Maintaining a clean and healthy home is essential for the wellbeing of your family. Air ducts are an integral part of this, as they can accumulate dirt, dust, and other particles over time. In some cases, they can even contain mold, which can be hazardous to human health. So, it's important to keep your air ducts clean and free from contamination. 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, it should be inspected for proper functioning and maintained before each heating season to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. It's also important to follow a good preventive maintenance program to minimize duct contamination. The most effective way to avoid contamination is to prevent water and dirt from entering the system. To find companies that offer duct cleaning services, look in the Yellow Pages or contact the National Association of Air Duct Cleaners (NADCA). You may have seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been contacted directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a way to improve your home's indoor air quality. Much of the dirt that accumulates inside the air ducts adheres to the surfaces of the ducts and does not necessarily enter the living space.
Some service providers may suggest applying chemical treatments (sealants or other encapsulants) to encapsulate or cover the inner surfaces of air ducts and equipment housings because they believe this will control mold growth or prevent the release of dirt particles or fibers from the ducts. Duct cleaning is not considered a necessary part of the annual maintenance of your heating and cooling system. However, there is little evidence that exclusive duct cleaning will improve system efficiency. If no member of your family has allergies or has unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you see no sign that the air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (with no musty smell or visible mold growth), then the air ducts probably don't need to be cleaned. When service providers come to your home, ask them to show you the contamination that would justify cleaning the ducts. On the other hand, if a service provider doesn't follow proper duct cleaning procedures, it can cause problems with indoor air.
For the best air duct cleaning available anywhere, contact your local AdvantaClean service provider today.
