It’s time to clean out your air ducts. You may not know it, but your furnace and air conditioner are constantly working hard to keep you comfortable. Air comes in through the vents on the front of your house, goes up into the attic or basement, and then down into your home again. Dirt, dust, and pet hair get stuck along this journey – that’s why it’s important to have them cleaned regularly by professionals who know how to do it properly!
But what if you want to know How To Clean Air Ducts DIY style? It might seem like an impossible task, but with these tips from Dependable Heating & Air, you can clean them yourself.
Why should I clean my Air Ducts?
Air Ducts are designed to deliver the right amount of air into your home. They’re often forgotten as part of household maintenance, but they can be a breeding ground for dust and allergens that can circulate through your entire house. That is why you should clean them at least once every year! Here are 4 reasons why you should clean your HVAC air ducts:
- Cleaning your air ducts improves airflow, helping to remedy hot and cold spots in the home.
- Cleaning your air ducts improves or eliminates odors and mold, helping with allergy symptoms.
- Improves your Indoor Air Quality. According to the EPA, cleaning your air ducts improves your indoor air quality by removing or reducing air pollutants, such as dust.
- Cleaning your HVAC ducts can help reduce energy costs by stopping drafts and leaks that affect the efficiency of heating or cooling systems.
How To Clean Air Ducts DIY-Style?
Now that we have discussed why you need to clean your air ducts, let’s discuss how to clean them!
Professionals use special equipment to clean residential air ducts. This equipment includes a vacuum with a long hose attachment and brush. If you want to clean your air ducts yourself, please note that standard residential vacuum attachments won’t reach deep into the ducts to remove all of the debris and dust. However, most dust and debris collects close to the register, so cleaning deep in the ducts isn’t always necessary.
Gather Your Supplies
To clean your air ducts yourself, you’ll need the proper supplies. Here’s a list of what you need to clean your air ducts DIY style.
- A powerful vacuum cleaner. Your household vacuum cleaner isn’t powerful enough to clean the ducts. You’ll need a vacuum cleaner with an extension hose, brush attachment, and powerful suction. Purchaing air duct cleaning equipment is not cost effective for single household use since systems cost around $9,000! If you can’t rent the equipment near you, a shop vac with an extended hose and brush may will do an ok job. A dryer vent cleaning brush won’t clean your entire vent, but should reach the dirtiest areas.
- A long ladder or step-stool. You’ll want to stand on the top rung of your ladder when you’re vacuuming ducts upper register vents for safety reasons.
- Clean supplies. Gather a microfiber cloth and paper towels for clean-up.
- New air filter. After cleaning your ducts, it’s important to replace the filter.
Step-by-step instructions for how to DIY your air duct cleaning:
- Shut off the power to your furnace, air handler, and any other heating or cooling equipment.
- Remove the grill from your home’s return duct (also called a grille). If you have two floors in your house, remove both floor grills. This will reduce what falls into them while you work on cleaning them out.
- Use a vacuum with a hose attachment to vacuum out the dirt and debris.
- When you’ve finished, replace the grille(s) that were removed earlier.
- Replace the air filter.
- Turn on power again to your heating equipment as well as any other parts of your home’s central heating system or cooling system.
If you don’t have the supplies needed, or want to make sure the vents are cleaned throughout your entire system, consider hiring a professional HVAC air duct cleaning company. Dependable Heating and Air provides high-quality air duct cleaning services in Atlanta.
