The air ducts in your home can harbor a wide variety of allergens that can negatively affect your indoor air quality and overall well-being. That’s why maintaining clean ductwork is so important. For most households, duct cleaning at two-year intervals should suffice, but there are specific instances that may call for cleaning service at more random or frequent intervals.
When might you need to get air duct cleaning outside of a typical maintenance schedule? Read on to find out.
1. After Construction or Home Renovations
If you’re planning a few home renovations that involve any type of construction or painting work, your HVAC vents will inevitably pull in tons of debris during the project. When everything is in place and you know there won’t be any more additions, painting, or clean-up, you should seriously consider scheduling professional duct cleaning.
Even if you get your ducts cleaned on a routine schedule, post-renovation duct cleaning can benefit your indoor air quality and health. It’s a great way to ensure your HVAC system isn’t continually pushing sawdust, VOCs, or other chemicals into your living spaces.
2. When You Move Into a New Place
When you’re getting ready to move into a new place, it’s critical that you ensure the duct system is clean and clear. That’s especially true if you’re moving into an older home or rental in which the previous owner or current landlord hasn’t paid much attention to duct maintenance and care.
Older residences may be harboring a tremendous amount of allergens within the ductwork, including:
● Mold and mildew
● Dust mites, their carcasses, and their feces
● Dust, dander, pollen, and bacteria
● Chemical residues and VOCs
If you’re moving into a rental, don’t hesitate to ask your landlord if he or she will cover the cost of duct cleaning, especially if your locality has statutes or regulations pertaining to mold. Since ductwork can hold moisture, it’s often a hotspot for mold and mildew spores.
3. When Your Indoor Allergies Worsen
If you notice your allergy symptoms seem to get worse when you’re inside your home, the problem may be related to dirty ductwork. That’s especially true if you haven’t had your air ducts cleaned in years (or ever).
Scheduling a professional duct cleaning appointment can help you determine which allergens tend to accumulate in your ductwork. That way, you can better pinpoint the culprit behind your symptoms.
If you tend to suffer from allergy-like symptoms indoors, you’ll definitely want to take a look at the hazardous allergens that might be lurking in your air ducts.
4. When You Smell Musty Odors Indoors
If you’ve noticed a musty, unpleasant odor building inside your home, there may be mold growing in your ducts. When your HVAC system turns on, it pushes those odors into your living spaces, and if the growth is prolific, it’s a likely culprit behind the unpleasant odor you smell.
Deep duct cleaning can eliminate that mold, but unless you locate the source of the moisture that’s allowing it to grow, it’ll come right back. It’s likely in your best interest to get a comprehensive duct inspection in addition to professional cleaning to fix the problem at its source.
5. When You’re Dealing With a Pest Infestation
Dealing with a visible insect or rodent infestation? It’s bad enough when you can see those disgusting critters hanging out inside your home, but it’s worse when you realize they’re likely setting up shop inside your duct system, too.
It’s not uncommon for small pests of all kinds to find their way into ductwork. And once they do, they tend to stay there because it’s relatively safe compared to the more open areas of a home. Unfortunately, what goes unseen tends to get neglected, and that’s usually the case in this particular scenario.
If you’re having little to no success controlling a pest infestation, it’s never a bad idea to get your ductwork professionally cleaned. An inspection will reveal whether there are indeed pests in your ducts and will alert you to any cracks or holes that may have allowed their entry.
6. You’re Concerned About Your Indoor Air Quality
If you recently discovered that indoor air is up to five times more polluted than outdoor air, you might be worried the air quality in your home is pretty awful. And if you haven’t taken measures to keep your indoor air quality high, you’re probably right.
If you want to take steps to clean up the air you breathe inside your home, there are several things you can do. But scheduling a professional duct cleaning appointment tops the list, especially if you’ve never had your ductwork cleaned before.
Other things you can do to improve your indoor quality include:
● Getting your indoor air quality professionally tested
● Placing air-cleaning indoor plants around your home
● Minimizing fumes while you cook
● Changing air filters regularly
● Avoiding household products that can contaminate indoor air
● Practicing smart household cleaning habits
● Installing an air purification system
Dust Doctors: Your Twin Cities Source for Comprehensive Air Duct Cleaning
Ready to schedule a professional duct cleaning appointment? Get in touch with our team at Dust Doctors for full-service air duct cleaning you can count on. We specialize in maintenance duct cleaning and deep cleaning, as well as a variety of HVAC services and indoor air quality improvement services.
To get started or learn more about how we can help you, contact our Little Canada office at 651-319-9777 or request a free quote online. Questions or concerns? Send us a message with your info, and we’ll be in touch!
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