How to Clean Air Ducts Yourself

HVAC Duct Cleaning Tips for Like shooting fish in a barrel DIY

With spring upon united states and summertime gaining on us, it may be a good thought to make clean the air vents and ducts that the household air you breathe is traveling through. At that place is an army of grit, dander, dirt, hair, and bug fragments that are all besides comfortable hanging out in your air vents and ducts which can pollute the air yous exhale.

If y'all outset thinking near all that grit and debris that observe their mode into your air ducts, it only makes sense you should probably clean those vents every at present and and so. After all, who wants dirty, dusty air circulating in their home?

Truth is, cleaning your air ducts is crucial when it comes to improving your dwelling house's air quality. If you or someone in your household suffers from allergies, then all the more than reason to pay attending to this!

Did you know that the average family generates nigh forty pounds worth of dust annually? This doesn't even take into account the pet pilus, mold, and dust that blows in through your open up windows. Non cleaning your air ducts means that well-nigh of this dirt doesn't escape your dwelling and lingers in abiding circulation throughout information technology, proving peculiarly hellish to someone in your family who suffers from allergies.

Moreover, dirt and dust spread quicker in a dwelling house with dirty ducts. No matter how diligent you may grit and clean your habitation, fine particulate contaminants, including unsafe allergens, menses apace from room to room to cover tables, smartphones, and kids' toys.

What'south the EPA say? The Environmental Protection Bureau (EPA) ranks indoor air pollution enquire i of the top 5 risks to public health and the millions of particles of debris and other allergens living in your air ducts are no aid.

Are in that location various duct systems? There are many unlike designs of duct systems, such as attic systems and underground systems, but the theory of cleaning these systems is the same. Y'all may not be able to access all parts of these systems (for example, hugger-mugger ducts), just you can brand a departure in your air quality past cleaning the parts of the organisation you can reach.

Why practice it yourself?

Nearly homeowners accept never been given any sort of training on how to care for their homes and, as such, they spend a lot of time and coin learning things the hard way.

But home air duct cleaning doesn't need to be one of those things you pay someone else to do or you lot spend a lot of time and energy learning how to do it.

You probably don't own a high-powered, truck-mounted vacuum system with 150-foot hoses. Only nosotros're going to tell you how y'all can clean the air ducts yourself. No, you won't get as securely into your duct system as a commercial company will. That'south fine. Most of the debris in your ducts gathers toward the registers anyway and y'all can reach those spots on your own.

Cleaning Air Ducts with a Vacuum

Things y'all'll need to make clean your air ducts

Hither are the air duct cleaning tools that you lot need to complete the task:

  • Furnace filter. You'll definitely need a new furnace filter at the end of the job. Make certain yous choose the correct filter option for your furnace.
  • Gloves. Heavy-duty gloves and a dust mask or goggles to habiliment while cleaning.
  • Vacuum. You'll need a vacuum to suck upward the grit and dirt from your air registers. A standard household vacuum probably isn't powerful plenty. Make sure the vacuum you rent has a long hose to achieve into the ducts.
  • Brush. Something that resembles a toilet brush will piece of work well, but if you don't take one of these handy, a potent-bristled paintbrush will practise the play a joke on.
  • Power drill. Using a power drill to remove screws from the vents tin can be handy, but you can also utilise a screwdriver. Make sure the screwdriver is compatible with the screws on the various types of registers in your home.
  • Cleaning cloth. A microfiber fabric works best.
  • Paper towels. You lot probably don't want to practise more cleaning when y'all're finished. To make the well-nigh of your fourth dimension, make certain you accept an ample supply of paper towels handy – they'll exist quite useful.

Which vents are which?

If you're a new homeowner, you might not know or empathize that your home has various types of vents going into the ductwork of your home. An easy way to identify each blazon is with a tissue examination. If you identify a tissue on the vent and it sticks, it'south a return duct, pregnant the vent is there to bring air back to the HVAC system from the house. If the tissue doesn't stick to the vent, it'due south a supply vent, which blows out warm or absurd air from the HVAC system, depending whether your furnace or air conditioner is operating.

Don't be confused if in that location are vents on the exterior of your dwelling house. These vents allow air to menstruation into and out of your attic and are not part of your HVAC system and don't need to be cleaned for air duct purposes.

Footstep-by-Step duct cleaning

  1. Remove the screws from air duct covers and render-air grill plates.
  2. Cover up your supply vents (those vents that supply rut or air to the rooms) with paper towels. Embrace the vents not being cleaned at the time to go on the dust and dirt from blowing in and out while you're cleaning other areas. Simply lift the supply vents and place a paper towel betwixt the vent encompass and the wall or floor. The vent should agree in place without having to put all the screws back in since you'll be returning to remove the paper towels and cleaning each air vent.
  3. Set your thermostat to the "fan on" position. The fan will help movement the grit that you loosen while cleaning. make sure the estrus and cool manner is off. If y'all take an older thermostat that doesn't have a "fan-only" setting, run the rut.
  4. Loosen dust in ducts. Knock loose any buildup of dust in the ductwork. A light tapping will loosen clumps of dust sticking to the inside of the ducts. Simply have the handle of your castor and begin tapping on any accessible ductwork you lot have in the basement. This will help break upwardly whatsoever deposits of dampened dust that may accept stuck to the insides of the duct.
  5. Clean supply registers. Now y'all can begin sweeping out the grit in your supply annals. With the vacuum running and the end of the hose near the register, lift the register. Use the hose to take hold of any dust that'southward being pushed out by the fan and proceed to sweep as far into the annals'due south pipe as the hose can attain. Use your castor to scuff loose whatsoever built-upwardly dust in the register. Now, using a clammy microfiber textile, reach downwardly into the duct as far as you can and wipe the interior clean. You'll want to rinse the material repeatedly because chances are, you'll find a lot of dust and gunk upward in that location the first time you do this. As you lot go through the house sweeping out the supply registers, yous can remove and dispose of the paper towels you've put in place.
  6. Clean the return registers. Sweep out your return air registers. Again, brush and sweep as far back into the register cavity as possible.
  7. Shut off fan and furnace. Shut the fan off at the thermostat and the power off to the furnace via the service switch or billow panel. Do not just shut off the thermostat because that doesn't turn off the unit's power.
  8. Clean out blower compartment and return air kicking. With the ability off, you lot can remove the panels on the front of the furnace and access the blower compartment and the return air kick. Utilise your vacuum to sweep up the grit built upwards in the blower compartment and return air boot. This is where the cracking bulk of you grit will be. Since you're in hither, you should clean the furnace fan likewise.
  9. Supersede the furnace filter. You won't get the complete benefit of clean ducts if y'all have HVAC filters chock-full with the dust and contaminants they are designed to catch. Purchasing a better filter volition certainly cut down on the dust in your habitation but the amend the filter, the more oftentimes y'all should alter information technology. A muddy filter limits the airflow to the fan resulting in the blower motor running hotter and reducing its lifespan. Savvy homeowners know that to reduce dust in their homes, they should clean or change furnace filters at least once a calendar month.

Replacing Dirty Air Filter

Here's an important slice of data about air filters, 2d-hand smoke and your health.

The filters in your ducts role similarly to your lungs. It'south mutual noesis that breathing in second-hand smoke is harmful to your body. Well, consider that your lungs never properly lose all of the impurities that gather in them when you smoke, and remember that the filters in your air ducts work in much the same mode. Without knowing information technology, y'all could be inhaling second-hand tobacco smoke for weeks after the bodily offending cigarette has been snuffed out because the residual smoke that's caught in your air ducts remains in that location for a long, long time.

What if you detect mold during your DIY duct cleaning?

If you think y'all've constitute mold, accept it tested to verify. Call in a professional if you have a mold problem. HVAC duct cleaning services have the expertise to remove dangerous mold. They also have the equipment to get to hard-to-accomplish areas that your house vacuum cannot.

How often should you lot clean your air ducts?

I to two times a year, the most common times are the showtime of jump and autumn.

Woman breathing clean air after she cleaned her home's air ducts herself.

Preventing duct contamination

Whether or not y'all make up one's mind to clean your air ducts, committing to a expert preventive maintenance program is important in minimizing duct contagion.

To help prevent dirt from entering the system:

  • Use the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer or your HVAC arrangement.
  • Modify filters routinely. If they become clogged, change them even more than frequently.
  • When having your HVAC system maintained or checked for other reasons, exist sure to inquire the service provider to clean cooling coils and bleed pains.
  • seal off supply and render registers and don't operate the heating and cooling system until after cleaning up whatever grit.
  • Vacuum your habitation regularly. If possible, use a high efficiency (HEPA) cleaner or the highest efficiency filter bags your vacuum cleaner tin can take.
  • If your organisation includes in-duct humidification equipment, brand sure to operate and maintain the humidifier strictly as recommended past the manufacturer.
  • Make sure air ducts are properly sealed and insulated in all non-air-conditioned spaces (attics and clamber spaces). This volition help forbid moisture due to condensation from entering the system.
  • Ready any water leaks and remove any continuing water.
  • Steam cleaning and other methods involving moisture should not be used on any kid of duct piece of work.

We hope nosotros've been helpful in providing these tips for cleaning your air vents.

Should you lot take any questions about your HVAC needs, delight don't hesitate to contact the HVAC professionals at J&A South Park.