Air Duct Cleaning

How to ensure the air you breathe inside your home is clean.

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In and out, day in, day out. We do it about 2,300 times a day. And we'll die in minutes if we don't. At the same time, doing it is so invisible and so basic that we usually take it for granted.

What I'm talking about, of course, is breathing air and, more specifically, the oxygen in it. Oxygen makes up close to 21% of air, nitrogen about 78% and trace amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor, neon, methane, helium and krypton account for the rest.

Or so the theory goes. The truth, especially in this day and age, is far more complicated than that. Minute amounts of dozens of different chemicals—often measured in parts-per-billion—can and do float around in the gaseous soup that sustains us. A variety of more and less insidious particles emitted by automobiles, fireplaces, industrial smokestacks, waste incinerators, mold, flame retardants, pesticides and manufacturing processes mingle in the air with molecules that outgas from many popular products we live with and use in our homes. Resulting in air, both outdoors and in, that is an exotic blend of chemicals. So much so that in some places, from Beijing to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, the air is literally visible.

Escaping the murk, and the negative impact it can have on the health of sensitive or sensitized people, is what has driven some to move to the Wood River Valley. But escaping isn't always that easy. Although the outdoor air may be cleaner, indoor air quality (also known as IAQ) may not be much better than anywhere else. All the products and habits, such as smoking, that pollute our indoor environments come with us when we move.

"Air quality in the home can be a huge factor in one’s health," says Wood River Valley's Quantum Healing Arts physician Maria Maricich, who is a chiropractor working with people who have multiple sensitivities, both food and environmental.

Poor indoor air quality hits some people much harder than others—even in the same home.

"If you are an individual prone to allergy or asthma, it can be detrimental. Also, if you are an individual predisposed to such conditions, but not yet manifesting them, it can send you quickly into a downward health cycle," she says

"There are 120,000 different synthetic chemicals in the environment," Dr. Stephan Siele with Ascension Holisitic Health in Ketchum points out. Along with molds, parasites and even electromagnetic frequencies are part of the biochemical component linked with structural, mental and emotional conditions that can lead to physical problems. The biggest complaint he hears is "I have no energy," and he notes "all of a sudden, they're sensitive and allergic."

What is discovered he says are “people with a build up of toxins.” In our homes, we are surrounded by furnishings, mattresses, carpets, paints and other products that are constantly outgassing.

"The load is huge when you start looking at the big picture," he says. That's why he thinks "anything you can do to keep your environment as clean as possible is good."

Luckily, there are some mitigating steps we can take to improve indoor air—and, for anyone with a forced air heating and cooling system, air duct cleaning, along with furnace servicing and filter replacement, is one of them.

As Dr. Siele says, "What is in the duct system is going to blow through the home."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings, and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously.

Other sources, related to activities carried out in the home, release pollutants intermittently. These include smoking, the use of unvented or malfunctioning stoves, furnaces, or space heaters, the use of solvents in cleaning or hobby activities, the use of paint strippers in redecorating activities, and the use of cleaning products and pesticides in house-keeping. High pollutant concentrations can remain in the air for long periods after some of these activities."

The EPA's website says you should consider having your air ducts cleaned if you notice "substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system." Or, as has happened in the Wood River Valley, "Ducts are infested with vermin, (e.g. rodents or insects) or ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers." Most cleaners these days have remotely operated cameras that make checking for dirt and dust easier.

Matt Keefe of Wood River Air Duct Cleaning explains, "Since conditions in every home or business are different, it is impossible to generalize about whether or not air duct cleaning in your home or business would be beneficial. After a visual inspection of your ducts, if you see no indication that the air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust and debris, having air duct cleaning is probably unnecessary . . . It all depends on your personal preferences and needs. For instance, whether you have pets, allergies, smokers in the home, or you live in a dusty outdoor environment."

Everyone we spoke with recommended that air ducts be cleaned after new construction.

Keefe explains, "Most contractors do not clean air ducts and most construction sites are not clean. Unless you specifically request your ducts be cleaned, then chances are they are dirty."

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association note in their materials that "Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have been known to act as a collection source for a variety of contaminants that have the potential to affect health such as mold, fungi, bacteria and very small particles of dust."

Although molds and airborne mold spores are naturally occurring both indoors and out they can have negative impacts on people in certain conditions. According to a position paper presented by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and published in NEXUS Magazine, indoor airborne mold exposure causes damage to respiratory, nervous, immune, and blood systems as well as the skin. The article also noted it is "a common cause of life-threatening systemic infections in immuno-compromised patients." >>>