If you or the last person who lived in your home owned pets, there may be a substantial amount of pet dander built up in your air ducts. Pet dander refers to microscopic particles of skin and fur, and its small size and lighter weight allow it to be blown throughout the air easily. Unfortunately, some people are allergic to pet dander, and high levels of dander circulating in the air can cause them to suffer from persistent coughing and congestion.
Pet dander in the air ducts will be blown inside of your rooms whenever you're using your home's central air system, and this can cause constant allergy flare-ups if you're susceptible to it. If you frequently suffer from allergies while you're inside your home and you suspect that pet dander in your air ducts may be the cause, you can have them professionally cleaned in order to remove all of the pet dander. To learn how pet dander gets into your ducts and how a professional duct cleaning service can remove it, read on.
How Does Pet Dander Build Up Inside of Air Ducts?
The air ducts in your home's central air system have two different types: supply ducts and return ducts. Supply ducts deliver conditioned air to the rooms of your home, and the return ducts take that air back to your home's central air system. Return ducts are commonly located near the floor, which means that the pet dander that accumulates on the ground and on the walls of your home can be easily blown into them. From there, they'll return to the blower fan in your central air system and be blown into your supply ducts.
Central air systems have an air filter located at the very end of the return ducts. The air filter traps small particles, preventing them from being blown into your supply ducts. However, air filters for residential central air units aren't designed to trap every single particle in the air, they're only capable of trapping the majority of them. As a result, some pet dander will bypass the air filter, and they'll settle in your home's supply ducts. Over time, a considerable amount of pet dander can build up in your home's supply ducts. Some of these pet dander particles will be blown into the rooms of your home whenever you use your home's central air system.
How Can a Professional Duct Cleaning Service Remove Pet Dander Buildup From Your Air Ducts?
A professional duct cleaning service uses powerful vacuums to remove particles that have settled on the inside of your air ducts, including pet dander. A technician will attach a vacuum to the entry of an air duct and then collect all of the debris inside. This will be performed on both your supply ducts and your return ducts, which stops pet dander from being blown into the rooms of your home from the supply ducts and prevents pet dander stuck in the return ducts from circulating further throughout your home's central air system.
In addition to cleaning your air ducts, a duct cleaning service will also clean the evaporator coil and the blower fan located inside your home's central air system. Pet dander can accumulate on these surfaces as well, which means that cleaning them is a necessary part of ensuring that all pet dander has been removed from your home's central air system.
If you're allergic to pet dander and think that pet dander in your air ducts may be contributing to your constant allergy flare-ups, call a professional duct cleaning service and have your ducts inspected. If there's a lot of pet dander built up in the supply ducts, it's a good idea to have your whole system cleaned out in order to reduce the amount of pet dander that's circulating throughout the air. Reducing the level of pet dander you're breathing inside of the home can help reduce annoying allergy symptoms like congestion, coughing, and sneezing, helping you to breathe more easily.
Contact a duct cleaning service near you to learn more.
