Prep makes perfect—at least with air duct cleaning
Booking a professional air duct cleaning service offers peace of mind that your ductwork is literally in the clear. But you should know how to prepare for an air duct cleaning to make the process run smoothly. If you’re paying for the cleaning service by the hour, you could even save a bit of money thanks to your preparation work.
Learn six helpful steps to set things up for your duct cleaning pro.
Air duct cleaning takes an average of five to seven hours for most households. You can make the job go quicker by removing any obstacles around your HVAC entry points, like furniture.
To prepare for an air duct cleaning, secure pets, clear space around the ducts and furnace, wipe down the grates, and clear your driveway. Here’s a detailed look at those steps.
Remove any clutter or furniture in front of or covering any of the grates for the ductwork. The professional will need access to your HVAC ductwork system's supply and return vents.
You don’t have to clear the rooms completely, but you want the professional to be able to bring the vacuum hose to the grates without having to scoot around furniture. Aim to have a couple of feet of clearance around the grates in all directions.
Additionally, clear any space around the furnace and air conditioner unit, so the air duct cleaning pro can access them if needed.
The air duct cleaning process may create dust throughout the home. To keep dust off furniture, you should cover it with drop cloths or plastic sheets. However, the average duct cleaning shouldn't create too much dust, so you can skip this step if your ducts aren’t too dirty.
Clear your home’s driveway (if you have one) and let the technician park the truck or van there. Also, ensure your home’s walkway is free of objects, like garden hoses or kids’ toys.
The pro will run the vacuum from the truck and bring the hose into your home. The closer the pro can place the vacuum to the home, the smoother the process will go.
Your air duct cleaning pro will make quite a bit of noise while they work, not to mention opening and closing your exterior door and hauling equipment. This type of activity could spook your pets, or even let them out of the house, so it’s smart to secure them outside, in a separate room or, in a crate.
Plan on being home when the air cleaning professional arrives.
You should give the professional a quick tour of the home, including the location of the furnace. If the pro knows the location of all the vents and grates ahead of time, it’s easier to make a plan for doing the cleaning as efficiently as possible. You may also need to sign some permission documents before the cleaning process can start.
Once you sign the documents and show the professional around, you then can decide to stay home during the cleaning or leave for a few hours. If you have kids, it may be easier to leave the home and get away from the noise of the vacuum.
However, professional air duct cleaners do not require you to leave the home. If you prefer to stay behind and keep an eye on things, you may. Most professionals simply would ask that you give them room to work.
Although you can prepare for air duct cleaning yourself and complete it within a few minutes, performing the actual cleaning yourself is far more challenging. The air duct cleaning process requires a powerful vacuum, long brushes, and a ladder. Professionals already have the equipment and know-how, meaning it likely will be easier for you to hire a pro to do the job.
Air duct cleaning costs an average of $380 for the entire home, though most homeowners will spend between $270 and $500. If your cleaning professional charges by the time required, expect to pay $90 to $125 per hour. The more preparation work you do ahead of time, the more time you likely save for the duct cleaning pro.
So, who cleans air ducts? You can hire a local air duct cleaning service in most areas. If not, a local HVAC maintenance and repair company can likely do this work for you.
The only immediate step you need to take after the air duct cleaning finishes is changing your furnace filter. It’s likely to accumulate some dust and debris during the cleaning process. There’s no need to replace the filter before the cleaning starts, as a dirty air filter won’t affect the cleaning process. Regularly replacing your air filter is one of the best steps you can take to keep your air ducts clean in the months after a pro cleans them. The pro should clean up any mess left behind and reattach all the grates.
For an average-sized job, set aside five to seven hours for a pro to clean your home’s air ducts. If you have hard-to-access vents or if you have an extremely large home, it could take longer than seven hours. If you have a small home, expect the job to take two or three hours.
Excess moisture inside your air duct system could cause condensation on your air duct grates, leading to mold and mildew issues. Some ways to prevent condensation on air duct grates include regularly cleaning the air filter, reducing humidity levels inside the home with a dehumidifier, and removing any blockages that prevent your grates from moving air.
You should plan on having a pro clean your air ducts every three to five years. If you have pets or excessive dust in the home, cleanings every three years may help reduce odor and debris in the ducts. Average homes without pets could wait the full five years between cleanings. When scheduling cleaning, the best time to clean air ducts is spring or autumn.
