Finding a Quality Air Duct Cleaning Service

Air duct cleaning is serious business, especially if you have allergies that can be aggravated by the collection of dust, pet dander and air pollution that can collect in your system. It's such a serious matter that the National Air Duct Cleaners Association was established in 1989 to help regulate air duct cleaning and ensure that professional levels were created and adhered to for cohesiveness.

Be careful however to not fall prey to scammers who are known as "blow and go" air duct cleaning companies. These unregulated and unprofessional companies do not follow the NADCA guidelines. They don't do a complete cleaning job and often charge you for other services that you don't need and didn't authorize.

To avoid blow and go scammers, stick to the brick and mortar HVAC companies that you are familiar with. These comapnies won't blow away with the first sign of a problem with your ducts.

Screening any potential air duct cleaning company is easy and only takes a few questions from you. Other than verifying that they are a member of NADCA, you also want to ensure they have been in business long enough to have built up some experience. Ask if they are current on their license and insurance and don't worry about appearing suspicious or paranoid by asking for proof. A reputable company will gladly supply you with these items on request.

Finally check with your local Better Business Bureau for any complaints against the company. And pay attention to any red flags such as companies that advertise specials that are too good to be true like $99 to clean all of your HVAC ducts. A legitimate company will charge anywhere from $450 to $1,000 to clean your ducts depending on how big the job is and how easy your ducts are to access.

Once you find a legitimate air duct cleaning company the next step is to decide how often you need to have the ducts cleaned by a pro. The answer will depend on a variety of things including what type of indoor pollutants you are being exposed to. If you have smokers in the house or pets and you have allergies or upper respiratory illnesses you may want to have the ducts cleaned twice a year. If you just bought the home you will want to have the ducts cleaned before you move in. Likewise if you just had the home remodeled- dry wall dust and construction dust can get into the air and settle into your duct system and be pushed into your home and air you breathe forever after.

And finally having your ducts cleaned on a regular basis will do more than improve the quality of your health- it will also help increase the efficiency of your unit and increase the lifespan of your unit as well. So cleaning your ducts is a win-win situation for everyone involved as long as you do it right and do your research to ensure you hire experts who know what they are doing.