Keeping your home clean is essential for maintaining a healthy environment, but can cleaning air ducts help alleviate allergies? The answer is not as straightforward as it may seem. While it is true that cleaning air ducts can help reduce allergens in the home, it is also true that it may not make a significant difference in homes that don't have an identifiable problem with the duct system. Experts agree that cleaning air ducts is a healthy habit, as it can help remove any garbage that may worsen the condition of an allergic person. However, if you only have mild allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose or itchy eyes, cleaning your air ducts is unlikely to make a big difference.
On the other hand, if you have severe allergy symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or swelling, cleaning your air ducts can help improve symptoms. Household dust contains several substances which vary from one home to another depending on factors such as construction materials, the type of furniture, the level of humidity and the presence of pets. This dust can be so fine that it becomes part of the air you inhale in your home. Paradoxically, allergy symptoms usually worsen immediately or after a short period of time after dusting, sweeping or vacuuming.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America defines an allergic reaction as the release of antibodies by the immune system to combat anything it determines to be a threat. An allergy attack may include a rash, itchy eyes, runny nose, or sneezing. Before an air conditioning system can introduce hot or cold air throughout the house, it draws out unfiltered air that may contain contaminants. If you blow on a dirty shelf, that dust is scattered in the air and covers your throat and nasal passages as it disperses. Air ducts accumulate and distribute allergens all over the house.
When the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is in operation, these allergens are released back into the air for you to breathe in. Keeping the house clean is very important, but these allergens build up in ducts over time. Regular cleaning of vents and ducts reduces allergens in the home which are known to cause asthma attacks, sinusitis and other respiratory problems. When considering whether to clean ducts or not, it's important to remember that all indoor air usually circulates through the HVAC system and ducts. If you've recently moved to a new home or renovated it, cleaning your air ducts can help eliminate any allergens left during the construction process.
If your goal is to keep your indoor air as fresh and healthy as possible, you might consider hiring a company to clean your home's air ducts. If you don't have a problem with mold in your ducts and they aren't infested, the air in your home is probably fine without cleaning them. Rugs, upholstery and curtains can contain higher levels of dust particles and simply walking around the room can accumulate more dust than the small amount that comes out of air ducts. In certain situations, duct cleaning reduces harmful contaminants in the air you breathe but according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it may not make a significant difference in homes that don't have an identifiable problem with the duct system. Therefore, it stands to reason that cleaning dust, allergens and other contaminants from ducts could improve air quality and reduce allergy symptoms. When your HVAC expels air through dust-coated ducts, you end up accumulating dust in the air and dust mites in your home. In addition pet dander, bacteria, viruses and mold spores are also present in these ducts. As an expert on allergies and indoor air quality I recommend considering a few things before deciding whether or not to clean your air ducts: if you have had allergies for a long time they're more likely to be due to something in the air ducts; if you've recently moved to a new home or renovated it; if your goal is to keep your indoor air as fresh and healthy as possible; if you don't have a problem with mold in your ducts and they aren't infested; if rugs, upholstery and curtains contain higher levels of dust particles; if simply walking around the room accumulates more dust than what comes out of air ducts. Ultimately keeping your house clean is very important but these allergens build up in ducts over time so regular cleaning of vents and ducts reduces allergens in the home which are known to cause asthma attacks, sinusitis and other respiratory problems.
