Avoid Scams

1. Air duct cleaning bait and switch

You are offered an amazing coupon deal over the phone and schedule the company to come to your house. But, once in your home, they will perform minimal work and continue to offer you upgrades to the service for additional fees. Unfortunately, even if you give in to their schemes and buy all the upsells, you are still not going to get good work.

2. Quick and dirty air duct scam

Companies offering cheap coupons will schedule service too many homes in a day, in order to make up for their cheap prices.

The operation consists of pretending to clean the air ducts for a brief while and then quickly moving on to the next appointment, only cleaning what you can see.

There is no deep cleaning, so conditions will be left worse than before. This kind of “cleaning” pushes the dust farther back to the hard-to-reach areas of your system, which will then remain unclean and recirculate dust and microbes in the air you breathe.

3. Mold inspection scams

You see a great coupon offer. You call, the company confirms the offer and you schedule a visit. But once in your house, they will “inspect” for mold, and they always find it. Now the job will cost hundreds more because of it! They had no intention of actually cleaning any air ducts for that low price, because they wouldn’t survive as a company on those fees.

3 SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT NEED TO HIRE AN AIR DUCT CLEANER

So they always find mold, even if you don’t have any, so they can increase the price. They will even bring it with them or use fake tests to convince you.

There are signs that can let you know that your ducts are ready for a cleaning or if you have a potentially serious problem with your system. If your vents are truly dirty, you should be able to easily see some indication of that by looking through the vents with a flashlight. Pet owners should be on the lookout more so than if you’re a pet-free household. If you can see excessive amounts of pet hair in your vents, or what seems to be an excessive amount of dust piled up, it’s likely time to clean your ducts.

The second warning sign is mold, which can be dangerous to the health of your household and can become a serious problem if left unchecked. If you can see signs of mold growing in your ducts, a good cleaning is in order and quickly.

The final serious sign of needing a duct cleaning is signs of pests or rodents. Again, if a quick inspection of your ductwork reveals signs of either, then it’s time to get your system swept.

Why Duct Cleaning Is Important

Regular professional duct cleaning every three years or more frequently can prevent or reduce many health problems. There are also additional benefits to keeping your home’s air ducts clean, including:

  • Better energy efficiency of the cooling and heating system.
  • A cleaner heating and cooling system, which could reduce maintenance and repair needs.
  • Longer heating and cooling system lifespan.
  • Less dust throughout the house.
  • Lower monthly utility costs.