Having dirty air ducts isn’t good for you. It’s not good for your health because it diminishes indoor air quality.
It’s not good for your budget, because dirty air ducts impede air flow, making your unit work harder than it has to, increasing your energy bills. It’s not good for the environment because you’re wasting energy.
You should have your ducts cleaned every few years. If you’ve just done renovations, you should get them cleaned to remove the construction dust.
You also need an immediate cleaning if you have mold growing in your ducts. If vermin is discovered in your ductwork, you need a thorough cleaning as well.
Asthma and Allergy Sufferers Take Note
Asthma attacks are most commonly triggered by pollen, dust, animal hair and dander, mold and other impurities. These particles linger in ducts that are dirty.
You may be trying to keep your home as free from allergens as you can, by closing the windows in the summer and diligently vacuuming, doing laundry in hot water, dusting with a damp rag and mopping often.
However, all of these efforts are in vain if your ducts are dirty. It’s even more essential to get them cleaned if you’ve got a pet.
Create Environment Ripe for Respiratory Infections
We tend to focus on frequent hand washing as a means of stopping the transfer of viral and bacterial infections.
However, if you’ve got dirty ducts, it’s the perfect breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. Are you getting more colds or other respiratory infections lately? Dirty ducts might be why.
Get More Sinus Infections
As anyone who has ever had a sinus infection can tell you, they are really painful. They can be hard to treat and may re-occur often if you are prone to them.
Dirty air ducts harbor lots of undesirable particles that will continue to circulate through the air in your home. This air passes through your nasal passages. These particles will irritate your nasal passages to varying degrees and some people even develop chronic sinus infections.