Marie Kondo is who we’re channeling this spring to get us motivated to clean. Her system of getting us to declutter our houses is easy and effective. Yet, we know that there are deeper problems that we need to tackle that have flown under the radar for far too long. For instance, how’s your home’s air quality? Air quality boils down to clean air ducts, which are responsible for recirculating air throughout all areas of your home. Here’s the nitty-gritty on air duct cleaning and whether it should be on your spring-cleaning to-do list.
The importance of air quality
If untreated, poor air quality can cause serious health problems. Most commonly, poor air quality aggravates asthma and allergy symptoms. In more severe cases, poor air quality can cause cancers and other life-threatening diseases. The most well-known examples of air pollutants include asbestos, radon, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and lead. These pollutants are known for having long-lasting, negative effects on individuals. Illnesses such as respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer have been attributed in part to inhaling some of these air pollutants.
What does poor air quality look like?
It’s hard to gauge air quality within your home without testing. Here is a list of common symptoms, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, breathing problems, irritation of eyes, nose and throat and shortness of breath, which are sometimes indicators of poor air quality. For individuals with allergies or asthma, these symptoms are typically more severe. Furthermore, dust contains not only dust mites, but also mold, mildew, pollen and pet dander. If an individual is sensitive to any of these things, poor air quality is detrimental to their health.
How to improve air quality?
The only way to truly improve air quality is to have your air ducts cleaned thoroughly. A heating and cooling professional will make sure that they address problematic areas within your home and business. Our professionals start by cleaning the register covers of your central air system. Residue such as cooking oil, nicotine and other films tend to easily collect dust particles. After this, they will deep clean the air supply source. Finally, the air ducts are brush vacuumed clean. During this final step, air ducts can also be sanitized to help with scents and odors.
How often should you clean your air ducts?
We recommend that air ducts, at a minimum, are cleaned every three to five years. It always pays to be thorough especially if you or a loved one suffers from asthma and/or allergies. In addition, to improve health, air duct cleaning can also improve the efficiency of your HVAC system which could keep more money in your bank account.
Get your home and business in tip-top shape, just in time for spring cleaning season. All it takes is a call to your local HVAC professionals.