A Few Health Reasons To Get Your Ducts Cleaned

While there is much hype about pollution and outdoor air quality, the quality of air inside your home is just as important. When you have poor indoor air quality, your health can be at risk. Here are a few health reasons to get your ducts cleaned which in turn will help improve the quality of the air you breathe while you're at home.

Reduce Allergy Symptoms

Over 50 percent of Americans have some sort of allergy. Many of them are allergic to things in the home including pet dander and mold. Another one is dust. According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), up to 40 pounds of dust is created in a typical six-room home. This dust gets sucked into your heating and cooling system and then gets spit back out again.

Dust and other air pollutants can get recirculated 5 to 7 times a day, which will eventually cause a build-up of contaminants inside your duct system. With all of these contaminants being produced inside your home, you will be prone to allergy attacks more often. If you suffer with allergies, you will want to get your ducts professionally cleaned to reduce allergy symptoms and deter allergy attacks.

Reduce Instances of Upper Respiratory Infections

If you spend a lot of time in your home and always seem to be coming down with a cold or a respiratory tract infection, it may be due to the indoor air you're breathing. Some examples of this type of infection include:

• Sinusitis - infection of the sinuses
• Epiglottitis - infection in the upper part of trachea
• Laryngitis - infection of the voice box
• Bronchitis - infection of the bronchial tubes

These infections can be brought on by either viruses or bacteria. When they are caused by bacteria, this can be the bacteria floating around in your home due to poor air quality. By constantly being exposed to contaminants such as cigarette smoke, pet dander, dust, and mold, you can end up with a respiratory infection. All of these pollutants can build up in the duct system of your home, which is another health reason to get them cleaned.

While getting an air purifier or air purification system installed in your home will help, homeowners should also get ducts their cleaned every three to five years by a certified HVAC contractor. By doing so, not only will your heating and cooling system work more efficiently, your health will thank you for it. Read more about duct cleaning and related household maintenance to get a better idea of why it's important to have a clean home.