Air Quality

• The quality of indoor air is one of the top five environmental dangers to the general public. Indoor air quality is effected by pollutants that are trapped and then circulated throughout the house or building through the air duct system. According to the American Lung Association and the EPA the average person spends 60 percent to 90 percent of their time indoors and is then exposed to the indoor air quality. Air conditioning duct cleaning removes dust, dust mites, and other contaminants from the air duct system and prevents them from being circulated continuously.
  
  

Allergies and Asthma

• Air conditioning ducts have shown to become an ideal place for spores and other micro fungus to develop and grow. Due to the dark nature of the duct and the available nutrients from outside pollutants the duct can become a breeding ground. Allergies are becoming a common problem among Americans and with over half of all available time being spent indoors the increase of allergies is expected to be related to fungi and bacteria growing in air duct systems.
  
  Asthma is similar to allergies in that the number of those who suffer from asthma is rising. The Chicago Tribune reported in 2004 that 86 percent more people suffered from asthma in 1996 than they did in 1980. This increase is again attributed to more pollutants entering home and building air duct systems and the increase amount of time people spend indoors.
  
  

Heating and Cooling Benefits

• If an air duct is allowed to become overly dirty it can hinder the flow of air as it passes through the ducts. Even a minor build up of dirt on a cooling coil can reduce the systems efficiency significantly. Reduced efficiency of the heating and cooling systems results in the system running longer, and increased energy costs as well as more wear and tear on the equipment. Cleaning out air ducts can save money on the next years heating and cooling bill and help pay for the duct cleaning.
  
  

Frequency of Cleaning

• The EPA does not recommend any regularly scheduled cleaning of air ducts. Rather that duct cleaning should be performed only on an as needed basis. However, the EPA does recommend that any homes with fuel burning furnaces, stoves, or a fireplace should have the ducts inspected annually before the beginning of the heating season to prevent any potential carbon monoxide poisoning.
  
  

Safety

• Cleaning dirt out of ducts and removing any other flammable debris, such as lint, can increase the safety of the home. Lint and fine dust can be very flammable and if the air ducts become too warm during the heating season the debris can start on fire. Air conditioning ducts often connect to the furnace in a home as well and are subject to the same potential threat.