Air Duct Cleaning: What Should It Cost and Do You Need It?

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If it’s been a while since your last air duct cleaning, you’re probably tempted to do the job so you’ll get cool, clean air circulating throughout your home in the spring and summer.

But before you do, you need to arm yourself with some knowledge to avoid falling prey to air duct cleaning scams.

In this article, we’ll tell you how much air duct cleaning should cost, when you need it, how to choose a company and how to avoid some common scams.

Here’s What You Need To Know About Air Duct Cleaning

We consulted an expert, Dave Baker of WSB’s Home Fix-It Show, to find out what you need to know. Here’s what Baker told Team Clark.

1. Beware of Carpet Cleaners Doing Double Duty as Duct Cleaners

Here’s a classic upsell from carpet cleaners: They get in your home to work on your carpets and then offer to clean your air ducts as well, for a rock-bottom price.

Don’t take the bait!

“This is maybe one of the biggest scams: carpet cleaning companies that say they can clean your air ducts for $49.99. Then they just remove and vacuum your registers, stick their vacuums into the duct at the register and re-attach your registers,” Baker tells Clark.com.

Here’s What an Air Duct Cleaning Should Really Cost

Don’t treat a thorough duct cleaning as an add-on service to carpet cleaning. Baker says you should expect to pay several hundred dollars — up to somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 — and be ready for the job to take 2-4 hours to complete.

That price should also include cleaning your dryer vents. “A quality duct cleaning company will and should clean your dryer vents, too,” Baker says. “They are also ducts!”

To find reputable companies for duct cleaning, Baker suggests checking with the industry organization National Air Duct Cleaners Association.

2. Know When Duct Cleaning Is Necessary and When It Isn’t

Baker recommends an immediate duct cleaning when you move into a newly built home.

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“There’s lots of construction debris. Sawdust, drywall scraps and even Doritos bags can end up in the ductwork of a newly built home,” he says.

After that, Baker says a duct cleaning should be done every 7-10 years.

If someone in your home has respiratory problems, Baker advises, “You should get your HVAC provider to upgrade your furnace filtration situation.”

3. Make Sure Your HVAC System Also Gets Cleaned

“A quality duct cleaning isn’t, in my opinion, complete without getting your HVAC system cleaned at the same time,” Baker says.

But here’s the thing: Duct cleaners aren’t legally allowed to touch your HVAC unless they have a valid HVAC license.

The company must provide you with the license number upon request. If it won’t, that’s not a good sign.

While we’re on the topic of HVACs and dust, most HVAC maintenance plans include regular changes to the furnace filter. But changing the filter between visits yourself — usually every three months — will help keep your system running at peak efficiency and cut down on dust.

How To Change Your HVAC Furnace Filter

The first thing to do is to remove the existing filter from your furnace. Make a note of the filter size. It will be something like “14x25x1.”

You can get a good replacement filter for anywhere from $5 up to $20 at a big-box or home improvement store. Your local supermarket may even carry filters in limited sizes. But the prices will often be higher at the grocery store than at other places.

If you’re noticing a lot of dust or other allergens in your home, it may well be worth it to pay the few extra bucks to get a filter with a higher Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating.

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MERV ratings are on a scale from 1 to 16 for most residential uses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The higher the MERV rating, the more particles the filter will trap.

Once you’ve got your new filter, you’re ready to take out the old one and put in the new one. We’ve got a DIY video here to guide you through the process.

4. Beware of Unsolicited Pitches

Here’s how this one works: A company calls you and says one of its crews will be in your neighborhood next week. Then they offer to clean your ducts for $25 or some other outlandishly low price.

Baker isn’t buying it. “This has so many issues with it just on the surface — you can’t even get a pizza delivered to your house for $25 for one thing — that it screams ‘SCAM!'”

Baker says he’s gotten these calls himself. “I pressed the lady on the phone the last time they called and told her I was interested,” he says. “I agreed to set up an appointment, then asked for a number to call. After much back and forth, she gave me a bogus 555 number. We never did hook up.”

5. Push Back on the Mold Scare Tactic

Some companies will put a mold test kit in your house to convince you that you need your ducts cleaned. But they’re likely just scaring you.

If you’re told you have a mold problem by a duct-cleaning company, Baker recommends buying your own test kit at a home improvement store to verify the claim.

Even then, says Baker, “Every decent mold test kit will detect mold in every house every time because there is mold in the air everywhere — unless you live in a hospital. So you can’t just go by the findings of a store-bought mold test to determine if your house has a serious mold problem.”

“Mold isn’t the only reason to clean your ductwork though,” he adds. “[Ducts] do get dirty over time and can lead to having more dust in your home. Dust is just a fact of life, as everything emits dust.”

Final Thoughts

An air duct cleaning shouldn’t be treated as an add-on to a carpet cleaning visit. And while it can be costly to get it done right, an annual air duct cleaning isn’t necessary for most people.

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So it’s wise to budget for the real cost of a legitimate cleaning every seven to 10 years. Of course, if someone in your home has breathing problems, you would want to do it more frequently.

Meanwhile, make sure you’re hiring legitimate companies by checking with industry trade groups like the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.