Recognizing Cleaning Challenges

Your home's air ducts are used to transfer either hot or cool air into your home via your HVAC system. While these ducts may not show visible signs of wear and won't usually clog up when they are in need of cleaning, they will show you other signs they are in need of air duct cleaning.

Air duct cleaning is just one of the many services you should have done to keep your home clean. In general, you want to have this service done every three to five years, which is ample time between cleanings to allow pollen, pet hair, dander, dust, and other allergens and contaminants to pile up inside your home's air ducts.

You should have air duct cleaning done professionally to ensure your air ducts are in good condition and no damage is done on the existing ducts. Here are signs you need air duct cleaning.

You get sick when you turn your air on

Do you start sneezing whenever you turn your heat or air conditioning on? Your air ducts may be to blame, particularly if you are already prone to allergies or upper respiratory issues or you're in a relatively bad allergy season. Your air conditioning cleaning specialist will inspect your air ducts to determine if air duct cleaning is best for you.

You smell sour or foul odors when your air is on

Do your air ducts emit a foul or sour smell or even a musty odor, whenever you have your air turned on in your home? This can mean that your home is in need of air duct cleaning. Dust isn't the only thing that can affect your air ducts. When your air ducts are contaminated with spilled foods or other debris — you can smell the air vents directly in the kitchen or living areas to see if you can isolate the smell — they can send out foul-smelling air.

Have your air duct cleaning specialist thoroughly clean your air ducts to see if you can eliminate the smell coming from your vents. Sometimes an underlying issue is to blame for this condition, so have your air ducts inspected for mold and water damage in addition to having them cleaned.

Your cleaning specialist may charge by the service, hours invested, or even the square footage treated in your home. Air duct cleaning costs around $300 to $500, with vents being an additional cost to clean in some cases. 

To learn more about air duct cleaning, contact a professional near you.