Right now, think of the dirtiest, dustiest, yuckiest spot in your whole living space.
Is it in the garage, back behind those piles of extra tile or siding?
Or maybe you are visualizing the storage shed, where (you suspect) many of the area’s insect inhabitants have taken shelter from the cold. YUCK.
Or perhaps you are even thinking of your son’s closet, packed to the brim as it typically is with stinky athletic gear and even stinkier shoes.
If you are like most people, you probably didn’t spare a thought for your indoor air ducts.
Air ducts almost never make the list, yet the average home’s indoor air duct system can out-yuck any pair of sweaty, cobwebby gym socks any day of the week.
In this post, learn about what an indoor air duct cleaning is, how it works, and why you are likely long overdue for this essential home maintenance.
Ways to Know Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning
Your indoor air duct system has a big job to do. Its responsibility is to keep temperature-controlled air moving throughout your whole home evenly and smoothly, day in and day out, regardless of the season.
But over time, and especially if your home is equipped with an older (and less efficient) HVAC system, your air ducts fill up with dust, dirt, debris, and other undesirables.
Of course, since you can’t see inside your air ducts (they are hidden up in the ceilings and behind the walls), you won’t ever know based on a visual inspection whether they are empty or clogged.
But there are other ways you can tell:
- Run an indoor air quality test. The indoor air quality test will identify any/all known pollutants, toxins, or poisons that may be circulating in your inside air. The test runs silently in the background for 72 hours and delivers a complete print-out of all identified pollutants.
- Take a whiff. Sometimes when the air ducts get really clogged, the air can actually start to smell stale. This is especially true if the matter inside the air ducts is damp and mould and mildew have begun to grow.
- Ask your doctor. If you have noticed that you or other family members have begun to experience more struggles with allergies, asthma, colds, flu, or respiratory ailments, this can be a sign that pollen, mould, mildew, pet dander, and other irritants have become trapped inside your air ducts.
- Notice how you feel. As well, circulating toxins can make themselves felt in other ways. Low energy levels, frequent headaches, feelings of dizziness or nausea, vertigo, poor sleep, fatigue and irritation are all signs that you may be breathing in pollutants inside your own home.
What Is In Your Indoor Air Ducts?
A professional indoor air duct cleaning may not sound glamorous or exciting, but it can truly be one of the best health gifts you can give yourself and your family.
Here is a list of the most common toxins found in the average air duct system today:
- Carbon (from soot and emissions)
- Formaldehyde (from wood stoves, fireplaces, and smoking)
- Fungus
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Mould and mildew spores
- Pollen
- Pet dander
- Dust mites
- Dust
- Dirt and debris
- Insect detritus, including shells and feces
- Tobacco particulate matter (from smoking)
- Chemicals (from DIY projects, crafts, cleaning products, candles, scents)
It is important to note that this is not a complete list, but it does represent some of the most frequently discovered toxins in the average air duct system.
How An Indoor Air Duct Cleaning Works
A typical professional indoor air duct cleaning can be completed in just one day.
Here at Clean Air Solutions Hamilton, we use a commercial-grade HEPA-rated vacuum system equipped with a Rotobrush.
The Rotobrush itself is a powerful, rotating brush attached to the end of a 35-foot long vacuum hose that gets fed through your indoor air duct systems, rotating and vibrating and pulling and sucking every last bit of toxic debris out of your ducts as it moves along.
When the Rotobrush finishes its work, your air ducts and registers will be as good as new.
We finish up with a fogger, which sanitizes and deodorizes your entire air duct system to ensure the air you will be breathing from here forward is health-promoting in every way.
The size of your space will determine how long your job will take. On average, even a large residential space will take five hours or less to complete, which means that in less than half a day’s time, you can go from breathing in toxic, polluted air to fresh, clean, wholesome indoor air!
Contact Clean Air Solutions Hamilton to Select Your Air Duct Cleaning Package
Here at Clean Air Solutions Hamilton, we offer three different indoor air duct cleaning packages to suit your individual needs and budget.
Our Bronze package includes the Rotobrush vacuum service plus register cleaning and finishes with the sanitizing and deodorizing fogger.
Our Silver package includes everything in the Bronze package plus a thorough cleaning for the A/C coil and furnace fan compartment.
Our Gold package includes everything in the Bronze and Silver packages plus our signature 21-point furnace inspection and maintenance check.
Contact us to learn more about each package and select the one that works best for you.
