All Duct Cleaners Are NOT Equal

In today’s market, it is once again “Buyer Beware”. Air duct cleaning is being advertised starting at $49.99 for “whole house cleaning”. Unfortunately, the average consumer has no idea what air duct cleaning should include. At $49.00, the technician is untrained in air quality, using equipment designed for another purpose that has been retrofitted to resemble air duct cleaning equipment, and an extra service is required to complete the job at an additional charge.

Proper air duct cleaning requires source removal, according to the tenets of NADCA ( the National Air Duct Cleaners Association). This requires the ducts be scrubbed as well as vacuumed, all the way through the system. This can be accomplished using rotary brushes, compressed air nozzles or manual scrubbing in conjunction with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) vacuum. When this is completed, an antimicrobial may be applied to address any of the cold germs,  mold spores, valley fever spores, dust mites and other bacteria commonly found in ductwork. As this work is completed, all ductwork should be checked for obvious leakage: the State of AZ estimates that 15%-20% of energy costs can be attributed to duct leakage! When leaks are located they should be sealed according to industry standards. Finally, the AC coils should be acid washed, the heater cleaned, the drain line and drip pan serviced. NO ONE can do this for $49.00!