How to Keep Air Ducts Clean for a Long Time

It’s would probably be a great idea to clean the air ducts that the air travels through inside your home. There is a formation of dirt, dust, hair, bug fragments, and dander that are comfortable just hanging about your ducts, which can contaminate the air you’re breathing.

If you begin to think about all the debris and dust accumulating in your home’s air ducts, it only makes sense for you to be cleaning them from time to time. After all, nobody wants to have dusty, unclean air circulating by their houses.

The truth is, maintaining your air ducts is essential housework when it comes to raising the quality of your home. If you or anybody in your family suffers from allergies, it’s all the more incentive to give this your attention.

The average family actually produces almost forty pounds worth of dust every year. And this doesn’t even include the mold, the dust that streams in through the open windows, and the hair of your pets. Not cleaning your home’s air ducts means almost all of this dirt doesn’t leave your house and remains in endless circulation throughout, proving incredibly unpleasant to a member of your family suffering from allergies.

Furthermore, dust and dirt spread faster in a house with filthy ducts. No matter how thoroughly you may clean and dust every part of your home, fine particulate contaminants, such as dangerous allergens, move swiftly from room to room to settle on smartphones, kids’ toys, and tables.

Here are some tips on how to keep your air ducts clean for a long time.

Ensure Your Home is Dust-Free

You can’t wholly avoid animal dander, dust, pollen, and other air particles, but you can ensure that only a few of them are left inside your house. Dander, dust, and other particles that may accumulate in the air ducts originate everywhere. Following a regular house cleaning routine may aid in preventing these particles from getting into your air vents. Getting rid of them from your indoor setting makes it less probably that they’ll be sucked into your air ducts. 

Keeping your indoor area clean can also prevent allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems, as well as conserve good indoor air quality. Keep your floor and other surfaces dust-free using an automatic vacuum cleaner, a broom, or a dust mop.

the inside of a pipe

Replace Air Filters

Air filters can trap almost all indoor air pollutants, emphasizing the value of replacing the air filter in your home ventilation systems. Air filters catch the dust and other particles even before they can enter your air ducts. However, they’ll become clogged over time and will need cleaning or replacing. Experts suggest changing the air filter once every three months, although it varies for each household, depending on factors like if pets are in the house, the season, and dust levels in the surroundings; air conditioners tend to be often used during summer.

Depending on the thickness of your air filter, you may have to replace it every three months or monthly if there are pets in your household. If you’re not certain when you should replace your air filter, try checking it each week or so. If you find layers of dust and particles on it, then you should replace the filter. Luckily, air filters are user-replaceable, and you can purchase replacements off the shelf; but be sure to choose the same size as the prior one.

Warrant Clean Indoor Air Circulation

Along with cleaning your home regularly, investing in an air purifier is one more way to prevent your air ducts from becoming dirty. Bear in mind that not all purifiers work the same, so before buying one, be sure to do your research first. Regarding your HVAC system, you should also replace the air purifier filters for them to run smoothly throughout their whole service life.

Keep the Air Vents Open

Air ducts amass debris and dirt at a faster rate when you keep your air vents closed. The vents have tiny levers that allow you to adjust them, so make sure that they’re open almost all of the time. As much as possible, don’t place obstructions such as decorations or furniture near the vents.

Schedule a Professional Air Duct Cleaning

Your air ducts need to be cleaned every three to five years to extract any particles that have accumulated within them. During a standard air duct cleaning, the ducts are closed and put through negative pressure, after which the cleaner uses a brush-like mechanical tool to knock the dust and other particles loose. The negative pressure serves as a vacuum and absorbs the particles into a dustbin. A sealant may also be laid over joints and seams, either as an aerosol or a sprayed-on caulk. The air ducts can also be sanitized to stop odors generated by bacteria and mold.