Indoor air pollution is a serious issue, and it's important to take steps to ensure that the air in your home is clean and safe. While duct cleaning isn't necessarily a bad idea, it's not necessary in most cases. In fact, cleaning normally dusty ducts provides no real value. However, there are certain situations where duct cleaning can be useful.
Some air conditioning companies often state that a home's air conditioning ducts should be cleaned at least once every three to five years to ensure that hair, dust, and debris don't affect the quality of the home's air or cause health problems. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) takes a different position and points out that duct cleaning has not been proven to prevent health problems. In addition, studies on the effects of duct cleaning do not conclusively show that the presence of dust and debris in the ducts increases the levels of particulate matter inside the house. If you decide to clean your heating and air conditioning system, it's important to make sure that the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and that they are qualified to do so. Unlike cleaning dryer ducts, which must be checked and cleaned regularly, no objective and independent organization recommends cleaning air conditioning ducts as an essential part of routine air conditioning system maintenance. Mold and mildew can negatively affect your health, so if there is visible mold growth inside your air conditioning system, it's time to call an air conditioning company to clean the vents before mold and mildew spores spread to the rest of the house.
As part of the duct cleaning process, ducts may have service holes to access them with tools or vacuum hoses, which may not be properly sealed after use. As long as the cleaning is done correctly, there is no evidence to suggest that such cleaning can be harmful. Air duct cleaning service providers may tell you that they need to apply a chemical biocide to the inside of the ducts as a means to kill bacteria (germs) and fungi (mold) and prevent future biological growth. The EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except when necessary, due to the constant uncertainty about the benefits of duct cleaning in most circumstances. You may consider cleaning your air ducts simply because it seems logical to you that the air ducts get dirty over time and should be cleaned from time to time. Duct cleaning is not considered a necessary part of the annual maintenance of your heating and cooling system, which consists of periodically cleaning drain buckets and heating and cooling coils, periodically changing filters, and annually inspecting heating equipment. While debate continues about the value of regular duct cleaning, there is no evidence to suggest that such cleaning is harmful, provided that it is done correctly.
Duct cleaning methods vary, although industry associations that deal with air duct cleaning have established standards. Part of the confusion surrounding duct cleaning services is that duct cleaning is often included as part of the overall cleaning of the HVAC system. If you decide to clean your heating and cooling system, it's important to make sure that the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and that they are qualified to do so.
