Importance of Air Duct Cleaning
Indoor air quality is important for every home. Air ducts help to regulate and transport this air to every room of the home for comfortable living. However, these ducts are known to become filthy over time. This leads to unhealthy conditions for you and your family. Cleaning your air ducts might not be the most enjoyable task, but it’s necessary. Procrastinating on this duty only makes matters worse, and before long, you’re looking at a major issue in your home. Let’s take a look at the importance of air duct cleaning.
Cleaner Environment
For starters, clean air ducts simply lead to a cleaner environment. Dirty ducts contain millions of tiny dust and dirt particles. These particles travel through the air and eventually come to rest on your furniture. Think about it. Are you alright with contaminants lining the surface of your sofa, chairs and desk? Probably not, which means you should clean your air ducts for the sake of living in a clean home. Because these particles are microscopic, you can’t simply look at your couch to see if it is unsanitary. You have to trust that your air ducts tell the full story and clean them regularly. Specks of dirt might not seem too harmful on the seat of your chair.
However, that’s not the only place they can fall. Imagine if these dirt particles fall into your cup of water or food. Even if your air ducts are far from the kitchen, you have no control over where the particles fall. They can easily travel from one room to another and settle on edible things. You would never willingly bring mud or sludge into your home, so why have a tolerance for contaminants from your air ducts? Clean up the ducts on a regular basis and take pride in the cleanliness of your home.
Easier Breathing
As discussed, cleaning your air ducts removes many dirty particles from your belongings. In addition, you are removing them from the air. Specks of dust and dirt fill the air otherwise and make it more difficult to breathe. People with asthma or allergies are severely affected by unclean air. Dirty air leads to coughing fits and other serious reactions. Although you might not have asthma, guests to your home might, and you want to provide them with the most comfortable experience possible. Some people turn to air purifiers at the first sign that the air has been contaminated.
While this is certainly an option, you’re better off finding a resolution at the source: your air ducts. In addition, prolonged exposure to contaminants is dangerous in itself. You’ve probably inhaled dirty air before, but not for a long period of time. Maybe it was at a construction site or when your sink regurgitated some nasty chemicals. But, your air ducts are here to stay, and permanently dirty ducts lead to a much higher chance of infection. For the sake of inhaling pure oxygen, don’t forget to wipe your ducts.
Removes Odors
Air duct cleaning also removes odors from your home. Your duct might be filled with mold and mildew that spew these nasty particles into the air. Furthermore, this air simply doesn’t smell good in the first place. We’ve all encountered those lingering odors that just don’t go away. No matter how many windows you open or how many air fresheners you use, the odor remains week after week.
Like air purifiers, some people resort to air fresheners prematurely. Once again, don’t bust out your air freshener as your first reaction to an odor. Instead, check the air duct to see if mold has accumulated. You’d be surprised at just how smelly mold can get, especially if left unattended. Cleaning this up will very likely remove the odor from your home.
Increases Air Flow
Another consequence of mold is that it blocks airflow through the duct. The physical existence of mold is enough to limit airflow and prevent precious air from reaching all the rooms of your home. If the purpose of an air duct is to increase ventilation in your home, mold prevents the duct from doing its job. You’ll want to clean this up as soon as possible. In particular, older homes are susceptible to this problem.
There are stories of ducts in older homes that went unchecked for years, and when a new owner moved in, the duct was completely full of hostile debris. Fortunately, you’ll likely be able to detect this backup via smell far before it gets completely stuck. However, if you notice a decrease in ventilation, it could very well be attributed to clogged air ducts. Climb up to the ducts, clean them and enjoy a refreshing flow of air through your home.
Improves AC Efficiency
If you have air ducts in your home, there’s a good chance that you have an AC as well. These items make an incredible pairing where the AC unit generates cool air, and the duct disperses it around your home. When your air ducts are clean, your AC will be able to do its job more efficiently. Because the air can travel freely, the unit doesn’t have to work as hard to cool your home’s temperature. In turn, this will consume less electricity and save you money on your monthly utilities bill. There’s even a possibility that you might be inclined to not even use the AC at all.
When your home feels sticky and unpleasant, some people immediately turn the AC system on in hopes of solving the issue. Although this usually works, it doesn’t really get to the root of the problem. The true source of the problem might lie within your dirty air ducts. Instead of trying to blow dust particles away with the AC, clean the ducts and get rid of them in the first place. This is a much more sustainable solution in the long run.
Cleaning Air Ducts
The bottom line is that dirty air ducts are bad for many reasons. If you leave them unchecked, those reasons will multiply and you’ll end up with a serious problem in your home. It’s a much better idea to clean your air ducts regularly with rags and soaps. Also, there are special cleaning tools and supplies that are really effective. You might not find them in your garage, but Brennan Heating & Air Conditioning has all the right materials. We have offices in Seattle and Lynnwood.
Our technicians specialize in these sorts of air ducts and the best ways to sanitize them. Furthermore, we’ll be able to dig deep into the ducts and clean parts that are not easily accessible. Besides air ducts, we also offer services such as boiler installations, AC tune-ups and free energy consultations. When you suspect that your air ducts or other HVAC systems have become contaminated, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. Our customer service representatives are online at all times of the day.
