Dander and hair are the single biggest accelerant. A house with two shedding dogs loads its return-side ductwork far faster than a house with none. If you have pets, think three years rather than five.
If someone in the house has respiratory issues, the calculation changes. It isn’t that dirty ducts cause asthma — they don’t — but a system holding years of accumulated pollen and dander is redistributing it through every room several times an hour. Cleaning removes what’s there, and pairing it with the right filter keeps it from rebuilding. We cover that in more depth on our indoor air quality page.
This is the one people underestimate. Drywall dust, sawdust and insulation fibres settle deep in ductwork during a build and stay there for years. If the HVAC ran during the work, it’s worse — the return side pulled it straight in.
First cleanings in newly-built homes produce the most dramatic before-and-after photos we take. If you’ve just moved into new construction in Alpharetta or Woodstock, where a lot of the housing stock is recent, it’s worth having it looked at regardless of the age on paper.
It’s worth being precise here, because the three-to-five-year figure gets quoted loosely. NADCA’s position is that ducts should be cleaned when inspection shows they need it — visible debris, mould growth, or vermin. The interval is guidance for when to check, not a schedule for automatic cleaning. That distinction matters, because it means the honest process starts with looking rather than selling.
Commercial systems run far more hours and move far more air, so they load faster. We’ve worked in schools, government buildings, restaurants, salons and a commercial laundromat, and the interval there is driven by use rather than the calendar. Our commercial page covers how we scope and schedule that work.
We’ll show you the inside of your own ductwork before you commit to anything — and tell you if you don’t need the work.
We remove the dust, dander and debris circulating through your home every time the HVAC runs — and we show you the photos to prove it.
Cleaning removes what’s there. Air quality treatment keeps it from coming back — and handles what a vacuum can’t.
An honest answer, including the part most companies leave out: what duct cleaning won’t do.
How long it takes, how loud it is, whether you need to be home, and what you should have in your hands when the crew leaves.
