What You Should Know Before Cleaning Your Own Ducts

Have you recently found out your indoor air quality could use a boost? Then you’ve likely also learned that cleaning your ductwork can help with that. But, like any professional service, expert duct cleaning comes at a cost. So if you’re on a budget or feeling industrious, you may be thinking about tackling the job yourself.  

If you’re considering taking on a DIY duct cleaning job, there are a few important things you should be aware of before getting started. Here’s what you need to know before you clean your own air ducts.

Duct Cleaning Is Not for the Easily Grossed Out

Have you ever taken a peek at the inside of your air ducts? If not, get ready for a nasty surprise, especially if yours haven’t been cleaned in years or ever.

Infrequently cleaned ductwork typically houses copious amounts of dust and debris. You may find mold, mildew, dead insects, live insects, and if you’re really unlucky, perhaps a dead rodent. If you’re not squeamish, you can likely handle this dirty job. But keep in mind that even if filthy ducts won’t gross you out, you may not have the equipment or experience necessary to clean your ducts well.  

Cleaning Air Ducts Is an Involved, Difficult Process

The duct cleaning process involves many steps and specialized equipment, so if you’re planning to perform the job yourself, be prepared to spend a decent chunk of time doing it. You’ll need to:

●        Create entry points to examine the interior of the ducts.

●        Insert vacuum hoses and cleaning tools into duct vents to loosen debris and suck it out of the duct system.

●        Seal off return vents to prevent dust and debris from entering your living areas.

●        Thoroughly clean all vent registers.

●        Clean other HVAC components, including fans, motors, registers, coils, and housings.

When the pros perform air duct cleaning, the process typically requires a couple of hours and at least two trained and experienced technicians. If you have no experience cleaning ducts and lack the proper equipment to perform the job efficiently, expect to spend several hours doing the work.

You Need Special Equipment to Thoroughly Clean Your Ducts

Professional duct cleaning technicians use a variety of specialized pieces of equipment to thoroughly clean your ducts. And unless you moonlight as a duct cleaning specialist, chances are you don’t have the right equipment on hand.

What kind of tools should you have to clean your own air ducts? You’ll need:

●        A powerful vacuum, ideally one that has hoses long enough to run outdoors to a debris collection tank

●        Brushes and pneumatically powered cleaning tools like air whips to loosen dust and debris from the interior walls of the ductwork

●        Corner guards to protect your trim and paint from damage that can be caused by pulling vacuum hoses into the duct openings

●        A camera or periscope to view the interior of the ducts and determine whether there are any holes or cracks that need special attention

●        An air compressor that can power spinning brushes and blowers that help remove debris from the interior of the ducts

Hiring a Pro Is Probably in Your Best Interest

Don’t have all the tools and equipment you need to clean your own ducts? Or perhaps you’re not too keen on spending several hours pulling nasty gunk out of your duct system? Then hiring the pros is definitely in your best interest.

Reputable, professional duct cleaning companies not only know how to assess your ducts for potential problems that can complicate the cleaning process but also know how to do the job thoroughly. They have the necessary equipment, training, and experience to get your ductwork as clean as possible, so you can enjoy an improvement in your indoor air quality and consequently, your overall health.

Contact Dust Doctors for Top-Notch Duct Cleaning in the Twin Cities

Cleaning your own ductwork is tough, gross, and in many cases, largely ineffective. So why not leave the job to the pros? At Dust Doctors, we’ve been providing full-service air duct cleaning and indoor air quality improvement services throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro for more than 15 years. We’re accredited by the Better Business Bureau, hold a long-standing A+ rating, and have over 1,000 customer reviews to back up our work.

To learn more or schedule service, feel free to give us a call today at 651-319-9777 or request a free service quote, and we’ll get in touch with more information.