There is some debate over the usefulness of cleaning out the air ducts throughout your home. While there is no real evidence proving that regularly cleaning air ducts in house and home will prevent any health problems, many people notice the dirt and particle build-up in their air ducts and worry for their safety. There is no recognized need to clean your air ducts because of these particles, but there are some cases in which cleaning air ducts in the house will be the right thing to do.
If you ever notice any vermin such as insects, rodents, or other animals in your air ducts, you should have your ducts cleaned very soon. Animals will excrete, die, and leave other waste in your ducts, the fumes of which you will be inhaling. Dead animals will also stink up your house. If you ever notice any critters in your ducts, take action quickly because a few insects may grow into a large infestation very fast.
Similarly, if you ever notice any mold, you should focus on cleaning air ducts in house rather quickly because it can be unhealthy. Mold can grow in any area that is dark and gets damp. If you remove the mold but do not correct the conditions that caused the area to get wet, the mold will reappear again and again. Any section of your ducts that get wet or moldy and cannot be cleaned will probably need to be replaced. If you find something that you think is mold but aren't sure, you can send a sample to a microbiology laboratory that will analyze it for you.
Generally, the dust and dirt in your air ducts will stay where it is. However, if you ever notice any dirt, dust, or other particles being released into your home from your registers then cleaning air ducts in house will be a good idea. You may only notice that your registers are clogged with dust – they should be cleaned in this case as well. Visible particles coming out of your registers can be a respiratory hazard.
It is normal for air ducts to get dusty and dirty. Usually this debris will stay where it is, on the sides of the ducts. This is no cause for alarm, and there have never been any proven dangers from this normal build up. You can minimize the chances of a blockage and excess dirt by making sure the intake area of your heating and cooling system is free of dust and debris. Preventing water from entering the system will reduce the chances of any mold growing as well.
Cleaning air ducts in the house can be quite expensive, ranging from $500 - $1000 dollars per heating and cooling system, depending on the size. This is usually done by dislodging the debris and then vacuuming the ducts. Be sure to have the entire system cleaned, because an uncleaned contamination in one area will spread to the rest of the system. Dirty air ducts can sometimes cause allergies and unexplained illnesses, but if you do not suffer from these or notice any of the major problems mentioned above, you probably do not need to clean your air ducts.