Knowing how to clean your air ducts can save you a lot of money, since the professional duct cleaners charge a small fortune to do it.
Is it a necessary household task? Probably not. Is it one that I do? You bet.
How to Clean Your Air Ducts
One day, I dropped an earring down a floor register and opened it to find a massive spiderweb occupied by an equally massive spider. Ever since then, I’ve made a point to clean my air ducts regularly. It lets me sleep at night. Also, I always notice less dust in our home for weeks after I’ve cleaned the ducts. (Related: How to Reduce Dust in Your Home.)
Why You Should Clean Them
It just makes sense, doesn’t it? If you’ve got forced air coming out of an air duct filled with dust, pet hair, Cheerios, or big ol’ hairy spiders, they’re bound to spread around a bit. Why put up with that? That’s why you need to know how to clean your air ducts.
With less debris in your home’s air ducts, you’ll see less floating around in your home’s air. That means you’ll see less dust, too. Depending on what’s in your ducts, you also might notice fewer odors and reduced allergy symptoms. (Related: How to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality.)
How Often Should You Clean Your Air Ducts?
Follow the steps below to clean your home’s air ducts at least twice a year. If someone in your home has indoor allergies, or if you have a lot of pets, do it each season. You can use this method to clean cold air returns, too. Be sure you change your system’s filter after you’re done.
If you have pets that shed a lot, or kids who like to drop things down floor registers, you might want to consider installing vent register filters. These filters are made from electrostatic material that filters dust out of the air your system blows through the vents while also keeping dust from settling into them.
How Long Does This Take?
Fortunately, cleaning your air ducts isn’t that difficult to do if you use the right tools and make a point of following directions. It takes maybe five minutes per register the first time, and even less time than that if you do it regularly.
Steps To Clean Your Home’s Air Ducts
Equipment
- A vacuum cleaner with a dust brush attachment
- Microfiber cleaning cloths
- Screwdriver
Materials
Air Duct Cleaning
- Manual dryer vent brush
- Flexible vacuum hose extender
- Step-stool or small ladder – for wall and ceiling vents
Vent Cleaning
- Water
- Liquid dish soap
- Natural all-purpose cleaning spray
Instructions
Step 1: Preparing to Clean Your Air Ducts
- Use the button on your home's thermostat to turn off the system before you begin cleaning your air ducts and registers.
- Gather your materials and equipment. If you have wall or ceiling vents, you'll want a step-ladder or stool to stand on, too.
Step 2: Remove and Clean Your Vent Covers
- Floor registers are easy to remove. Usually, you can just lift them up. Use the screwdriver to remove wall and ceiling vents, including cold air returns.
- Remove and wash the vent cover in a sink of hot, soapy water. Scrub as needed, but take care not to damage the finish. You can clean unpainted metal registers in a dishwasher, but wash painted or varnished ones by hand. Once they're clean, shake off excess moisture then wipe them dry.
Step 3: Vacuum Inside Your Duct
- While the vent covers dry, insert the dryer vent brush into the duct as far as you can reach. Rotate the brush and gently run it along the duct's walls. Use a light touch doing this with Mylar flex ducts (the crinkly, plastic kind) since they are easily damaged and dislodged. Remove the brush.
- Attach the flexible hose attachment to your vacuum cleaner. Insert it into the duct and turn on your machine to clean up the debris you've dislodged. Again, if you have flex ducts, be gentle doing this and focus your cleaning on the floor of the vent. Remove the hose and turn off your vacuum cleaner.
Step 4: Wipe the Inside
- Using a damp microfiber cloth, reach into the duct as far as you can and wipe the interior clean. You'll want to rinse the rag repeatedly because you'll find a lot of dust and gunk in there even after you've vacuumed.
- To clean stubborn dirt, spray an all-purpose cleaner on the cloth before wiping.
- Cold air returns are often unlined, so you'll find bare wood or drywall behind the vent cover. Don't saturate this area while wiping it clean, or you may wind up with a mold problem. Rinse your cloth often and wring it out well as you remove grime.
Step 5: Finish Up
- Wipe the area around the duct, including the floor or wall. Then, put the clean vent cover back on and restart your system.
- It's a good idea to change your system's air filter after you've cleaned your air ducts, too.
Margaret Hawrysh says
Often use the vacuum hose but have not heard of a dryer vent brush, would do a much better job of cleaning.
Katie Berry says
The dryer vent brush is fantastic. It works on refrigerator coils, too!
becky says
if you do not want to put that dryer cleaner down your ducts (I don’t because if it gets stuck somewhere you will be stuck calling a pro to get it out! anyway what I did was take the furnace filter out for max air flow, and then close off all your vents leaving only one open at a time to clean. This directs all the air from your system only to the vent going to the opening you are cleaning. Then stick the flexible tubing of your vacuum cleaner down a bit into the vent and turn on the vacuum. Then go to the thermostat and turn on the fan only and let the vacuum run for a few minutes. That does a great job and you can do it with or without the brush. When done put a fresh filter in. I only do this for the vents where the air blows out. I would not recommend cleaning the cold air returns this was as you would likely be forcing dirt and dust into your furnace. If you want to vacuum the cold air returns, turn the system off
Katie Berry says
Hi Becky,
Thanks for sharing that tip!
GaryKinnard says
My wife and I are suffering from allergies. We have lived in this house for 37 years and just found out that the A/C ducts need to be cleaned. We had a company one and do the job, but come to find out all they cleaned was the registers and boxes. Their house was to big to go in the duct and we are still getting dust all over the place. I have been looking for a good roto brush so I can do it myself, but all I can find are companies that sell equipment for a high price. I do not want to start my own business, I just want for my wife and I to breath better and keep from getting sick / also not have to dust twice a day. Please can you help. Thank you.
Katie Berry says
Hi Gary,
The brush I’d mentioned works great in my home.