Is DIY Air Duct Cleaning a Good Idea?

It’s been a long winter. The furnace has been running hard circulating warmth throughout your home for months. Recently, you feel dry and stuffed up and wonder why that may be the case. You suspect it has to do with your indoor air quality. Upon searching throughout the house for issues, you realize the air ducts need cleaning. They are full of dust and debris, so you consider hiring an air duct cleaning service.

Safety is the primary concern

While it’s best to have a NADCA certified company clean your air ducts, you’re concerned about the price to have someone come out and take care of a routine cleaning.  You start to question whether it’s best to rely on a company or do it yourself to save you the money.  

Remember that while you can save money and do it yourself, cleaning your air ducts can potentially be unsafe.  Your safety is the most important factor in this process.  If you put your safety into question, you could be at risk of an injury.  Make sure that you understand what you are doing when you set to clean your air ducts because you do not want to clean them incorrectly.  Doing so could cause damage in your home.  You should stop the repairs immediately if you experience any potentially unsafe conditions.

Things you need to clean your air ducts

• HEPA filtered vacuum: A household vacuum with a hose will work, but a heavier-duty “Shop Vac” unit will be more efficient
• Brush: Use something to sweep away dust
• Screwdriver or hex driver: Your registers are held in place by some kind of fastener.  You will need a tool that is able to fit these fasteners.
• Towels or plastic sheathing: You’ll need something to assist in covering some registers while you clean others.  If you don’t have these, you will have to do additional dusting and sweeping after cleaning the ducts.
• Cleaning rag: To clean and wipe down the inside of vents
• Gloves and long sleeves: Use when reaching into the air ducts to protect your hands and arms from screws and other hazards
• Dust mask: Protect your breathing while removing heavy amounts of dust and contaminants
• Eye protection: Prevent projectiles harming your eyes

Some suggestions on DIY air duct cleaning

1. Make sure the furnace is turned off when you are cleaning the air ducts
2. Unscrew the vent covers on all the vents throughout the house
3. Clean the vent covers thoroughly.  The covers act as filters, but they must be clean to work properly.
4. Use the vacuum cleaner, hose, and brush to clean out the vents
5. Use the cleaning rag to wipe the inside of the vents after you’ve used the vacuum
6. Make sure to use personal protective equipment (PPE)

Stronger vacuums will obviously clean out more dust.  Keep in mind that you will never fully clean the air ducts on your own using this process.  You may be able to clean out around 85% of all dust, but some areas will be unreachable by using household items to clean out the air ducts.  To make sure they are fully clean, you are best to hire a professional cleaning and restoration business to clean out your air ducts.  Remember that your air ducts should be cleaned every 3 to 5 years based on activity levels of the property.

Hiring a professional air duct cleaner

In most cases, it is best to contact a cleaning and restoration service, like Soil Away, to take care of any air duct cleaning needs.  Soil-Away will send highly trained IICRC and NADCA certified technicians to clean unwanted contaminants from your HVAC system. In addition to competent technicians, Soil-Away uses high-powered vacuums, brushes and air whips to extract as much dirt as possible from your air ducts. By having a professional company come out to your home, you will ensure that your home will be cared for properly.

However, if you are hesitant about investing in this important service, you always have the option of doing it yourself.  Soil-Away Cleaning and Restoration Services wants what is best for the customer.  Just know that in most cases it is strongly recommended that professionals perform the cleaning so that it is done safely and correctly.

More than air duct cleaning

If you want a more extensive cleaning, you will need to reach out to a professional cleaning and restoration business.  Soil-Away has nearly 30 years in the industry.  They not only provide air duct cleaning, but also water and fire damage repairs and mold remediation.  We strongly suggest that you contact Soil-Away at (603) 641-6555 for routine cleanings and repairs in your home or business.

By A. Phelps