Anytime your home is exposed to water, you have to contend with the risk of a mold infestation. Mold likes warm, damp areas, and microscopic mold spores can be found in the air whether you realize they are there or not. You should do everything you can to dry your home after exposure to water, but one area that can prove problematic is the inside of your HVAC ducts. Water can flow down vents into the ducts and mold spores can there find an ideal situation to promote growth.
The Dangers of Dirty Ducts
Dirt, dust, grime, pollen, pet dander, mold, and mildew can all accumulate in your ducts. With such a concoction of contaminants in your ducts, the air of your home can become packed with lung irritants. The effects of air pollution can lead to asthma, allergies, and other breathing problems. Furthermore, the air flowing through your ducts can carry mold spores throughout your home and lead to a widespread infestation. Thus, if you suspect that you have mold in your ducts, you need to take steps to correct the problem immediately.
How to Clean Dirty Ducts
You can try to clean your ducts with a long-handle brush and/or a vacuum, but the truth is that you won't have the reach with your brush nor the power with your vacuum to really take care of the problem. If you want to make sure that your ducts are thoroughly clean, you need to hire a duct-cleaning company, like Advanced Air Quality Services. They will have a special vacuum which they will attach to your ducts near the furnace and special brushes that they will insert at the various vent openings in your home. In this way, they can scrub the full length of your duct system and suck all the dislodged contaminants out.
Mold can promote rot by holding moisture close to the surfaces it clings to. Furthermore, some molds can be toxic. If you want to prevent mold infestations in your home, you cannot ignore your ductwork. Just because you can't see mold growing on the interior walls of your ductwork does not mean that it is not there. While it is a good idea to clean your ducts every few years just to be safe, you should have your ducts cleaned whenever you know that you have had water leaking down into your ductwork. Taking these steps to maintain your ducts will ensure that you enjoy good air quality inside your home.
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