duct cleaning specialist, Dr. Air Duct points out the following scary statistics:
- Indoor air can be 70 times more polluted than outdoors.
- The American College of Allergies states 50 percent of illnesses are aggravated or caused by air pollution.
- One in six people suffer allergies due to dirty air ducts.
- Nine of 10 heating and cooling failures are caused by dirty ducts.
- The Department of Consumer Affairs says children are especially susceptible to indoor air pollutants.
- Twenty-five to 50 percent of energy used for cooling and heating is wasted according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Unless your home is brand new, or you put in a brand new AC and duct system, you don’t know what’s in there. Residue from meth labs, feces from rodents and entire colonies of dust mites could be staked out in your walls.
More Reasons for Cleaning Ducts in Your House
- Breathing healthier & cleaner air
- Getting rid of musty odors
- Preventing allergy triggers
- Restoration after water or fire damage
- Reducing fire hazard
- Extending the life of your AC system
- Increasing energy efficiency and reducing utility bills
What the Door-to-Door Sales People Won’t Tell You
Those who recently moved or purchased a home have probably been flooded with fliers from contractors about cleaning air ducts in their houses. That’s in addition to carpet cleaning, alarm systems, exterminators, landscapers and water quality testers. They’ll all do their best to scare you into forking over a ton of money, and there goes your remodeling budget or even your first mortgage payment!
According to Washington State University, there is no solid proof that cleaning the air ducts in your house really makes it healthier.
This doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be checked or done, but some slime balls will tell you anything to up their budget for happy hour.
Be careful about letting door knockers into your home and answering mailers. You may be better off searching the Internet for a reputable local contractor and contacting them directly after doing a little background search on them.
What Should You Expect From a Professional Duct Cleaning Service?
Many states require those cleaning air ducts in your house to be licensed, make sure you ask to see a copy or for the license number. You should also find out which associations they are members of, such as the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). You can also be prepared with your own checklist to mark off while they are on the job – to keep dirty duct cleaners at bay.
A proper professional cleaning should include:
- Thoroughly cleaning all components of the air handling unit, fan and cage
- Removing and cleaning vents
- Vacuuming of ducts
- Replacing or at least cleaning your air filter
- Cleaning up after themselves and removing dirt
Of course you should call the local Better Business Bureau to check on anyone you are considering hiring first. Don’t just rely on references they choose to provide.
Pricing for cleaning the air ducts in your house can vary a little depending on where you live, how bad they are and how extensive the system is. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says to expect cleaning costs of $450 to $1,000.
How to Do-It-Yourself
Not ready to splash out $1,000 when you could really use that money for other things? DIY air duct cleaning isn’t hard at all, and even if you are the type who never gets their hands dirty, you can just add it to your house cleaner’s to-do list this week. Just don’t tell him or her where you got the idea, please.
Of course, this may not be as thorough as hiring a pro, but unless you know you have an issue, it should be fine.
Make sure you have:
- Gloves
- Screwdrivers for vents
- A brush
- Rags
- Heavy duty vacuum
- Trash bags
Remove and clean all vents, vacuum inside and clean as much of the unit as possible.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that unless you just moved in, you have bad allergies, someone in your family is sick, you have just completed a construction project, or are aware of a mold problem, you probably don’t need to hire a professional cleaner yet.
It is good to check your system and ducts every one to two years and take proper maintenance and preventative tasks seriously so that your AC unit lasts longer. But, unless you are really worried or know of an issue, you are likely okay saving the $1,000 on cleaning your air ducts in your house, for now…