When Duct Cleaning Is Indicated And When To Consider Routine Cleaning

If you live in an old home and the ducts have never been cleaned, you may wonder if you should clean them and how often duct cleaning is recommended. You may need your ducts cleaned after certain events or when they're obviously filthy, but it's often difficult to know how often ducts should be cleaned since everyone's situation is different. Here's a look at when duct cleaning is probably a good idea and some thoughts on how often it should be done.

When It's Worth Investing In Duct Cleaning

You may dust your duct grilles occasionally so they don't get matted with dust, so you may want to pull the grilles out so you can look inside the ends of the ducts for dust and other debris. If you see dust matted in the ducts and the ducts look coated with dust, then it's probably a good idea to have the ducts cleaned.

If your home has foul odors you can't get rid of like the smell of cigarette smoke, mildew, or rats, the odor might be coming from the ducts. A duct cleaning company can usually do more than just vacuum out the ducts. They might be able to apply a fog that eliminates odors and sanitizes the ducts to make them smell better too.

You might also check your HVAC system to see if it's coated with dust inside and if the filter has a mat of dust on it. If all of your HVAC equipment is dusty, it should be cleaned. Dusty equipment indicates you have dusty ducts, and they should probably be cleaned too.

How Often To Consider Duct Cleaning

There's not really a set rule for how often you need to clean ducts like there is for carpet or furnace cleaning. Instead, you should look at your lifestyle. If you live with pets that shed a lot of hair, a smoker, or if your house is often dusty and dirty, your ducts probably get dirty quicker than if you keep a tidy home and change your HVAC filter on time.

You may want to go a few years or longer between calling a duct cleaning service unless you have allergies. If you have allergies to dust or dust mites, you probably want your home to be as free from dust as possible, and that might include having your ducts cleaned routinely as often as annually.

Notice whether your allergy symptoms improve after you've had your ducts cleaned, and if so, it may be worth it to have your ducts cleaned more often than someone without allergies. For more information on duct cleaning, contact a professional near you.

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