In this blog entry, our expert air duct cleaning and air duct sanitizing team will describe the main differences between cleaning and sanitizing air ducts.
What’s the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection?
Cleaning Works to Remove Dirt
Cleaning removes dust, dirt, and other forms of debris from air duct systems. Dust can build up in all forms of air duct systems at all times, simply from normal usage. This dust is spread throughout the home when air conditioning or heating is activated, and these contaminants can cause respiratory issues, allergies, and sneezing, while also spreading dirt and dust on surfaces. The National Institute of Health has announced that the best way to avoid these health issues in your home is by regularly cleaning air ducts. Professional air duct cleaning will use negative pressure vacuum technology to remove dust and dirt out of the system. It’s essential to have all elements of your HVAC system including evaporator coils and blower motors cleaned on a regular basis.
Sanitization to Reduce Bacteria and Other Germs
While cleaning is meant to remove dust and dirt, sanitization removes bacteria, germs, mold, and other microorganisms. These microorganisms, like dirt, regularly build up in ductwork and HVAC systems with regular use. Bacteria and other germs can often generate from dead insects or even animal droppings, however even airborne viruses and bacteria can move into ductwork. Usually, HVAC system sanitization happens at the same time that it is cleaned. The sanitization process usually involves fogging the ductwork system with a sanitizing aerosol solution.
Disinfection For Increased Bacteria Control
Sanitizing destroys a large amount of bacteria, while disinfection fully removes all germs and bacteria. Disinfection can be considered sanitizing on steroids. The method used in disinfection is similar to sanitization, in that it uses an aerosol solution spray, usually an environmentally friendly disinfection. This is commonly used in hospitals and medical facilities every day – but is now often used in many commercial environments, and even in many residential environments in the days since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Does your air duct system need cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting?
We recommend professional ductwork sanitation or disinfection if:
- Residents or workers in your buildings are experiencing asthma, allergies, or other respiratory health issues
- If you think that mold or other germs are in your air ducts
- If you can smell a bad odor in ductwork, often associated with mold ,especially if it increases when heating or air conditioning is activated
- If there’s been a leak or water damage in your building (which often leads to mold)
- If there’s any animals in the building
- If your property has been closed due to a COVID outbreak
