10 Reasons to Clean Your Air Ducts

Is your home’s air dirtier than the air outside? You might be surprised.

Homes are better sealed than ever before, which is great news for your energy bill (especially in the hot Houston summers), but not so much for your indoor air quality. Air has trouble escaping modern homes, which means that all the contaminants in your air linger in your home.

We’re spending increasingly more time indoors, which only makes your home’s quality even more important.

Clean home air begins with healthy air ducts. Here are 10 reasons why you need to consider getting your air ducts professionally cleaned:

1. It Stops the Spread of Contaminants

The air that travels through your ducts is spread out all around your home. It picks up the bits of dust, insect matter, and other debris on its way to the vents and eventually ends up in your home’s air.

On average, an air duct cleaning will remove about 15 pounds of dirt and debris from your system — imagine breathing in this much dust each day!

2. Mold Loves Dirty Air Ducts

Air ducts are dark places that are ideal for mold growth. When moisture enters your ducts, it has no way of evaporating, which gives mold the green light to take over. A professional duct cleaning service can eliminate mold using an antimicrobial fogger that can prevent future growth after a cleaning.

3. It Eliminates Bad Smells

If you have a stale, musty smell in your home, it’s probably because the air has been there for too long. If your air ducts are dirty, it’s moving contaminants around your home and doing little to eliminate any bad smells.

Clean air shouldn’t have a smell. Cleaning your ducts can help to resolve this issue and you should notice the difference almost immediately.

4. Clean HVAC Systems Perform Better

Contaminants that build up in your ducts restrict air flow, causing your HVAC system to work harder to do the same job. This can be expensive, both in terms of a higher energy bill and increased wear and tear on your system.

Clearing your ducts of debris can result in better system performance, which helps you to conserve energy and save money.

5. Your HVAC System Will Last Longer

Your HVAC system is one of the most expensive systems in your home. You want it to last as long as possible, but making it work harder than it should shorten its lifespan. Most systems break because they are not properly maintained. Cleaning your air ducts is a critical part of maintenance to keep your system working like new.

6. Clean Ducts Reduce Allergy Symptoms

If you’ve noticed an uptick in your coughing, sneezing, or other allergy symptoms, your air ducts could be part of the problem. Even people who don’t usually suffer from allergies can experience symptoms when air ducts are dirty.

Allergens like smoke, pet fur and dander, dust, bacteria, and other particles can build up in your ducts. Every time the air circulates, these particles are swarming in the air you breathe. Cleaning your ducts can help to reduce allergy symptoms because it eliminates the root cause of the problem.

7. Indoor Air Quality Improves

Poor air quality has been associated with a variety of health issues, including allergies, asthma, heart health, and lung health. It’s been tied to certain types of cancer and respiratory issues and can impact your overall quality of life.

When you can eliminate as many contaminants as possible from your home’s indoor air, every breath you take is cleaner and healthier.

8. Dirty Ducts are Breeding Grounds for Bugs

You don’t like to sleep in a bed of dirt, but bugs and rodents don’t mind a bit. Your dirty ducts are their dream home, as they can live there undetected and feast on the debris. Bugs and other critters are disease carriers, and their germs can infiltrate your air flow. When you clean your ducts, you also destroy their perfect living environment and they’ll be less likely to stick around.

9. It Detects Issues that Could Be Problematic

If there’s a problem in your air ducts, like a leak or damage or mold growth, how would you know? You likely wouldn’t unless there was some visual or auditory cue, and that’s usually not the case.

Having a professional come to clean your air ducts could reveal potential threats to your HVAC system that you’ll want to fix before they become larger problems. Things like leaks or holes should be repaired immediately, as they can impact your system’s efficiency and lead to rodent or insect infestations.

10. It’s Part of the Cost of Homeownership

Owning a home in Houston isn’t cheap, especially when you consider maintenance costs. Cleaning your air ducts is as routine as mowing the lawn or cleaning out your gutters. It’s recommended that you have your air ducts professionally cleaned every three to five years. This helps to keep buildup and contaminants at bay.

Call Lone Star Pro Services for Air Duct Cleaning!

You wouldn’t want to breathe in the smoke and smog of Houston, so why would you take the same risks at home?