How often should duct work be cleaned?

Is air duct cleaning necessary? This is an extremely common question with not a lot of data behind it. When searching for an answer to this question you will come across many varying opinions. Some companies tout the advantages of periodic cleaning to eliminate dirt, mold, and other pollutants that might compromise indoor air quality. Conversely, other enterprises assert that duct cleaning has minimal impact on overall air quality. At Comfort Peeps, we advocate occasional duct cleaning in specific scenarios, but generally, properly installed and maintained ducts should operate effectively without frequent cleaning. Read on to assist in determining whether your home’s ductwork requires cleaning.

The EPA published an article https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your-home-cleaned which list a few scenario’s where you should invest in having your duct work cleaned. From the EPA,” Duct Cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems.” Most of the dirt in the air ducts adheres to the surfaces.

1. If you there is a lot of debris and/or dust, which could be from recent drywall work or renovations.
2. The ductwork has rodent droppings.
3. If there is visible mold growth inside hard surfaces of the ducts.

We at Comfort Peeps believe in using the available data to provide a recommendation on duct cleaning. Properly performing maintenance on the A/C system while keeping it clean should be the first thought, and then consider air duct cleaning as needed, and not a regular schedule. Containments might recirculate through the ducts due to air recirculation of an A/C system. If you choose to do duct cleaning it can cost between $300-$700 based on the varied pricing of contractors.

Also, please be careful when you see Facebook postings about air duct cleaning. You can see the posters are not from the local area, show pictures from out-of-state designed homes, and are potential scams.