Air Duct Cleaning: Scam or Worth It? – Today’s Homeowner

Do you need to have the HVAC ducts in your home cleaned? (DepositPhotos)

Duct cleaning has become popular in recent years, with commercial cleaning services popping up everywhere. But is the service worth it, or is it a scam? Heres some information to help you decide whether or not your home might benefit from having the HVAC ducts in your house cleaned.

Professional duct cleaning services use specialized blowers, vacuums, and brushes to clean out the supply, intake, and return ducts throughout your home. Duct cleaning should also involve a thorough cleaning of the air handler, registers, grilles, fans, motors, housings, and coils of the HVAC system.

Theres no research at present proving that routine duct cleaning improves the air quality or reduces dust in your home. There is, however, evidence that dirty heating and cooling coils, motors, and air handling units can make your HVAC unit less efficient.

While duct cleaning alone doesnt seem that necessary, there are cases where cleaning the HVAC unit and ductwork could be useful.

Due to growing concerns about indoor air quality, its easy to convince homeowners that their ducts need cleaning. But unless ducts are really dirty, theres no reason to clean them. The EPA takes a similar stance on the issue, recommending cleaning only if the ducts and HVAC unit are contaminated.

If done properly, duct cleaning doesnt hurt; but its not something that needs to be on your regular home maintenance list. You probably dont need to have your ducts and HVAC system cleaned unless:

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Air Duct Cleaning: Scam or Worth It? - Today's Homeowner