There is a tendency to focus on the heating and air conditioning unit when it comes to service and maintenance, often little or no attention is paid to the ducts that distribute the air throughout the house. If ducts are neglected, it does not take a lot of time for them to begin accumulating dirt, dust, debris and mold. The result is predictable, you can have the cleanest heating and air conditioning system but your indoor air quality will be less than what it should be, this leads to health problems such as allergies and asthma. Fortunately there are things that can be done to prevent dirt in air ducts.
Keep your home clean:
It is next to impossible to have a home that does not have some dirt in it. Children and their pets are great contributors to dirt; the same is true when you open widows to air your home out. All this dust and dirt can find its way into the ducting system of your home, the obvious solution is to keep your home as clean as possible, especially the floors and other flat surfaces which tend to harbor dirt and dust. Although it is not possible to have a home that is as clean as a hospital operating room, the cleaner your home is, the cleaner the ducts will be.
Have your ducts inspected:
Even though you take precautions, there is no way that you can be sure there is no dirt in air ducts simply because the interior surfaces are hidden from view. Have a known, reputable company perform periodic inspections, if they have an accumulation of dust and dirt they can be cleaned before they cause a health issue. You may also want to consider sealing the ducts from dirt ingress, if there are no air leaks the result will be far cleaner ducting and a lower energy bill.
