How to Find a Reputable Air Duct Cleaning Service

Finding a reputable air duct cleaning service is important if you want the job done right and your home respected during the cleaning process.  Here are a few tips to finding a quality cleaner in your area.

Ask Questions

Before hiring any company to clean your air ducts, ask questions and listen to the answers. Look for knowledgeable answers, not a sales pitch. Ask questions like…

  • How long they’ve been in business?
  • Why air ducts need cleaning?
  • Are the employees screened for criminal background?
  • How long does the cleaning process take?
  • What is required of you the day of the cleaning?
  • Do you carry workman’s compensation and liability insurance?
  • Are services are guaranteed?

NADCA

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association is a group that sets standards for service and certifies air duct cleaners. This online source offers recommendations and tips for consumers on how to hire cleaners. Included is a checklist to ensure the technicians perform all the tasks necessary for a thorough cleaning. This is an excellent place for consumers to gain knowledge, find recommendations, and learn the basics about air duct cleaning.

Ask for Referrals

Ask neighbors or local businesses who they have hired to clean their air ducts. Call your HVAC contractor to ask them who they recommend, installing heating and air conditioning systems; they will know who performs quality workmanship.  There are numerous online consumer advocacy websites, check for online air duct cleaning reviews.

Check with the BBB

Check with the Better Business Bureau or other agency to see if complaints have been filed against the company. If the company has no complaints, good references, and a knowledgeable staff then they will likely provide a quality service to you.

What The EPA Says About Air Duct Cleaning

The EPA offers consumers advice about when to get their air ducts clean, how to choose a provider, and qualities to avoid in providers. The EPA does not certify air duct cleaners, so the consumer is responsible for conducting their own research.

What is Air Duct Cleaning?

Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing.

How do Air Ducts Become Dirty?

If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, HVAC components may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home’s living space. Some of these contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms in people if they are exposed to them.

What to expect from an Air Duct Cleaning Service Provider

If you decide to have your heating and cooling system cleaned, it important to make sure the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so.

  • Open access ports or doors to allow the entire system to be cleaned and inspected.
  • Inspect the system before cleaning to be sure that there are no asbestos-containing materials (e.g., insulation, register boots, etc.) in the heating and cooling system. Asbestos-containing materials require specialized procedures and should not be disturbed or removed except by specially trained and equipped contractors.
  • Use vacuum equipment that exhausts particles outside of the home or use only high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) vacuuming equipment if the vacuum exhausts inside the home.
  • Protect carpet and household furnishings during cleaning.
  • Use well-controlled brushing of duct surfaces in conjunction with contact vacuum cleaning to dislodge dust and other particles.
  • Use only soft-bristled brushes for fiberglass duct board and sheet metal ducts internally lined with fiberglass. (Although flex duct can also be cleaned using soft-bristled brushes, it can be more economical to simply replace accessible flex duct.)
  • Take care to protect the duct work, including sealing and re-insulating any access holes the service provider may have made or used so they are airtight.
  • Follow NADCA’s standards for air duct cleaning and NAIMA’s recommended practice for ducts containing fiber glass lining or constructed of fiber glass duct board.
The EPA offers consumers advice about when to get their air ducts clean, how to choose a provider, and qualities to avoid in providers. The EPA does not certify air duct cleaners, so the consumer is responsible for conducting their own research.

What is Air Duct Cleaning?

Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing.

How do Air Ducts Become Dirty?

If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, HVAC components may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home’s living space. Some of these contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms in people if they are exposed to them.

What to expect from an Air Duct Cleaning Service Provider

If you decide to have your heating and cooling system cleaned, it important to make sure the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so.

Open access ports or doors to allow the entire system to be cleaned and inspected.

Inspect the system before cleaning to be sure that there are no asbestos-containing materials (e.g., insulation, register boots, etc.) in the heating and cooling system. Asbestos-containing materials require specialized procedures and should not be disturbed or removed except by specially trained and equipped contractors.

Use vacuum equipment that exhausts particles outside of the home or use only high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) vacuuming equipment if the vacuum exhausts inside the home.

Protect carpet and household furnishings during cleaning.

Use well-controlled brushing of duct surfaces in conjunction with contact vacuum cleaning to dislodge dust and other particles.

Use only soft-bristled brushes for fiberglass duct board and sheet metal ducts internally lined with fiberglass. (Although flex duct can also be cleaned using soft-bristled brushes, it can be more economical to simply replace accessible flex duct.)

Take care to protect the duct work, including sealing and re-insulating any access holes the service provider may have made or used so they are airtight.

Follow NADCA’s standards for air duct cleaning and NAIMA’s recommended practice for ducts containing fiber glass lining or constructed of fiber glass duct board.

What is The National Air Duct Cleaners Association?

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) was formed in 1989 as a non-profit association of companies engaged in the cleaning of HVAC systems. Its mission was to promote source removal as the only acceptable method of cleaning and to establish industry standards for the association.

Air Duct Cleaning Standards

Since the EPA does not certify air duct cleaners, consumers are glad to know that the NADCA exists to provide comprehensive information to both consumers and providers. NADCA currently holds the highest standards of service and only certifies those providers with the knowledge to perform professional air duct cleaning.

Air Duct Cleaning Certifications

NADCA also provides the following certifications:

  • ASCS Certification: Air System Cleaning Specialists
  • CVI Certification: Certified Ventilation Inspectors
  • VSMR Certification: Ventilation System Mold Remediators

Air Duct Cleaning Checklists

NADCA also provides consumers and providers with checklists to ensure quality of service.  All members are required to perform work in accordance with NADCA Standards. As part of its Quality Assurance Program, NADCA provides information about how to select a qualified contractor along with pre – and post-cleaning checklists to ensure that total system cleaning is performed.  Reviewing the checklist is an excellent way to ensure quality of the air duct cleaning.

Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Air Duct Cleaner

Hiring a qualified air duct cleaner is important because a poor job can actually make indoor air quality worse.  If you are concerned with healthy indoor air, make sure to ask potential air ducts cleaners the following questions.

How Long Have You Been In This Business?

Experience is important in performing a quality job. Ask the number of years that the company has been in business.  Ask the number and types of air duct cleaning jobs that the company has performed to get a feel for their experience level.

Do You Specialize In Air Duct Cleaning?

Ask the company if they specialize in air duct cleaning, or if it is one of several services that they perform.  Companies that specialize in a service are really good at one thing… rather than being mediocre at several things.

Is The Company NADCA Certified?

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association is the group the EPA recommends to find qualified air duct cleaning contractors.. The NADCA is an excellent resource for consumers because it provides a list of qualified service providers, tips on how to choose a provider, and a checklist to ensure a good job was done. If possible, hire a company that is a certified member of NADCA.

Are The Employees Screened?

Ask if the employees have been screened by a thorough background check.  A background check will ensure that the employee does not have criminal convictions.

Ask For Referrals

Ask for referrals or testimonies. Find out if the technicians did a good job, if they had any complaints, if their home was respected, and if the technicians cleaned up after themselves.  The air duct cleaning contractor should be able to point you to several current sources of referrals or testimonies.