The Importance of Air Duct Cleaning

Air Duct Cleaning

We all know how important it is to breathe clean, pure air to maintain good health naturally. What many people don’t think about, however, are the systems that circulate the air in their homes. Internal HVAC systems offer many conveniences in heating and cooling, but can also be one of the leading contributors to indoor air pollution. For this reason, if you are serious about keeping the air you breathe up to the highest possible standards of quality and purity, it’s incredibly important to give some thought to the best ways to keep the air ducts in your home clean and free of contaminants.

 

 What Makes Air Duct Cleaning so Important?

 

When used for heating, cooling or fan-only air circulation, air ducts deliver air to most or all of the rooms in a home. The problem, however, is the buildup of dust, mold spores, harmful bacteria and other materials that can occur inside the ducts themselves. Because every part of an HVAC system other than the vent covers that usually cover the ducts where they terminate is difficult to access and clean, most people never realize just how many contaminants their air ducts are introducing into their immediate environment. This problem is just as real in commercial and office properties, where HVAC systems can run throughout the entirety of large buildings. In order to get rid of these harmful contaminants, some form of air duct cleaning is required.

 

 How Can You Keep Your Air Ducts Clean?

 

Obviously, cleaning your air ducts is a larger project than simply dusting around the house because of how difficult the insides of the ducts are to access. There are several ways that you can keep your air ducts clean and prevent them from introducing harmful contaminants into the air you, your co-workers or your family are breathing. Here are a few of the top ways to clean air ducts.

 Use Proper HVAC Filters

All HVAC systems feature some kind of filter that catches large particulates, such as dust and pet hair. However, you can greatly increase the filtering capability of your system by using better filters, especially HEPA filters, in your HVAC system. These filters will cost a few more dollars than their less effective counterparts, but are well worth the added expense. Even if you do nothing else to clean and treat your air ducts, a simple filter change can go a long way toward reducing the amount of particulate contamination you are exposed to because of your HVAC system.

 

 Use Air Purifiers Around Your Home

Making use of residential air purifiers can help to mitigate particulate buildup in your ducts in two key ways. Firstly, it will catch any dust, dander, pollen or other contaminants that are introduced into your air by your HVAC system so that they will not affect the quality of your air nearly as much. Secondly, by removing airborne dust and other particulates from the air that is cycled into the HVAC system, a good air purifier can help to prevent buildup in your ducts in the first place.

 

 Hire an Air Duct Cleaning Service

Most HVAC companies will offer air duct cleaning services. Having a professional clean your ducts will ensure that you will have very little to worry about in terms of contamination. However, these services can be quite expensive. Be prepared to spend between $3-500 (more for large or commercial buildings) per cleaning if you plan to go this route.

 

 Conclusion

If you are serious about using clean air to naturally promote better health, cleaning your air ducts is essential. Whether you simply change your filters or hire cleaners to remove buildup from your air ducts, getting rid of the dust, pollen, mold and other substances that collect in your HVAC system is one of the best things you can do to promote better health in the home.

 

Still have questions about how to deal with your air duct cleaning needs? We’re here to help! Contact us to ask what the best route is for your needs, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!