Why You Should Have Your Home's Ducts Cleaned

As a homeowner, you may wonder whether it's necessary to have the air ducts within your home cleaned. While research on air ducts is still being conducted, it is generally recommended that homeowners have their air ducts cleaned. Here are a few reasons why you should have your home's air ducts cleaned on a regular basis.

Recent Home Renovations

If you've recently had your home remodeled, you should definitely consider hiring a contractor to clean your home's air ducts. This is especially true if the renovations involved lead paint removal or asbestos abatement. In general, if a large amount of dust was produced by the renovations, it's good idea to consider cleaning your home's air ducts.

Ideally, the air ducts of your home should have been sealed off while the renovations were taking place. If the air ducts weren't sealed, they may contain dangerous debris and dust. Therefore, you should have the air ducts cleaned to ensure the dangerous debris and dust is never released into your home.

Presence of Live/Dead Animals

Believe it or not, the air ducts of a home can succumb to animal infestation or nesting. If you suspect that your air ducts are infested with animals, you should have hire pest control to deal with the infestation and a contractor to clean the air ducts, which will likely contain fur, feces, etc.

Presence of Mold

Less surprisingly, mold can accumulate in the air ducts of a home. To determine whether mold is present, you should use a flashlight to look into the air vents. If there is any visible mold, you should have cleaned the HVAC by a contractor. This mold, if not removed, can pose a serious threat to your health as well as the health of your family members.

Contaminants

It is possible that the air ducts within your home may be contaminating your home. Some examples of possible contaminants include debris, pet hair, or even odors. In the case that your home's air ducts are releasing contaminants, you should hire a contractor to clean the air ducts as soon as possible. This is especially true if there are individuals who are prone to allergies living in your home. In fact, if you notice that a family member has been suffering from an allergy-related illness, cleaning the air ducts may resolve this illness.