AIR ANSWERS: HOW OFTEN SHOULD AIR DUCTS BE CLEANED?

Our homes contain hidden passageways and secret tunnels that house dirt, mold, and unwanted guests. The unseen ductwork in your home could have anything from a few dust bunnies to life-threatening mouse spores and black mold. The little things we don’t see can cause big problems.

You can clean all of the visible parts of your home, but if you do not care for your ductwork, your cleaning means little. The dust you just wiped off your furniture will reappear when your HVAC kicks in. Of more concern, though, is the irritants you cannot see.

Often mold, must, and rodent feces sit in the ducts that bring you conditioned air. Experts agree that air duct cleaning will ensure you have consistently clean, healthy air.

When dust accumulates on your furniture, you know it’s time to dust. But what about the unseen areas of your home? How often should air ducts be cleaned?

Experts state you should have your ducts cleaned every three to five years. This is a nice timeline to work with if you live in ideal conditions. However, some conditions warrant a more frequent cleaning.

Keep reading to learn more about why you need to clean your air ducts and now frequently you should bring in an air duct cleaning service to give your home a deep clean.

Mold and Musty Smells

A musty smell means you have mold growing somewhere in your home. The dark, damp areas of your ductwork make for some ideal places for mold to live. You don’t see it, and yet you breathe it in every day.

A professional air duct cleaning service will often use cameras to see the inside of your ducts and confirm the presence of mold. A service technician can then begin to treat the problem that is causing you and your home residents problems.

If you or a family member have the symptoms of mold illness but cannot find the source, bring in an expert to look at your ducts. Air duct cleaning cost will pale in comparison to the medical bills that loom because of long-term illness brought on by mold exposure.

When you suspect mold, look for companies that run specials on regular air duct cleaning and HVAC maintenance to keep your home’s air healthy. You will need more than just a one-and-done approach to cleaning your ducts.

The same conditions that allowed mold to grow in the first place still exist, so you need to care for the conditions first. The professional air technician can help you identify the problems and then care for them regularly.

Pest Control

If you’ve found signs of mice and other rodents in visible parts of your home, you most likely have their feces in your ductwork. Mice leave traces of urine and scat. An air duct specialist will remove all traces of animal scat from your ductwork and keep your air healthy.

Renovations and Changes

When you move into any home, whether it’s a home you just built yourself or an existing residence, have your ductwork cleaned. New homes need a ductwork expert to clean off all the contractor dust that has accumulated.

If you’re moving into an existing home, you never know when the previous owners last had the ductwork cleaned. Furthermore, you do not know how the previous owner lived. If the owner had pets or smoked, you need to have the ducts cleaned.

In the same way, if you have any construction done in your home, top it off with a thorough air duct cleaning. Dust and debris can easily accumulate in the ducts. A professional duct cleaning service will make your new construction even better by giving your home clean air.

Regular Maintenance and Deep Cleaning

You can be a clean person and still have dirty ducts. Basic living and life leads to a buildup of materials in ductwork. Duct cleaning technicians find an accumulation of dead skin cells, pet dander, dust, and basic allergens in ducts when they do their jobs.

Your ducts house the little things you cannot see. So a regular deep cleaning of your ducts every three to five years will help eliminate that which has accumulated.

Furthermore, you’ll find your HVAC system works much more efficiently after you’ve had your ducts cleaned. When you have a buildup of materials over the years that obstruct your ducts, your HVAC system has to work harder to keep your home properly heated and cooled.

Thus, while you spend a little on duct cleaning, you save money on your energy bill. Plus, you can sleep easy knowing you have healthy air in your home.

Chronic Illness

If you have clean ducts, you logically have clean air. Individuals with chronic illness especially need to have their air ducts cleaned regularly to prevent the circulation of contaminated air.

If you have a family member who has respiratory problems, look into an air duct cleaning service. Your family members will find they can breathe easier, literally, because the air is free of the same contaminants that irritated their lungs prior to an air duct cleaning.

Clean Your Air Ducts

If you don’t know when your air ducts last saw the bristle side of an air duct cleaning service brush, it’s time to call a professional. Then plan on having the same professionals come back every three to five years or when you notice any one of the previously mentioned problems.

A proper air duct cleaning will keep your home healthy and even reduce your energy bill. It will leave you with the peace of mind knowing you’re caring for the dark spaces of your home that no one sees but everyone notices when they walk into your home and sniff the air.

Do you need someone to inspect and clean your ducts? If so, contact us.

Our full-service HVAC company has been serving the St. Louis and beyond for almost 40 years. We specialize in giving our clients high-quality service for affordable prices. Furthermore, we can both install and service HVAC systems.

Furthermore, we offer routine maintenance plans that help keep your HVAC system running properly and keep your ductwork free from obstructions. Give us a call today. We’d love to help you.

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