Air ducts invariably get blocked up with dust, debris, allergens, and sometimes more nefarious things like dead animals, animal feces, mold, and mildew. All of these agents when pushed through your air system can get into your lungs and can lead to short- and long-term health issues. Duct cleaning removes dangerous contaminants in your HVAC and allows for air that is clean and safe to circulate in your environment.
How Does Air Quality Impact Your Health?
We know that breathing in clean, unpolluted air can have a huge impact on our overall health (as evidenced by smog alerts in large cities and raised flags when air quality is poor). Tennessee’s government states that breathing clean air reduces “the possibility of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer as well as chronic and acute respiratory illnesses such as asthma.” They note that heart and lung function are better when the air is less polluted as well.
Pollution doesn’t just pertain to outdoor contaminants; indoor pollutants can be just as dangerous. While eco measures must be taken to improve outdoor air quality, it’s sanitary ones that are needed to improve indoor air quality.
What Comes through the HVAC?
Indoor air quality is dictated by the cleanliness of your HVAC system, your duct work. This is because everything that enters your home or office is funneled through the duct system and pushed back out in the form of warm or cool air flow.
Thus, allergens, pollen, dust, pet hair, dander, etc. cycle through. Much of this is caught in filters; however, not everything gets stopped. Dirty filters can allow even more to penetrate and can diminish the functionality of the system altogether.
What’s more, moisture and nanoparticles can pass through. Moisture is problematic because wet environments are hosting grounds for mold and mildew and bacteria to grow. Once mold starts to grow, other short and long-term health problems generally result.
People with allergies, autoimmune disorders, and respiratory issues generally suffer first and the most severely when there are contaminants in the HVAC.
What Does Duct Cleaning Do?
Thus, it’s important to make sure that your ducts are clean. Duct cleaning involves a knowledgeable and experienced company coming to your home or business with the correct equipment to thoroughly clean your ducts.
Duct cleaning can improve your overall energy use, and it can improve the airflow of your entire HVAC system.
Duct cleaning for your health can be a preventative measure, or it can be therapeutic, helping you heal from a condition caused by impure air. In other words, duct cleaning will also remove allergens, mold, and any other potentially hazardous issues from your system to protect you from short- and long-term health consequences.
What’s a Sign My Ducts Need Cleaning?
There are several signs you should consider duct cleaning. These are:
· You notice moisture buildup or mold around the vents
· Your vents are extremely dusty or dirty
· You smell a strange odor coming from vents
· You notice diminished air flow
· You feel ill or have breathing issues
· You have health issues that cannot be explained otherwise
People with allergies and respiratory issues will generally be able to spot issues the quickest because they will feel poor in an environment where duct cleaning is needed. Thus, duct cleaning for your—and everyone’s health—is an important consideration especially if you’ve never done it before, if your ducts are made from sheet metal, or if you do not know when the ducts were last cleaned.
How Often Should Air Ducts be Cleaned?
If you do know when your ducts were last cleaned, then check the calendar. Ducts should be cleaned every three to five years. This, of course, varies based on where you live and the environment. It may also vary based on the kind of structure you have, what the building materials are made of, etc.
Unclean ducts can have a seriously negative impact on your health. Some people have developed diseases and cancers as the result of contaminants later found in corporate or outdated ducting systems. The tragedy is that this is preventable. Duct cleaning for your health is important and should be prioritized.
If you’re not sure you should get your ducts cleaned, call a reliable, professional company, like Advanced Cleaning, that has decades of experience cleaning ducts. They’ll tell you what you need and can get the job done safely.
