Health Issues: Are Your Dirty Ducts Making You Sick?

We generally think of fall and winter as cold and flu season, primarily due to cooler outdoor temperatures. Certainly, the frigid weather is to blame for our wintertime ailments, right? While winter weather indeed contributes to cold- and flu-like symptoms, it's not the only culprit. You may be surprised to learn that the cleanliness—or lack thereof—of your ductwork plays an integral role in your family’s health. Curious to learn how your ductwork is related to that runny nose you seem to have all winter long? The experts at Dust Doctors explain below.

Symptoms to Watch For

If you or your family have been dealing with cold or allergy symptoms, chances are your dirty ducts are partially to blame. If symptoms persist for longer than a week or two, you may want to take a peek at the current state of your ductwork. Here are the symptoms to look for:

●        Headaches

●        Itchy, watery eyes

●        Runny nose or congested nasal passages

●        Chronic coughing

●        Difficulty breathing or wheezing

●        Fatigue or chronic lethargy

 What Is in Dust? Can It Make You Sick?

Here’s an off-putting statistic: According to researchers, the average home accumulates about 40 pounds of dust every year. What’s that dust composed of? For starters, dead skin. You and each member of your household lose about eight pounds of skin each year—and much of that dead skin ends up settling in your home. Along with dead skin, dust contains microscopic dust mites, dander, pollen, and according to recent research, over 45 different toxic chemicals. Suffice it to say dust can absolutely make you sick.

Dust Mites Love Your Dirty Ducts

Toxic chemicals in dust are linked to cognitive, behavioral, and respiratory issues, but perhaps more damaging than chemicals are the seemingly invisible dust mites living in your home. Just a single gram of dust may house as many as 500 dust mites; if you crunch the numbers, you could have up to 9,080,000 mites living in your home over the course of a single year!

Because they’re so tiny, you inhale these mites—their fecal matter, carcasses, and all—with every breath. While mites might trigger allergy symptoms, it’s their fecal matter you really need to worry about. Dust mite droppings contain a protein that triggers allergy symptoms when touched or inhaled. Some individuals even suffer from skin issues such as allergic contact dermatitis due to dust mite accumulation in their homes. So, where are these mites most likely to accumulate? You guessed it: in your ductwork.

If you haven’t had your ducts cleaned recently (or ever), there’s no time like the present. Since you’ll be spending substantial time indoors over the coming months, you’ll expose yourself to millions of these sickness-triggering little buggers if you don’t. A thorough duct cleaning and vent cleaning will ensure your family breathes clean air all winter long. And if you really want to amp up your indoor air quality, consider installing an air purification system to keep harmful airborne particles to a minimum.

At Dust Doctors, we know how important it is that your ducts stay clean year-round. Good indoor air quality makes a significant difference in you and your family’s health, and we’re here to deliver it. We specialize in all types of duct cleaning and offer advanced air purification systems to help keep your allergies at bay. For questions or to get started with your duct cleaning, feel free to give our team a call at 651-319-9777, or you can message on our contact page.