How to Tell if You Should Get Your Ducts Cleaned

By: Paul Duschene Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Getting the ducts cleaned usually doesn't rank highly in folks' minds, even if they have had a recent reminder of the benefits. If you are unsure of whether you need your ducts cleaned, we have compiled this checklist to help you decide.

To begin, do you ever feel even a little irritation when taking deep breaths indoors? If you can take a full, deep breath without feeling any sort of discomfort it’s a good sign. It is better to compare indoor air to outdoor air - so go outside and breath for a while, then come indoors and do the same. Note what it's like indoors. Usually the air inside feels a lot less fresh than outdoor air. Having your ducts cleaned will improve the smell of you homes' air, and make it easier on those with allergies or other breathing problems. Now, there are people and web pages out there that are adamant that duct cleaning has no net benefit to any home, but in fact this has neither been proven nor disproven. Duct cleaning is a local business with strong demand - as such the cleaners are inclined to fund studies, and no one else it either.

Also, are there dogs or cats in your house? Animals shed skin at a rate roughly double that of humans, and they shed a lot of hair too. That means there are lots of littl goodies flying off your pets, and it gets in your ducts. Animal dander is in fact one of the main allergens there is, so it’s important to keep it out of general circulation if possible. Besides, have you ever taken a sniff of your dog or cat after a week or so without a bath? No matter how much you love them (and their smell) are you sure you want your house to smell like that? Maybe you do. But do you think your guests feel the same?

How many persons are living in your house? Like pets, we shed skin and hair too, and the more people the more of that there is. The most numerous component of dust is in fact human skin, and that is what dust mites feed on. So not only is there more dust, there are also more dust mites. Unlike pets, people tend to make messes that end up clogging the ducts - garbage, nails, dice, or whatever. If it can fit through the registers, it's in the ductwowrk somewhere. It’s just straight math – the people (and pets) the more stuff in the ducts.

How dry is your basement? A lot of folks have gotten in touch with us after they noticed a smell and went investigating only to find that mould has been breeding in their basement. If it's not too bad walls and floors can be comfortably handled by even moderately skilled handymen, but special equipment and skill are needed to cleanse the ducts. We recommend duct cleaning as a precautionary method regardless, as the dangers of inhaling the mould spores are well known and quite substantial.

Other things you should think about are whether you cold air return vents are on the floor (dirtier) or wall (cleaner), if you've had renovations since your last duct cleaning, if there are smokers in your home, and more.

In the end it comes down to living in a clean environment. Most people want their living space to be clean, and for that to be the case the ducts need to be cleaned as well. Of course, how often will depend on many factors, but for a house to truly be clean it has to have clean ducts.

So yes, you do need to have your ducts cleaned, but when will depend on the different circumstances in you house.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Are you ready to take control of your environment? Call us at Merola Duct Cleaning for friendly service and the best deal you'll ever get in duct cleaning. But be advised, it may end without warning!