At On Time Home Services, we recommend scheduling regular air duct cleaning services with a professional. But, between maintenance visits, you can take some steps to keep your air ducts in the best possible condition. Contrary to what some duct cleaning companies may claim, there is no evidence that suggests that duct cleaning is essential to health. In fact, some studies have shown that the process of cleaning the ducts can create more problems than it solves.
Even if the ducts are dirty, cleaning them is not likely to provide any measurable benefit. When it comes to cleaning and maintaining heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, there are some benefits, but they are relatively small. Start by identifying if the ducts are part of the problem and if cleaning them will help. CMHC researchers discovered that when duct cleaners also cleaned fan blades, there was a small reduction in airborne particles. If you don't have special health problems, cleaning the ducts may be attractive to you from an intuitive point of view.
However, it's important to commit to a good preventive maintenance program to minimize duct contamination. If you suspect that you have a mold problem, either due to visible growth or a musty smell that constantly comes from the supply grilles, cleaning the ducts won't do much good if the mold isn't removed. When it comes to visible vents and grilles, there are a few steps you can take to clean your air ducts yourself. You'll want to go through the vents in your house before you get close to the boiler. By repeating this process in the months between scheduled air duct cleaning services, you can improve your home's cleanliness and indoor air quality. A professional HVAC technician can help you identify your home's specific air duct cleaning needs and give you tips to improve indoor air quality all year round.
However, with these tips in mind, you can take steps to keep your air ducts clean and maintain good indoor air quality without having to hire a professional.
