Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

Your home’s heating and air conditioning systems circulate the air through a series of ducts in your home’s crawl spaces. In most systems the filters are designed to trap any dirt before it enters this ductwork but overtime they become dirty. It is possible for you to clean the ducts and their covers and replace the filters themselves without hiring a professional cleaning service. All you need is time and some common household tools.

Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

The first step is to determine if the air ducts need cleaning. Look at the grills and if they appear to be covered with dirt or lint then they most likely will need to be cleaned. If the grill’s exterior appears clean you should still remove the grill to inspect the wall around the area where the duct contacts with the building material. If it is dirty then you will need to clean them even if the grills appear clean.

Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

To accomplish this task you will need:

• Replacement filters

• Rags

• Soft brushes

• Vacuum cleaner with a brush head for the hose attachment

• Screwdriver

• Gloves

Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

It is very important to remember to turn off the air conditioning or heating units before you start your cleaning job and inspecting the filters. You will have to take the filters out to look at them and if dirty replace them. When buying filters there should be information as to when the manufacture suggests the intervals that the filter should be changed. Usually this should be done approximately every six months.

Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

The next step is to remove all the return and air duct covers, being very careful not to drop the screws into the air duct cleaning. The covers must be cleaned because if they are dirty the ducts will not stay clean.

Thoroughly brush all the grill surfaces with the soft brush and then wipe them first with a damp rag and then a dry one. You can clean the ducts themselves by vacuuming the areas that can be reached by the brush attachment and hose. Be careful you do not puncture them if they are soft sided. Once you are done vacuuming gently brush them and wipe with the dry rag. Make sure that you do not trap any moisture in the system. To ensure you have all the dust out vacuum them again.

Cleaning Your Home’s air Ducts

Replace all the return and duct cleaning vent grills and if you cleaned any inside make sure that you vacuum the area around where you cleaned. While the power is off you should move the coil and fan covers and clean the cooling coils of the air conditioner and heater fan blades with the vacuum brush attachment. If you do not feel comfortable cleaning them hire a professional to clean the blades and coils.

America's Restoration Services

2556 Valleyhill Dr Acworth GA 30102

United States706-994-7911

www.americasrestorationservices.com