There are many ways you can approach cleaning your home, from dusting and vacuuming to more complex operations like HVAC and duct cleaning.
You can’t pinpoint the most efficient cleaning method to keep your home 100% germ-free. You need a compilation of many cleaning actions to provide the healthiest possible environment.
One of the essential aspects of a clean home is clean air that passes through ductwork and HVAC systems, influencing its quality.
I never knew much about duct cleaning, but Sem’s Duct Cleaning helped me better understand how duct cleaning works and why it’s such an important practice.
Inspection
This is the first step towards cleaning your ducts. A visual inspection of the vents is enough to see how much dust there is and whether a cleanup is due. It is also good to learn how much dust and debris is piled between the cleanups and determine how often you need to call professionals to perform it.
Although, a simple eye scan is not enough. Professional cleaners are equipped with cameras to inspect the vents thoroughly and better understand how much of a buildup is there.
While at it, they can also inspect the general state of the ducts: find any leaks or breaks and suggest replacement or reparation on the spot. This regular maintenance will save you a lot of money in the long run because you will be keeping your home clean and spot any breaks early on.
Cleaning
Duct cleaning is a process that uses large devices that suck out the dust from the vents. They are mounted onto a truck, making them portable.
The cleaning itself is pretty simple. A hose is attached to the duct and sealed properly so that all dust and debris go straight through into the machine. It is good to attach the hose near the air handler, which regulates air circulation.
The next step is to cover all registers inside your home with an adhesive cover to prevent air from going sideway when the vacuuming starts. No matter how powerful the vacuuming is, it will fail to reach its full potential if registers are left uncovered.
Finally, when everything is ready, the machine is turned on, creating negative pressure, enabling all particles to detach from the duct surface and go into the machine.
Using Proper Tools
Different contractors use different methods, and results vary. It is not enough to vacuum once and sprinkle cleaning chemicals inside the ductwork. Once the negative pressure is created, it is vital to uncover each register and clean it separately after the vacuuming of the central duct. This more thorough approach will differentiate good contractors from mediocre ones.
The goal is to collect all dust and debris from the ducts and to do that, you need proper tools like rotating brushes, vacuum cleaners, and compressed air mechanisms. It takes approximately 4 to 6 hours to finish the job.
Find A Good Contractor
As I already mentioned above, it is vital to find a contractor that will fully dedicate their time to ensure the ductwork in your home and office is dust-free. It is more expensive to pay for a semi-finished job put yourself and your family at a health risk. You should expect the contractor to clean the entire system, inspect it before cleaning, use HEPA vacuum equipment, prevent damage to carpet, furnishings, or any other part of the home by using quality tools.
After the job is done, you should ask the contractors to give you photos from inside the ductwork and compare them to before.
