Take This One Off Your List
Duct cleaning, and the few times it matters.
If you’ve owned a home, you’ve probably received a postcard offering whole-house duct cleaning. It can raise a question that’s hard to ignore: “Is this something I’m supposed to have done?”
For most homes, probably not.
A light coating of dust is normal. Cleaning it hasn’t been shown to prevent health problems, and the EPA doesn’t recommend doing it on a schedule. Not every three years, not every five. There’s no interval you’ve missed.
Airflow is where it’s easy to get misled. When a house isn’t moving air, it’s usually a filter nobody changed or a coil slowly coated in dust, but the postcard says ducts. The ducts get cleaned, along with the filter and coil, and the airflow does improve. The wrong component gets the credit, and the cheap fix becomes a reason to repeat the expensive one.
A few situations deserve a look: construction dust after a remodel, signs of rodents or insects, smoke residue after a fire, particles that are blowing into your home from supply vents, or if there’s confirmed mold.
Unless something above describes your house, take duct cleaning off your list.
If it does, look for someone who inspects before quoting and shows you your own ducts rather than a stock photo. Be careful with the add-ons. Sprayed-in sanitizers and sealants are where much of this industry’s margin lives, and you can decline them and still have your ducts clean.
The question was never how long it’s been. It’s whether there’s a sign of a problem.
