Cleaning your air vents is one of the best ways to guarantee the cleanliness of the air in your home. Millions of dust, hair, dirt, pollen, spider webs, and other allergen-containing particles can be found in your home’s air ducts. Over time, dust, pet dander, and chemical contaminants accumulate in vents and ducts. Cleaning vents at home can improve the efficiency of your air conditioner while reducing the amount of allergens in your home.
Regularly cleaning your air ducts and vents has a lot of advantages. Cleaner air ducts mean cleaner air in the home, which is great news for allergy sufferers. Less dirt in your air ducts and on your AC vent covers can decrease wear and tear on your AC components, helping to increase the longevity of your system. Here are some helpful hints in case you want to try cleaning your air ducts yourself, even though we advise calling the experts to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned for improved indoor air quality.
How Often to Clean Your Vents
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends having your A/C system professionally deep cleaned every three to five years. But remember that airborne impurities are continuously moving through your ductwork, accumulating on ducts and grille covers, and then being blown into your house. More frequent cleaning will enhance the quality of the air for the benefit of anyone who lives in your house and has asthma or is allergic to certain things. If you have animals or a smoker living in your home, you should also think about taking on this job. Cleaning vents at home twice a year is a good general rule of thumb.
Here’s What You Need
You can reduce the cost of your heating and cooling by cleaning vents at home. The procedure can be as easy as using a microfiber duster or a vacuum with a brush attachment to clean all of your vents. Read the tips provided below to find out how to clean the air vents in your home.
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- High-powered vacuum: Your standard vacuum cleaner should be sufficient, but it’s crucial to have a long hose and a variety of attachments to get into every crevice. You can visit your neighborhood home improvement store and rent a heavy-duty vacuum to get the best results.
- Scrub brush: You will need a good long handled brush with stiff bristles to help when it comes time to dust your AC vents with some elbow grease.
- Screw driver: The majority of air duct vents are secured with screws. Cleaning vents at home will be simple to access if you have a standard screwdriver on hand.
- Dish soap and warm water: If your AC vents are too dirty, a mix of soap and warm water is ready to go.
- Broom, gloves, and cleaning clothes: Last but not least, having reliable, everyday cleaning tools on hand is crucial to preventing dust, spiderwebs, and other debris from spreading throughout your home.
Here’s What to Do
Follow these steps for safely and thoroughly for cleaning vents at home:
- Safety first, of course. Turn off the power source connected to your heating and air-conditioning system.
- To thoroughly clean off dust and debris, unscrew your AC vents and give them a good brushing. Do not hesitate to give your AC vents warm water and soap wash if they are particularly dirty.
- After moving the vents, use your long scrub brush to clean along the air duct walls, removing dust and dirt. Reach as far as you can, but keep in mind that a long-stemmed brush will help you reach places that are difficult to access.
- Since the dirt and dust have been loosened, it’s time to use the vacuum. Utilize the vacuum along the vent walls and in each and every crevice you can. Never forget that a heavy-duty high-powered vacuum will do a much better job of sucking up the dust and dirt than your typical home vacuum would.
- To truly get a thorough clean, use a damp cloth to clean along the vent walls where you can reach it. If possible, join a wet cloth to a longer handle to enable you to reach further.
- It’s time to tidy up. Use your vacuum and a broom to remove any dust and air that may have escaped the vent and fallen onto your carpet or floor.
Hopefully these tips for instructions for cleaning vents at home will help you out. It can be a very labor and time-intensive project to clean your own ducts and vents at home. So every three to five years, it’s a good idea to have your air conditioning system professionally cleaned.