3 Common Allergens Collecting In Your Ductwork

If you suffer from indoor allergy symptoms, ask yourself: When was the last time you had your household ductwork cleaned? Do you even remember? Maybe never? It might come as a bit of a surprise, but there are several common allergens lurking inside your ducts, and unless you schedule routine duct cleaning, they’ll hang out there indefinitely.

At Dust Doctors, we can’t stress enough the importance of regular duct cleaning for every home. And for households with allergy sufferers, routine cleaning is especially critical. In this blog, we discuss three of the most common allergens that build up inside ductwork and why duct cleaning is essential to eradicate them.  

Dust Mites

Dusty ducts are a paradise for dust mites since they feed on the skin flakes that comprise a large percentage of household dust. And though you can’t see these microscopic arachnids, that doesn’t mean they aren’t affecting your health.

While some people are allergic to dust mites themselves, most people develop bothersome symptoms after inhaling their feces. Because the average household contains tens of millions of these tiny bugs (your mattress alone can contain up to 10 million), it’s no surprise they cause mysterious symptoms for many people.

Because professional duct cleaning removes all traces of dust from within your ductwork, it eliminates a large percentage of the dust mites inside your home. When your HVAC system no longer re-circulates dust-laden air 24/7, you’ll likely find that bothersome symptoms improve considerably. 

Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew grow best in dark, damp environments, which makes your ductwork a prime location for these allergens. And because it’s often difficult to see inside your ducts, you may not be aware of mold or mildew development until you develop mysterious health symptoms. Common allergy symptoms associated with ductwork mold and mildew include:

●        Itchy, watery eyes

●        Trouble breathing

●        Headaches and fatigue

●        Skin rashes

●        Sneezing, coughing, and congestion

●        Difficulty concentrating

If you’ve been dealing with puzzling symptoms and you haven’t had professional duct cleaning in recent years, there’s a good chance mold and/or mildew is growing inside your ducts. Deep duct cleaning will eliminate the problem in a matter of hours and chances are, your mysterious symptoms will improve too.

Pollen

Pollen is perhaps the most common allergen there is, and if you ever venture outside your house (who doesn’t?), there’s pollen in your ductwork. So how does it get there?

Pollen clings to clothing, which means any time someone enters your house during the warmer months, they bring pollen indoors. Those pollen particles end up in your indoor air, and because your HVAC system continually re-circulates that air, your ducts end up accumulating plenty of pollen. Then, as the system forces conditioned air back through the vents, it continually pushes pollen back into your living areas — and you pay the price in bothersome symptoms. 

If you suffer from persistent pollen-related allergies, annual duct cleaning can help since it completely removes all buildup within your ductwork. Because outdoor pollen is typically more prevalent in spring, consider having your ducts professionally cleaned when the season is over. Since you’ll no doubt spend considerable time indoors during the hot, humid months, having clean ducts can help you avoid ongoing indoor allergy symptoms.

If you suffer from persistent indoor allergies, get in touch with our team at Dust Doctors today to schedule professional duct cleaning. It’s our mission to help homeowners properly maintain their HVAC systems and breathe cleaner indoor air, and we’ve proudly served the Twin Cities metro for over a decade. For more information about our services or to request a free quote, give our team a call today at 651-319-9777 or send us a message, and we’ll be in touch!