How to Clean Your Air Duct by Yourself

Gunjan thakurJuly 17, 2022

It is simple to imagine what the interior of the vents and air ducts of your HVAC system must have looked like over time when you consider how much dust and filth may have developed over time on the surfaces we can see. To keep your system in the best possible shape, On Time Home Services advises scheduling routine air duct cleaning services from a certified HVAC specialist. The cost of cleaning air ducts can be high, and between yearly inspections, dirt accumulates.

Here are some guidelines for performing DIY best air duct cleaning in between professional visits.

Be your own tool maker

You will want a few specialized tools to thoroughly clean your air ducts.

• A Vacuum: Make sure it has a hose and nozzle attachment so you can access deeper ductwork areas and although professionals utilize powerful industrial vacuums to clean your ducts, you can frequently clean air ducts on your own using a household vacuum cleaner. Keep a long hose attachment on hand in case you need to reach the ducts later

• Brush: you can make use of a toilet brush or a paintbrush or if you don’t have one of these items, try using a fresh toilet brush or a robust dusting brush. Since they may readily scrape in between vent grilles, certain vacuum cleaners feature brush attachments that are excellent for manually cleaning air ducts

• A Screwdriver or a drill: you must remove the vents that are covering your ducting in order to accomplish this. Make sure you have the tools necessary to remove the cover from the furnace as well as some of the HVAC registers. Before you begin, make sure you have the correct bits for the screws.

• A modern furnace filter: You typically need to replace the air filter in your furnace after cleaning your air ducts so that your HVAC system can start fresh.

• Eyewear, a mask, and gloves are not required: Although none of these precautions are strictly necessary, you might still want to take them. A mask and other protective clothing might be a wise alternative to prevent you from getting covered in or breathing in the dust if you have sensitive allergies, respiratory conditions like asthma, or are dealing with dirty air ducts!

• Fresher air after you’re done, keep going and change your air filter and cleaning them.
• Cleaning supplies and paper towels: It takes a ton of work to clean air ducts on your own. You can assist with some of the work using your vacuum and brushes. Make sure you have extra paper towels and microfiber cleaning cloths on hand to clean the grilles, vents, and fan.

STEPS FOR CLEANING YOUR AIR DUCTS

If you adhere to these suggestions, cleaning your AC ducts on your own won’t be too difficult.

• Wash the vent covers after removing them. Use your screwdriver to remove the vent covers. You can either run them in the dishwasher or simply rinse them by hand to clean dryer vent. To dry, set them aside

• Paper towels should be used to cover vent openings. A few paper towels could be used to cover the supply register apertures. As a result, while other components of the HVAC system are being cleaned, dust won’t blow out of the ducts and drop on your walls and floor. To clean the covers, they must be removed. However, it’s a good idea to put them back on after cleaning

• Take out the dust. Tap the handle of your brush against the ducting’s walls to remove the dust that has adhered to them. Get rid of all the trash that is within your grasp by using the nozzle and brush attachments on your vacuum hose. After that, use paper towels to wipe away any remaining dust from the walls. Repetition is necessary for each ductwork opening

• Replace the air filter. To maintain even cleaner indoor air, change your air filter once you’ve successfully removed some of the dust from your ducts

• Wrap Filters. After cleaning filter wrap them with covering paper so that dust particles don’t get in again. 

• Put the vent cover back on. After washing your vent covers, make sure to replace them all and install them again properly.

Repeating this process in the months between air duct cleaning sessions will improve the cleanliness of your home and the quality of your indoor air. And vent and air duct cleaning helps in saving energy cost.

Conclusion

Even if you clean your air ducts yourself, it is recommended that you hire an AC technician at least once a year. This should now make it clearer how to clean air ducts on your own. You can see that finishing it is actually rather simple; with a little persistence, anyone can do it.