DOORMAIL DOINGS: Air duct cleaning finds things that go bump in the vents

COLUMBIA, 4/16/12  (Beat Byte) -- How can you breathe easier at home?  Check out Doormail, which has answers to this questions with almost every edition.

Before I started it with rental homes, and later my own home, air duct cleaning was a mystery.   It seemed logical that heating and A/C vents would be filled with dust and junk, but I never really thought about breathing that stuff or how blowers waste energy trying to push air past it.   

 

Then Doormail coupons started showing up advertising the service, and I gave it a whirl -- literally.  Locally-owned Clean Air Solutions (888-808-9273), the company I hired for about $275, sent a whirling vacuum into the ducts. 

If you're curious like me, you'll want to know just what they pull out.   Any historical treasures like old wedding rings or $20 gold pieces?   Or just junk?   And how much dirt and dust have I been breathing over the years?   To figure all this out, make sure they come with a clean hopper bag and do a before-and-after check.  You may be amazed at what you find.

Here's the "more than you wanted to know" list of the wonders of air duct cleaning:  dead mice, dead squirrels, diapers, toys, loose change, rocks, newspaper, bobby pins, buttons, panties, socks, piles and piles of soft dust.   And yes -- even the occasional wedding ring, I'm told.   I was surprised at how full the bag was. 

Duct cleaning pros explain that stuff falls into vents, then over time with air and vibrations, moves inward and out of sight.  Removing it all saves breath -- and energy, making it that much easier for heating and cooling to flow.