‘The most important thing I do before every winter’: Expert says don’t forget to address this oft-overlooked maintenance task in your home. Here’s why
An expert is reminding homeowners to not forget this oft-overlooked maintenance task.
In the spring, it's cleaning the gutters; in the summer, it's checking for water leaks; in the fall, it's winterizing the sprinkler system, and according to TikTok user Daniel Pompa (@drpompa), the beginning of winter is for your air ducts.
"This is a big one, especially if you don't want to get sick this winter," Pompa said.
Oft-overlooked home maintenance
In a viral video with more than 630,000 views, Pompa, a trained chiropractor who now does health influencing, said that you need to be cleaning your air ducts for the winter.
Pompa explained that he does it before every winter because he doesn't want the build-up from the air ducts throughout the year to affect his health.
"In the winter, we close up our house, and this hair has to be spot-on clean, obviously for mold reasons and for other allergen reasons," Pompa said.
Pompa pointed out that in the summertime, we tend to get more fresh air in the house since some people leave the windows open, but we don't do that in the winter as we fend off the cold.
"It's been shown that if your air ducts are dirty you have more sickness, more allergies, more inflammation, it affects your sleep and how you feel," Pompa said.
How do you clean your air ducts?
When done by a professional, air duct cleaning requires a number of specialized tools and high-powered vacuums that agitate and remove the dust from your system, according to HomeServe.
They may also use specific chemical agents to inhibit mold growth and prevent the accumulation of dust.
They target the air vents, heat exchangers, evaporator coils, fan motors, and housing.
How often should you clean your air ducts?
While Pompa said that he does this every year ahead of the winter, professionals recommend cleaning your air ducts every three to five years (even if you regularly change out your air filters).
Experts recommend handling this task in the winter. That's because people are spending more time indoors and would benefit from cleaner air.
Experts also state that this maintenance will help extend the life of your HVAC (which is notoriously expensive) since built-up debris, dust, and dirt can cause your system to work harder.
Can you clean your air ducts yourself?
While you can clean your air ducts yourself with some basic tools (primarily a vacuum), experts recommend only doing this for maintenance in between professional visits—not as a replacement for professional service.
If you want to try your hand at the DIY route, here's a guide.
How much does it cost?
Prices tend to range based on square footage, but the average cost is $550, according to Forbes' calculations using data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA).
On the low end it can cost $200 and on the high end up to $1,000.
Prices can increase if the technician has to deal with asbestos, mold and mildew, or clogged vents.
Commenters react
"I just had an air duct cleaning done. Spent $350 on it and seeing the pictures they took before and after I was shocked. They also said it only needs to be done every 3-5 years?" a top comment read.
"And my dad thought I was crazy for saying I don’t like turning on the heat because it smells like burnt dust every time we do it," a person said.
"I don't know about anyone else, but I get fresh air in the winter instead of summer, lol," another wrote.
@drpompa Why Clean Air Ducts Matter For Winter Health 🏡❄️
The Daily Dot reached out to Pompa for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message.
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