I am constantly receiving coupons in the mail for air duct cleaning. I'm just curious if anyone has had their air ducts cleaned and what positives they noticed after doing so. No one in our family has allergies, so I wouldn't need it for that reason. My main reason for even being interested would be lessening the amount of dust I find on furniture. If you have done it, did you notice a difference in the amount of dust in your home?
I had it done. I feel that it was the biggest rip-off! No differences in sneezing OR dust!
I wish I hadn't had it done...
I don't think air duct cleaning is worth the price you pay. It sort of makes common sense - the less particles you have in your ducts, the better. But when I think about how the HVAC works, it doesn't pass the engineering test. The dust gathers up in the "return" (or suction) half of the duct system and then is caught by the filter before reaching the fan in the HVAC. I think a better and cheaper plan is to be vigilant with replacing the air filters in the HVAC unit. Here's another thought - if you just have $1000 burning a hole in your pocket, what about replacing the ducts? This does two things - gets rid of dust and mold, if there is any, and increases the R-value with new updated materials (because builders tend to use the cheapest stuff when it's not visible, especially if your home is more than 10 years old).
It lessens the dust some, but with small children running around, dust is going to be inevitable.
We got ours done after getting a bunch of work done around the house. The air is cleaner, for sure!
I just had to point out the irony here...the email I got that notified me of this new question has an ad at the bottom for D & D Air Ducts. HA!
C.L. we found air duct cleaning a waist of your time, and money.
It shifts to another part of your house. We thought oh no more dust,
as we live in West Texas. Like I say where you collected the most, it
just moves to another place. (Sorry)
JD........Lubbock, TX
We recently had our ducts cleaned by a very reputable duct company. I had it recommended to me because my children where getting sick a lot this past winter. I am also a severe allergy sufferer. So I thought it would be a good idea. I second guessed that thought when I found out how much the job was gonna cost. We have a 2400 sq ft home and the job cost close to $900.00.
In all honesty, I haven't noticed a single difference in the amount of dust, or cleanliness of our home. My allergies haven't improved all that much either. But my children haven't been sick once since having it done, so maybe it was effective. Our home is 13 years old and the job of cleaning the ducts had never been done.
Apparently there are other duct "cleaning" companies out there (the ones who send coupons) who offer to do the job at a cheap rate, but all they are really doing it vacuuming out the vent and not doing the full job. So just be aware of who you are hiring if you decide to do it and check with the BBB to make sure that they are reputable and do a top quality job!
I used ABC Duct cleaners and they were a total rip off. They also advertised cleaning one room of carpet with the deal if you did your whole house but because they said I had a newspaper in the floor, (go figure), they wouldn't do it, they were unprofessional, rude, and a total waste of money. I agree with the other posts, save your money. I was told by a neighbor that they just use the upholstery attachment on their vacuum and just vacuum that area every 3 or so months and it keeps it just as clean and it doesn't cost a thing.
We had our a/c replaced recently and I asked them about it. The guy was very adament and explained to me that it was one of the biggest hoaxes out there because as long as you have a good filter on your a/c the dust in the air vents won't ever come out anyways. He told me the biggest thing is to keep your filters changed and clean...it made sense to me when I thought of it that way and the way he explained it to me...
The ads you get from carpet cleaning companies are a joke. Cheaper but not effective. We had concerns of possibly having mold in the vents and I called this company.....it has been like 3 years I think but WELL worth the investment. They also helped my friend. The air conditioners turn off but there is still a drip for a few minutes. The fans turn off too quick so mold will build up in your vents.....up in the vents closest to the actual unit in the attic. This company cleans your vents from the ceiling to the unit....entirely. They take the air handlers out of the attic, into the yard, and clean all the dust off them.....they look brand new when done. I was super impressed and YES we saw amazing changes in our home. My husband has not had any respiratory issues since. You have to do it right to get the benefits....this cost us $1000 for our 2600 sq ft home...it is calculated by number of air conditioners you have and number of vents.
David at this company, he is the owner is VERY professional and easy to talk to. I will use this company again if ever needed, but that may not be necessary now that we run our fans constant to keep the drips from building mold. If you have questions, feel free to let me know.
K.
I am an allergy sufferer and the only time I have had it done was when I had a fire in my home to clear out the smoke. If your home is fairly new, I would say save the money! If it is an older home that has had remodeling or smoke damage then maybe it would be worth it. But I'm thinking like the other person that it can stir up MORE dust.
Changing your air filters regularly should be good enough in my opinion:)
In 32 years at our present home, we have never had them cleaned and they don't need it. We have seen inside them because my husband looked while he adjusted a baffle and they are clean. Dust comes from opening doors and bedroom lint, etc. Don't waste your money.
I'm not so sure that's really a great and wonderful idea. Sometimes, cleaning the ducts can create MORE dust and stir up allergens and then spread them all through the home that otherwise wouldn't be spread. This, in turn, creates health issues that otherwise wouldn't be an issue.
