As a homeowner, you have plenty of priorities when it comes to cleaning. Keeping your appliances working well, your kitchen and bathrooms spotless, and preventing your kids’ bedrooms from looking like a bomb hit them is hard enough!
That’s why some people go years between their duct cleaning appointments without realizing the negative effects these delays can have on a home’s air quality. Making duct cleaning a priority in 2020 will help your family breathe better and keep some of that buildup in your ducts from making its way through your house. That means less dusting and cleaning for you!
If you aren’t sure whether your ducts need to be cleaned, here are seven easy ways to tell:
1) Dust is building up faster in your house
2) People in your home are feeling sicker than usual
3) Allergies are getting worse
4) Your furnace is working harder than usual
5) There’s an odour when your furnace is on
6) Your furnace’s air filter is dirty before it should be
7) You haven’t had a duct cleaning in over two years
1. Dust is building up faster in your house
When your Swiffer duster starts getting a workout on a regular basis, you’ll know it’s time to book a duct cleaning. Fine dust particles won’t always be caught by your filter, which means they’ll just keep circulating in your house until you have them sucked out by the high-powered vacuums that duct cleaners use.
2. People in your home are feeling sicker than usual
If your family members are complaining of regular colds and flus that seem to last longer (and get everyone else in the house sick too!), it might be time for your regular duct cleaning. Keeping the air clean and free of recirculating debris and toxins will help keep everyone healthy and feeling better than ever.
3. Allergies are getting worse
If there’s someone in your household with allergies, chances are they’ll feel the effects of dirty ducts faster than others. That’s because allergens can get trapped in your duct system and filter through your house. A thorough furnace and duct cleaning will help blow out those stored up allergens and have everyone breathing better.
4. Your furnace is working harder than usual
When your ducts aren’t pushing air easily into your home, your furnace will have to work harder to get that air flowing. This leads to inefficiencies that can cost you more on your energy bills, so having your ducts and furnace cleaned is a great way to increase airflow while protecting your furnace’s lifespan and saving money on monthly bills.
5. There’s an odour when your furnace is on
Right around fall and winter, duct cleaners tend to get a lot of calls. That’s because as people turn on their furnaces for the first time in months, there’s usually a strange smell coming from their vents and registers. If you’ve noticed your home smells “off” when your furnace is running, it’s time for an annual duct cleaning.
6. Your furnace’s air filter is dirty before it should be
Most guidelines recommend you change your furnace filter once every three months, but if it seems like your filters are getting fuller each time you change them, it’s probably because there’s a bigger buildup than the filter can handle.
7. You haven’t had a duct cleaning in over two years
Once people have noticed the difference after a proper duct cleaning, most of them choose to book annually, resulting in less buildup over time. However, this initial cleaning will likely be fairly extensive if clients haven’t had their ducts cleaned in more than two years. So whether it’s been a few years (or more than you care to admit!) it’s time to call your friends at Clean Air Solutions to book a cleaning!