In our ongoing Home Maintenance series, we want to be your trusted partners in helping you maintain your home, enjoying it to the fullest before you plan a home move. Keeping your home clean and in good repair is not only an emotional boon; it increases home value, too!
Home Maintenance: Air Ducts & Filters
This time we focus specifically on air ducts and filters. We’ve had a couple of cold snaps, and many of us are firing up our furnaces for the first time in months.
The world of microorganisms is a fascinating one, and you’d be surprised at the universe of living creatures floating through the air or nesting under your couches. Lots of pets or many people living in one household increases the amount of dander, airborne particles and the presence of other creatures. In bathrooms, where one finds the added element of moisture, bacteria levels increase due to prime environmental conditions.
Therefore, it is really important to have your furnace, air conditioning unit and air filters checked professionally at least yearly as part of your home maintenance routine. If there are young children, asthmatics, elderly, or multiple pets in the home, then you’ll need to check them more frequently. A professional Heating & Air company will check the cleanliness of air ducts, and also the condition of seals around the intake and outflow ducts. Materials can become brittle and break down over the years, preventing seals from doing their jobs properly. It is not only important to clean them, but replace them regularly. Walk around the house with a technician, and have him show you how to care for your filters in between professional duct cleanings.
Some experts recommend replacing all filters every three months, and monthly if you have at-risk family members. At the very least, go through the house and vacuum the air duct vents.
For cleaning bathroom air ducts, you may be able to remove the outer covering of the fan/heater unit filter to clean it. If it is not removable, or you don’t want to take it off, dry off any moisture completely, then use the thin nozzle fixture on your vacuum, and vacuum it out.
While you have your vacuum out and set up, go around the entire house and vacuum any other ceiling air duct covers or filters. It’s also a good opportunity to take care of ceiling corners, cobwebs, hard to reach areas under beds and large furniture.
Keeping your home well ventilated and dust-free is optimum. Of course this is easier to achieve in warm weather when it’s nice to keep your windows open. Because our windows are closed during most of the colder months, and we are running heaters a lot, we recommend a mid-winter vacuuming day to take care of all the accumulated dust, dander and fuzz. Interesting note: Did you know that most of the dust in your home is actually dead skin? Yucky, but true! Yet a 2011 survey found that shed skin reduces indoor air pollution. Go figure.
Call All Reasons Moving at (408) 351-9515 for a no-cost, no-obligation estimate for all your moving needs.