Q – My house is 10 years old and every year it seems I have more and more dust in the house. I change the furnace filter twice a year.

Is there anything else I can do, other than sneeze more?

Kathy in Atlanta

A – Yes, you can get your ducts cleaned. I call it duct sucking, but that is actually not very accurate.  A good duct cleaning involves more than running a vacuum cleaner down your air duct and turning it on.

Quality duct cleaning from quality, certified duct cleaning companies involve not only the sucking, but the agitating of the ductwork to loosen the years of gunk in your ductwork.

It also involves an inspection of your hvac coil and blower system to ensure that they are clean as well.

If your house has never has a duct cleaning, then you are certainly a candidate for a cleaning.  Also, every new house definitely needs one as construction debris is a huge problem.

Then, I would say a thorough cleaning every 5-7 years would keep your ducts happy.

Finding a good duct cleaner is a bit more of a trick.  Here’s what you don’t want; a carpet cleaning specialist who will also do your duct cleaning for $69.96.

A quality duct cleaning company will have an HVAC license, because it is a state requirement to have one to touch your furnace or a/c system (remember, I said a thorough cleaning will involve the cleaning of your coil and blower).

Any company that says they clean the ducts only should be avoided.

Look to spend a couple, 4 - 5 hundred dollars for a thorough cleaning depending on the size of your system.

They will run their vacuums down the ducts as well as an agitator.  The agitators will agitate and the vacuums will suck and your ductwork will be cleaned.

That, and regular filter changing should lower the amount of dust in your house.  It will help your breathing and almost as importantly help with the efficiency of your hvac system.

It will be money well spent.

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