Not many people today know much about the air duct cleaning – it’s still not that popular, and its benefits are still questioned. Since it depends on the different conditions at different homes, it cannot be said for sure that it will benefit you, if you choose to have your air duct system cleaned.
If the members of your household don’t suddenly start suffering from unexplained allergies, syndromes and sickness, and if, after you check, you see no dirt or mould in the air ducts, then the cleaning procedure is unnecessary. The return registers may be dusty – that is normal, though – it doesn’t mean that the ducts are filled with dust and debris, and you can easily either vacuum them, or take them off and wipe them.
If, however, the above mentioned symptoms are at hand – allergies, strange symptoms and sickness, and you suspect the cause is environmental, you should probably visit your doctor. There are published works about identifying health problems caused by low air quality.
If it’s been a long time since you’ve had the air ducts cleaned, or if you’ve had them for a long time and never cleaned them, consider cleaning them just because they may actually be dirty, even if you don’t feel ill. It hasn’t been determined yet if periodic air duct cleaning is beneficial, but it almost certainly doesn’t bring any harm, if it’s done properly, that is.
However, if the cleaners don’t follow the appropriate air duct cleaning procedures, it can cause problems, even if there weren’t any before. A broken vacuum, for example, can release more dirt than there was in the first place. If the service providers are careless, they may damage the cooling or heating system and thus forcing the need of repairs, or may increase the heating or air-conditioning cost.