Does Air Duct Cleaning Really Work?

An HVAC system can be quite expensive. Cleaning, maintaining, and replacing parts of your HVAC system is recommended, especially when it comes to air ducts. So, does air duct cleaning work?

Air duct cleaning works well to prevent unnecessary strain on your HVAC system. Cleaning your air ducts also reduces dust, musty odors, mold, and mildew in your home. You will likely get high energy bills if your air ducts are dirty, as your HVAC system must work much harder if the air ducts are not regularly cleaned. 

Air duct cleaning is also a matter of health,as dirty ductwork leads to poor indoor air quality. This is dangerous whether you have asthma and COPD, or your respiratory health is fine. Follow along as we explore the many benefits of air duct cleaning and highlight how it works. 

Does Cleaning Air Ducts Make A Difference?

Cleaning your air ducts can improve your home’s air quality and airflow. Air ducts are constantly exposed to dust, debris, dirt, pet hair, and dead skin cells that make them dirty. Dirty air ducts can lead to health problems, especially if you have a respiratory issue like asthma. 

Even people without respiratory problems can experience health issues because of dirty ductwork. Dirty air ducts are susceptible to mold, which is dangerous for anyone. Prolonged mold exposure can damage your lungs, skin, eyes, and throat, among other health issues. 

This is a big problem, as air ducts carry air throughout a home, extending the reach of mold spores. Air duct cleaning has several other benefits, such as:

Extends Your HVAC System’s Lifespan

Failure to clean your air ducts can damage your HVAC system, as it gets strained when ducts are clogged. The average air conditioner can last 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance. However, if it is constantly strained, an AC can fail in as little as 10 years. 

ACs and furnaces must work much harder when air ducts are clogged. For example, you may notice your AC and furnace turn on and off in short succession throughout the day. This is called short cycling, and it can take a big toll on any HVAC system.

This can also happen because of a clogged air filter, but it’s often related to dirty air ducts. Long-term short cycling can shave years off of the lifespan of your HVAC system. Call an HVAC company right away if you notice your AC or furnace short cycling, especially if your ductwork hasn’t been cleaned in years. 

Lowers Your Bills

The unusual cycles an HVAC system goes through when the air ducts are dirty don’t just strain your AC and furnace. Running excessively can also cause your energy bills to skyrocket. It typically takes more energy to run an HVAC system with dirty ductwork, as it must work harder. 

Not only does it have to work harder, but it must work more often. This quickly increases bills without providing the benefits of a healthy HVAC system. For example, your AC may run frequently, but you won’t likely feel cool, clean air as you should.

That’s because the air struggles to get past all of the dust, debris, hair, and even mold in your ductwork. Dirty air ducts can also clog an air filter much sooner than the 90 days it typically takes to become dirty. That itself can further strain your HVAC system and increase your bills. 

Reduces Musty Smells

Musty odors are common in homes with dirty air ducts. That’s because air ducts deliver cooled and heated air throughout a home that eventually comes out of your vents. If the ducts are dirty, the air will pick up the musty smell and spread it into every room.

The smell may just seem inconvenient, but it’s also simply dangerous. Air quality is vital to our health, and your house is the last place you should breathe in dirty air. The musty smell comes from a mixture of moisture, pet hair, dust, debris, dirt, mildew, and mold.

You cannot reduce this musty odor without cleaning your air ducts if the ductwork is the culprit. If your air ducts are clean, the odor may be coming from clutter, mold, mildew, and old furniture or clothes. 

Avoids Mold Problems

The last thing anybody wants is to live in a house that is full of harmful mold spores. Unfortunately, air ducts are the perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. That’s because mold loves confined, wet, and dark spaces, like air ducts and crawlspaces. 

Air ducts effectively trap moisture, as most of your ductwork is enclosed with no exposure to the rooms in your house. This makes it all too easy for mold to grow and thrive. However, the biggest concern is how quickly mold spores spread, especially in air ducts.

After all, ductwork carries air throughout a home, so it can spread mold spores everywhere. This can quickly turn a minor mold problem into a major problem that costs thousands of dollars to fix. You can avoid this altogether if you get your air ducts cleaned every 3 to 5 years. 

Reduces Dust

Nobody likes to constantly clean dust off their countertops, furniture, and decorations at home. The dirtier your ductwork is, the more often you must dust the surfaces in your home. That’s because air ducts often spread dust to several rooms via air vents.

Have you ever seen a dust cloud appear right when your AC or furnace turns on? If so, then that’s a sign that your air ducts are overly dusty and must be cleaned. The air movement pushes dust out of air ducts, and it eventually comes out of your vents.

You can tell your air ducts are the culprit of the problem if rooms with vents are especially dusty. Once you clean your air ducts, you won’t have to dust your home’s surfaces nearly as often. 

Protects Your Filters

Air filters are the unsung heroes of any HVAC system, that is if you take great care of them. Filters help protect your home and HVAC system from dust and debris. If your ductwork is in great condition, you only need to replace a filter every 30-90 days. 

However, air filters quickly become dirty when your ductwork is clogged with dust and debris. The more debris there is in your ductwork, the dirtier your air filter will become. Dust and debris from your air ducts will dislodge and blow into the filter.

Once this happens, your filter will become clogged and reduce the airflow in your HVAC system. A clogged filter strains an HVAC system just as bad as dirty air ducts. Stock up on air filters once you clean your air ducts. Simply check your filter monthly and replace it as needed once your ducts are clean. 

How Much Does It Cost To Clean Air Ducts?

Air duct cleaning costs up to $1,000 in a mid-to-large-sized home. However, it only costs $150 to $450 to clean air ducts in a small home. Factors such as how extensive and dirty your air ducts are affect the cost of cleaning. 

Summing It Up

Air duct cleaning is worthwhile, as it can improve the air quality in your home. It can also protect your AC and furnace from unnecessary strain that can shave years off its lifespan. If you don’t clean your air ducts, there’s a strong chance that mold and mildew will grow and spread throughout your home.

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