From the EPA web site.

"Steam cleaning and other methods involving moisture should not be used on any kind of duct work. "

Especially since you have mold issues already, water would be bad news, very bad.

DS :)

With regards to your 2006 entries on air duct cleaning, I would like to comment on the following.

Since I do own a green carpet and air duct cleaning service, I see many ventilation systems and air ducts.

First of all I have never seen or heard of anyone steam cleaning air ducts. Carpet, upholstery, tile, yes. Air ducts no. This goes for all my competitors green or not. Secondly, we have, and most reputable air duct cleaners have an in-line filter that traps the debris we remove from the ducts. You can clearly see what we have extracted. I can not tell you how many times we remove construction debris. Certainly a fair share from older homes that have never had their ducts cleaned, as well as more recent construction. In one very large home we removed 3 shopping bags full of dust, pet hair, etc. This is unusal, but it does occur.

Mold is another matter. We sometimes see it in bathroom ducts visibly. In commercial spaces, it is more prevelant, and homes with evap coolers more so as well. Companies that do not remove and clean every duct opening are a waste of time in my opinion, as well.

I think your site is great and do keep all of your discussion ongoing.

Thank you and kind regards,
Michelle www.healthyhomeaz.com

You have an excellant article on air duct cleaning and have done a thorough job researching and quoting the EPA.

I would like to point out one thing though, When we clean air ducts it is not at all unusuall to extract 10, 20, even 40 pounds of dust. Yes, all furnaces have filters, but these ultra fine particles still area able to pass through the filters.

The furnace filter does a great job of removing the big particles, but it is the fine airborne allergens which typically irritate and trigger allergies, etc. They easily go right through a typical air filter.


I know there are air duct cleaning scams out there (what industry doesn't have them?), but for $99, you can usually have 90% or more of the (often times age old) dust pulled out of the heating system. For that price, why gamble? Spend the money, clean it, and forget about it for a couple years.

Always ask for references and check with the BBB before hiring an air duct cleaner, or any home services contractor. By doing this you will weed out most of the scammers.

Dear Debra,

In your post about air duct cleaning you mentioned that duct cleaning can cost over $1000. What can you say about those ads that offer less than $100 for a whole house package? Do you think this price is realistic or a scam?

Thanks.

Olivia

First, I want to second the advice to get a BBB-approved company. You can easily check any provider on www.bbb.org. My sensitivities to our ducts did not decrease when we spent a small amount on a scam company.

Second, it is worth getting good service and making sure of how it is done! Later when I checked with someone who works for EHC, I was told that valid vent cleaning is not going to happen at a low price($100). That person unofficially recommended a great vent-cleaning company which had helped develop the tools of the trade. They were well-respected, had helped many of their patients, etc and were listed on BBB. The comapany did charge us a few hundred dollars (it's more money if more vents.) My health reactions were a reliable guage and there were immediate, same-day improvements in my health from this cleaning! It also has a 12 year warranty.

*There's more to it though: I insisted on looking at the foam while they worked, and saw mold. It was also crumbly and this was getting into the air. I insisted they had to remove and/or cover al foam contacting the air. The foam where the air passes by is to muffle the noise (is what I was told) I had to really insist that I'd need them to cover it with aluminum tape, which they did. Even a reputable company does not always know what is harmful to your health. I am 100% happy with our results - but I would not have been if fine particles were still coming out (with mold also!)

Many years ago, we called in on a coupon for "whole house air duct cleaning for $99" What the coupon hadn't made clear was that there was an additional charge for each vent cover and intake cover. If I remember right, our total cost was still under $200, and well worth it. We had been fairly vigilant about changing filters before this, but our household air was noticeably cleaner after the duct cleaning.


Also, as to the use of "steam cleaning" duct work. I think that may have been an occasional practice 20 years ago, as many carpet cleaning businesses got in the business of duct cleaning as well. There also used to be firms who would spray the interior surface of the cleaned ducts with something. My allergist warned me to avoid them. I haven't heard of this practice in quite awhile either.

Usually but not always.

The only way to know for sure is to ask a LOT of questions.

Some companies offer a bonafide cleaning service for only $69, but it is only for the first 10 vents...better count how many you have. Other companies clean all the vents, but don't clean the cold air return.

Our company cleans all the ducts fro $99, but that is only using high pressure air. It will blow out the majority of the dust but not all. This method works great if you only have a little dust in your duct work. Our better method cost $189. For that price we clean ALL the ducts and use the rotobrush method.

So, is our $99 whole-house deal a scam? Certainly not. But, you do get what you pay for. Kinda like going through a carwash instead of scrubbing it yourself at home. Is the carwash a ripoff? No, just a less expensive, faster version of cleaning.

Hope this helps.

I asked my home inspector about this, and he is very against having duct cleaning because it can compromise the quality of the duct work.

Two years ago, to remedy mold problem, I had part of the duct work replaced. You know then, it is gone for sure!

If a detergent or mol killer has been used previously in a duct cleaner that uses water, make sure the company throughly washes their machine and hoses out and doesn't add anything that can't be tolerated by sensitive person. Even with a thorough cleaning the machine may still contain residues that will be a problem.