It's essential to decide before the air duct cleaning appointment whether you and your children will stay home or leave the property during the process. You may consider duct cleaning simply because it seems logical that they become dirty over time and should be cleaned periodically. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned routinely, but only when necessary. However, they do suggest that if you have a furnace, stove, or fireplace that burns fuel, they be inspected for proper functioning and maintained before each heating season to protect them from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Duct cleaning isn't necessarily a bad idea, but the truth is that it's not necessary in most cases. In fact, cleaning normally dusty ducts provides no real value. If done correctly, duct cleaning can be useful in limited situations. Have you been told that you need to clean the ducts in your home or office? Do you suffer from allergies and are you looking to increase the quality of the air you breathe? Duct cleaning is often offered as a solution, but it rarely helps in the long term.
In fact, indoor air quality sometimes worsens. At present, there is no research to show that routine duct cleaning improves air quality or reduces dust in the home. Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern and of greater visibility. There are examples of ducts that have been seriously contaminated with various materials that may pose a health risk.
While the debate over the value of regular duct cleaning continues, there is no evidence to suggest that such cleaning is harmful, provided it is done properly. You can also contact professional duct cleaning service providers and ask them about the services they offer. Some may even falsely claim that they are certified by the EPA, which the EPA does not provide, or they may say that the EPA recommends cleaning the ducts, which it does not recommend either. For example, an unsuitable vacuumed collection system can release more dust, dirt, and other contaminants than if the ducts had been left intact.
Moisture can enter the duct system through leaks or if the system has been improperly installed or maintained. If you decide to have your air ducts cleaned, take the same consumer precautions you would normally take when evaluating the competence and reliability of the service provider. Since the conditions in every home are different, it's impossible to generalize about whether cleaning your home's air ducts would be beneficial or not. As part of the duct cleaning process, ducts may have service holes to access them with tools or vacuum hoses, which may not be properly sealed after use.
Many companies market products and services aimed at improving indoor air quality. Complaints abound about some unscrupulous companies that use air fragrances, false mold tests that return positive results, portable dust vacuum cleaners, simple drills with brushes, etc. Manufacturers of products marketed to coat and encapsulate duct surfaces claim that these sealants prevent dust and dirt particles inside air ducts from being released into the air. It seems like a logical maintenance activity, but cleaning the air ducts of your home HVAC system may not be as good an idea as it seems intuitively. Air duct cleaning has become popular in recent years, and commercial cleaning services are popping up everywhere. Ultimately, it's critical to decide before your air duct cleaning appointment whether you and your children will stay home or leave the property during the process.
