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1) Cleanliness is paramount. A good company will put down drop-cloths
and wear shoe covers to protect your floors.
2)
All registers and cold-air return grilles will be removed so they
can be thoroughly scrubbed. (Except where damage would result, such as
registers grouted in place in the bathroom.)
3) The openings should be “plugged” to prevent blowing out dust
and contaminants as the system is cleaned.
4) Negative pressure will be maintained at all times to prevent cross
contamination of other areas.
5) Ductwork should be thoroughly scrubbed, using high-pressure air and
brushes (such as rotary brushes).
6) As few openings in the ductwork as possible should be the goal, not
“Get it done and get out as fast as possible.”
Some firms will drill too many holes to avoid taking off registers
and returns – or just because it is faster.
7) Once all ductwork is cleaned, the air handler (furnace) should be
cleaned completely. Otherwise you will just re-contaminate the system when
you start the system back up.
8) Use of
an anti-microbial to sanitize the system is optional, but is often a good
method of removing at least some additional bacteria and possibly other
contaminants as well.
9) The
company should then leave their work area in as good or better condition
that what they found it in.
Although
there is no specific frequency for cleaning your system, it will
certainly go longer in between if it is done properly to begin with.
Remove a return grille and visually check it with a flashlight and
mirror to be sure.
Improved
filtration, humidification, and ultraviolet lighting will all add to the
length of time between duct-cleaning sessions.
ALL molds
reproduce by making "spores." Mold spores are microscopic and
only become visible when individual spores accumulate. According to the
United States EPA, these microscopic particles continuously move through
indoor and outdoor air. When mold spores find moisture indoors, they may
"begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to
survive." Molds gradually destroy whatever they are
growing on.
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