8 Common Duct Cleaning Myths DEBUNKED

If you’ve been doing research on having the ducts in your home professionally cleaned, we’re sure you’ve come across all sorts of facts and figures that may or may not be true.  Can black mold really grow in your duct work?  Is duct cleaning effective and how often should you have your ducts cleaned?  We’ll help you navigate all the duct cleaning truth and fiction so you can make the best decision for your home, your health, and your family.

Ducts Don’t Get THAT Dirty

Some people believe that ducts don’t actually accumulate dust, dirt, allergens, and dander and all they really need to do is change their furnace or AC filter out once a season.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  If you’ve peeked inside your duct work after a few years of not having them cleaned, you know that they’re full of dust, hair, and dirt that circulates throughout your home.  This is a prime place for dust mites to gather and for mold to grow during the hot and humid summer months.  

While it may not be necessary to have your ducts cleaned every season, it’s always a good idea to ask your heating expert if they need cleaning during your annual HVAC service.

Dirty Ducts Won’t Affect Your Health

Not many people would argue that contaminates in the air can’t affect your health.  It’s why you wear a mask when you perform construction on your home and the reason why you’re always sneezing during allergy season.  Why wouldn’t you be concerned about the air in where you spend the most time – your home?  Although air filters can help reduce the amount of pollen, dust, and mold circulating in your home, they’re not anywhere near 100% effective in keeping your ducts clean.

Professional duct cleaning is the only way to ensure your ducts are completely free of contaminates, such as mold, that can negatively impact your health.

Mold Can Only Occur in Ducts if You Have a Dehumidifier

You may have heard that you only need to have your ducts cleaned if your HVAC system is connected to an AC system with a dehumidifier.  While it is true that mold loves to grow in environments with high moisture levels, the truth is that every HVAC system with an AC system contains a drip tray to catch the water that accumulates on condensing coils.  This water can sometimes back up into your duct work which results in mold and bacteria growth.  Every HVAC system is susceptible to mold growth and should have their ducts regularly cleaned.

You Can Effectively Clean Your Ducts Yourself

While removing your floor register and sticking your vacuum hose into your ducts may sound like a good idea, you’re better off not even attempting to clean your ducts if you don’t want to hire a professional service.  Attempting to clean your ducts as a DIY process is guaranteed to push more of the dirt, dust, and contaminates into your home than just leaving them as-is.

A professional duct cleaning company will have invested in the tools, trucks, and equipment to remove contaminates from your ducts and directly deposit them into holding tanks outside of your home.  

Duct Cleaning Won’t Prevent Future Mold

Having your ducts cleaned does indeed prevent future mold growth in your duct work.  Air ducts connect to your HVAC system make a perfect place for mold to grow due to the moisture and humidity regularly pulled through your equipment.   A good way to detect if your duct work may already be contaminated with mold is if you can detect a musty smell in any of the rooms of your home or in your basement.  

Completely eliminating mold from your duct work requires not just the removal of visible mold, but also involves the use of an environmentally friendly disinfectant to kill all mold spores after cleaning and ensure the problem won’t become recurring.  At ANC Heating and Air Conditioning, we’ve perfected this process to leave your duct work perfectly clean and prevent future mold growth.

Duct Cleaning Removes All Airborne Contaminates

While duct cleaning is effective at removing all dust and debris from your duct work, there are certainly other areas of your home where contaminates can gather.  Carpets, curtains, and areas under beds and furniture can be a gathering place for dust, hair, and dander.  It is for this reason that we recommend having your duct cleaning technician preplace the air filters on your HVAC system at the same time your duct work is cleaned.  

If you continue to experience mustiness or suffer from allergens after your duct work is cleaned, call the professionals at ANC Heating and Air Conditioning to explore additional options to increase the indoor air quality in your home.

You Should Have Your Ducts Cleaned Every 6 Months

While some companies may recommend you have your ducts cleaned every 6 months or so, this is a good indication that you’re dealing with a dishonest company, or they’ve failed to invest in the equipment necessary to get the job done right the first time.  We recommend having your ducts cleaned every few years since our tools and equipment get your ducts completely cleaned of all debris, looking like they did the day they were first installed.

The only caveat to this is if you have an event in your home that would cause for your ducts to be re-cleaned.  This could be a construction project in your home, a mold event such as a pipe bust, or a smoker living in your home.  

The Duct Cleaning Process Makes Your Home Dirty

You may think that just because we’re removing all the nasty stuff from your ducts, that the nasty stuff will be left behind to circulate back into your home.  Our professional duct cleaning equipment takes all the dust, allergens, hair, dander, and other contaminates out of your duct work and deposites it directly into our holding tanks in our vehicles outside your home.  All the nasty stuff never has a chance to enter back into your home and cause a mess.

Ignore the Myths and Have Your Ducts Professionally Cleaned

Regardless of what you may have read about duct cleaning, there is no better way to increase the indoor air quality in your greater Binghamton home than by having your ducts professionally cleaned.  Let your family breathe easier and schedule your duct cleaning today!