How To Clean Your Own Air Ducts and Save Money!

Knowing how to clean your air ducts can save you a lot of money, since the professional duct cleaners charge a small fortune to do it.

Is it a necessary household task? Probably not. Is it one that I do? You bet.

Ever since the day I dropped an earring down a floor register and opened it to find a massive spiderweb occupied by an equally massive spider, Ive made a point to clean my air ducts regularly. It lets me sleep at night.

Also, I always notice less dust settling on my furniture after Ive done such a cleaning.

It just makes sense, doesnt it? If youve got forced air coming out of a duct filled with dust, pet hair, Cheerios, or big ol hairy spiders, theyre bound to spread around a bit, right? Why put up with that? Thats why you need to know how to clean your air ducts.

Fortunately, cleaning your air ducts isnt that difficult to do if you use the right tools and make a point of following directions. No, you wont get as deeply into your duct system as a commercial company will. Thats fine: most of the debris in your ducts gathers toward the registers, anyway, and you can reach those spots on your own.

You can use this method to clean cold air returns, too.

The deep cleaning described below only needs to be done once or twice a year. Keep ducts clean by lifting the register and vacuuming any dust or debris you see. (Monthly works.)

If you have pets that shed a lot, or kids who like to drop things down floor registers, you might want to consider installing vent register filters.

Be sure to change your HVACs air filter after you clean your ducts.

You will need:

Vacuum cleaner with accessories hoseDust brush for your vacuumMicrofiber cleaning clothsRotary dryer vent brush cleanerCordless drill

Floor registers are easy to remove lift them up. Wall registers may have to be unscrewed using the cordless drill. Either way, remove and wash the vent in a sink of hot, soapy water, then rinse and let them air dry. Metal registers can be cleaned in a dishwasher, though if youve painted yours, you should probably wash them by hand.

Once the registers are out of the way, attach the dryer vent brush to the end of your cordless drill. Make sure its firmly attached before feeding it into the duct because you do not want the brush detaching and getting lost in your duct system!

Turn the drill on and let it whip the brush around in your duct. With the drill still running slowly, pull back while the brush cleans the walls of the ductas you pull the brush out. Turn the drill off when the brush reaches the final 2 feet, or youll fling dust everywhere.

Once youve removed the dryer vent brush from your duct, stick your vacuum cleaner hose with the dust brush attachment down into the duct. (Again, make sure that brush is on firmly!) Now, vacuum up any dust or other gunk youve dislodged, then give the dryer vent brush a quick vacuum before moving onto the next duct.

Using a damp microfiber cloth, reach down into the duct as far as you can and wipe the interior clean. Youll want to rinse the cloth repeatedly because chances are youll find a lot of dust and gunk in there the first time you do this. For particularly stubborn dirt its okay to spray a homemade all-purpose cleaner on the cloth before wiping.

Wipe the area around the duct, including the floor or wall. Return the clean register vent to place, and youre done!

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How To Clean Your Own Air Ducts and Save Money!