By: Brian Schutt
We get questioned periodically about air duct cleaning services and indoor air quality – does it work? Is it a scam? How much should it cost? Good questions, all.
Air duct cleaning services, like other HVAC services, have, unfortunately, had their share of scammers and exposure’s about those scams. All of those bad actors should be exposed, but unfortunately, while the bad guys get the coverage, an entire industry can get a bad reputation. We know many legitimate companies in duct cleaning, and think duct cleaning can be a helpful service for homes and businesses.
But before we would ever make that recommendation, we always ask why? What are you trying to accomplish with duct cleaning? Do you have dust accumulating at a degree higher than you think is normal? Have you had any issues with indoor air quality making your allergies worse? Is this just something someone has told you could help your system?
Of those questions, most people fall somewhere into the dust/allergies being the primary motivator for getting ducts cleaned. That’s an issue I’m especially sympathetic to, having dealt with airborne allergies all of my life.
When my family moved to our new home last summer, we knew we had to tackle this issue. Or, we would have to invest in an abundant supply of Kleenex. While we had relative assurance the previous owners were clean people, we knew the home was 20 years old, had renovation work done, and didn’t have knowledge that the ducts had previously been cleaned. So, before we moved in we had the duct cleaned.
Next, and the step that is often overlooked, we invested in an improvement in our filtration system to ensure that our now cleaned ducts would stay that way longer. After consideration, we decided on the Carrier Performance Air Purifier. We went this direction for two reasons, the space requirement that our mechanical room would allow and the fact that it not only reduces dust, it kills bacteria and organisms in the air to improve health.
The combination of the clean ducts and ongoing high quality air cleaning has made allergies dissipate, reduced the amount of dust around the home, and helped keep our family more healthy during cold and flu season.
The combination also means that because our air is kept cleaner, our duct are kept cleaner, and we won’t have to have the cleaned as often.
If you’re interested in having your ducts cleaned, we have some great companies we can refer. If you’re interested in indoor air quality products like the air purifier I used, give us a call at (317) 458-9255 or tweet me at @TrustHomesense.
