What Is in Air Ducts?

Here in Minnesota, we rely on our central heating and air conditioning systems to keep our homes comfortable year-round. Whenever the furnace or air conditioner is running, its powerful fan circulates all the air in your home several times per hour. But what’s in the air that’s circulating throughout your home? What you don’t know might hurt you. On a sunny day, with sunlight streaming through a window, you can actually see the dust in the air. You see it, too, as you clean your home. It settles on every surface and accumulates in corners and under the beds. It’s a never-ending struggle to keep the home clean. Even worse, the tiny particles circulating in the air can cause a wide range of health problems, especially to children and older people.

Dust in Your Home’s Air Ducts and Vents

We all see dust. We wipe it off surfaces constantly. The reality, though, is that it is made up of many things, both organic and inorganic, all in tiny particles that are almost too small to see. You’ll be surprised at what’s in the dust in your home. And there’s a lot of it. One study shows that over 2,500 particles of dust per square inch settle on every surface in your home every hour.

• Inorganic Material – Finely ground minerals from the dirt outside, along with particles from the paint and other materials in your home make up part of the dust you see.
• Human Skin – Really! The human body constantly sheds tiny flakes of dead skin. Millions of them per day. Skin flakes make up a good portion of household dust.
• Dust Mite Feces – Feeding on that human skin and other organic debris are thousands of microscopic dust mites. Like all other animals, they excrete their wastes, in particles small enough to circulate in your air.
• Pet Debris – Dogs and cats, like humans, also shed dead skin, along with bits of hair that breaks off. We call it “pet dander,” and it’s all part of the airborne contaminants, and many of us are allergic to it. Pet litter is another culprit.
• Fibers – Carpets, bedding, towels, clothing, and other fabrics constantly lose tiny bits of the materials that make them up. Some of it is small enough to circulate in the air. Larger fiber particles accumulate, with other particles, into the “dust bunnies” we spend so much time sweeping up.
• Molds – Molds are everywhere. They’re nature’s way of breaking down organic matter. Molds reproduce using spores, microscopic particles that waft invisibly through the air. Many allergies are related to these mold spores.
• Bacteria – As with molds, bacteria are everywhere, no matter how much cleaning we do. Millions of them. They’re microscopic too, and make up part of the dust in our air.
• Smoke – Microscopic particles and oil droplets in smoke also make homes dusty, especially where smokers live or in houses with wood burning fireplaces.

Dirt and Debris Build up inside Your Air Ducts and Vents

Since air circulates constantly when your furnace or air conditioner runs, it’s only natural that the particles in the air settle in these ducts. Over time, they can build up into layers that reduce the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. That costs you money. While the filter in your heating and cooling system blocks some of this contaminants, it can’t cope with the huge quantities in your home. The accumulation of airborne particles in your air ducts doesn’t always stay put, either. Look around a heat register in some little-used room in your home. There will be layers of particles accumulating on the floor and wall near the register.

Clean Your Furnace and Air Ducts Regularly – Minneapolis St. Paul, MN

As the award-winning duct cleaning company in Minnesota, we can rid your air ducts and furnace of airborne contaminants and pollutants. This important service can dramatically cut down on the amount of allergens circulating in your home. If allergies are a problem for you and your family members, duct cleaning is essential. If you’d rather do less cleaning, we can help. We are a full-service Minnesota duct cleaning company. Our company’s vans are seen across the Twin Cities, from Woodbury, Lilydale, Cottage Grove and Oakdale to St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Loretto and Maple Plain, and from Forest Lake, Centerville, Hugo and White Bear Lake to Rosemount, Lakeville, Savage and Bloomington. Our technicians, using high powered, van-mounted equipment can remove the dirt and debris build-up in your air ducts. They work quickly, efficiently, and economically to solve the problem. Call them today to improve your indoor air quality.