Over time, dust begins to develop around your home. Regular cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming helps keep all of this under control, but there are always those tiny nooks and crannies that seem to go undetected. One area that remains in plain sight is your air ducts. Over time, air ducts collect dirt, pet hair, dust and other debris. It becomes even more prevalent if you don’t change out the HVAC system’s air filters every few months. This can cause breathing problems, not to mention reduce the quality of air inside the house. In order to avoid all of this, you need air duct cleaning at least once a year. The professionals at Courtesy Care can help you with the annual cleaning. In between, here are a few tips and tricks for cutting down on the level of dust in your home’s ventilation system.
Change the Air Filter
For starters, make sure to change out your air filters on a regular basis. Ideally, you should switch out the filters at least once every three months. However, if you have pets, are a smoker or people in the house who suffer from airborne allergies, it is better to swap out the filters once every two months or so. This helps reduce dust buildup in the filters, which can cause the debris to flow through the ventilation system into other areas of the house.
Clean Off the Vents
When vacuuming around the house, make sure to clean off the vents. A simple swipe across the area with your vacuum’s hose attachment should do the trick. Make sure to clean off the air intake vent as well.
Deep Clean the Vent Covers
Vacuuming the vents once a week or so should suffice for general cleaning. However, a few times a year, take off the vent covers and give the entire area a good cleaning. A cleaning brush is all you really need, but cleaning off the vent from the inside helps avoid the dust and debris you’re missing when just vacuuming. Plus, with the vent cover off you can push your vacuum hose further back and collect more dust.
Ceiling Vents
Those ceiling vents can prove challenging. You may not be tall enough to reach it, or the vacuum hose may not provide you with enough slack. This is when the good old fashion broom comes in handy. The broom is great for brushing over the ceiling and high wall vents. Just make sure to watch out below as you may kick up a nice dust storm (especially if you haven’t cleaned this area in a bit). Consider putting down a towel or sheet to cover up furniture from the dust.
Vent Registration Filters
Do you have a pet? Chances are your furry little friend tends to leave their fur all over the place. If your pet doesn’t shed, consider yourself lucky. A shedding animal’s hair can get everywhere, including down the ductwork. This makes cleaning out vents difficult. While it doesn’t help with current hair found in the vent, to protect vents in the future, consider investing in vent registration filters. These filters prevent material from dropping down into the vents. This includes everything from your pet’s fur to a child dropping your keys down vents.
Air duct cleaning is something you need to have done at least once a year. This helps cut down on the dirt and dust buildup within the house. If you’re in need of air duct cleaning, or are interested in other services in Northwest Arkansas, make sure to give Courtesy Care a call at your earliest convenience.
