The Benefits of Air Duct Cleanings

If you’re like most DFW homeowners, you don’t often worry about the condition of your HVAC ductwork, but you absolutely should. Every other area of your home requires routine cleaning and maintenance, and so does your ductwork! If you neglect regular duct cleanings, there’s a good chance your HVAC system and health will suffer the consequences. How do duct cleanings benefit your home and health? The experts at Metro Express Service have the details below.

Here are the benefits of air duct cleanings:

1. Improve Household Energy Efficiency

If your ductwork houses a substantial amount of dust and debris, all that buildup can negatively affect the efficiency of your HVAC system. And unfortunately, an inefficient heating and cooling system always results in higher-than-necessary monthly energy bills. So how exactly does dust buildup reduce HVAC efficiency?

Both your AC system and heating system rely on your ductwork to circulate temperature-controlled air throughout your home. But when dust and debris accumulate within the ducts, that buildup reduces airflow through the system. Ultimately, less-than-optimal airflow forces the system to work harder and longer than necessary to cool or heat your home to the temperature setting on your thermostat.

Worse, when your HVAC system is forced to work on overdrive to regulate indoor temperature, your AC unit and furnace have an increased likelihood of premature failure. Duct cleaning doesn’t just help lower your monthly energy bills — it can also help prolong the life of your HVAC system.

2. Help Control Dust Mite Population

You might not be able to see them with your naked eye, but millions of tiny dust mites live on multiple surfaces throughout your home, including the interior of your ducts. They feed on dead skin flakes shed by humans and animals, and according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, they’re just about everywhere indoors. In fact, approximately four out of five homes in the U.S. have detectable dust mite populations, and unfortunately, those dust mites can trigger serious allergy symptoms.

Though these dust-loving microscopic members of the arachnid family don’t bite or sting, many people are allergic to their feces and dead carcasses. When these tiny particles are inhaled or come into contact with skin, they can cause a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms, including:

• Sneezing, nasal congestion, and runny nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Skin rashes
• Difficulty breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing, wheezing, or chest pain
• Facial pressure and/or pain

If your ductwork contains dust and debris, you can bet dust mites are living in there too. And because professional duct cleaning ensures your ductwork is free from dust and debris, routine cleanings can help reduce the dust mite population inside your home.

3. Remove Health-Harming Chemical Residue and VOCs

It’s easy to assume household dust is relatively harmless, especially when you can’t see how much of it is sitting inside your ductwork. But that’s a potentially dangerous assumption, and here’s why: According to research conducted by the NDRC, approximately 90% of household dust samples contain up to 45 toxic chemicals that can negatively affect your health. These toxic compounds include:

• Flame retardants
• Phthalates
• Phenols
• Fluorinated chemicals
• Artificial fragrances

Furthermore, volatile organic compounds also exist within your home, not just in your ductwork, but in the ambient air. And because your HVAC system continually recirculates the air inside your home, you’re likely inhaling these health-harming substances all day long.

Fortunately, professional duct cleaning eliminates dust and debris in your ducts and can dramatically reduce the quantity of chemicals you and your family breathe in. When your ducts aren’t pushing out dusty, dirty air, your entire home becomes a healthier place to live.

4. Improve Indoor Air Quality

Would you believe it if we told you the air inside your home is more polluted than the air outside it? According to the EPA, indoor air is up to five times more polluted than outdoor air, even in metropolitan areas with heavy pollution, and the majority of indoor pollutants originate inside the home.

Because duct cleaning eliminates dust, dander, pollen, mold, mildew, chemical residues, volatile organic compounds, and dust mites inside your home’s ductwork, it can significantly improve your indoor air quality. Allergy sufferers are particularly at risk for health issues as a result of indoor air pollution, which makes duct cleaning doubly important if you struggle with allergy symptoms indoors.

5. Help Eliminate Household Odors

If you struggle with persistent, unpleasant household odors, duct cleaning can help. Though indoor odors can stem from a variety of issues, including improper trash storage, poor drain maintenance, smoking, and pets, the problem grows worse with dirty ductwork. If there’s mold, mildew, or organic debris inside your ducts, you’ll likely notice an unpleasant odor inside your house. But when those substances are eliminated with thorough duct cleaning, you’ll find the odor is far less pronounced or completely gone.

Ready for a cleaner, healthier home? At Metro Express Service, we’re here to make that a reality. To learn more about our duct cleaning services or schedule an appointment, contact our team today or give us a call at 817-516-0700 (Arlington / Fort Worth) or 972-263-2500 (Dallas / Dallas County).