Prevent Air Duct Contamination

This is advice for every homeowner, regardless of whether they decide to have their air ducts and HVAC system cleaned or not. Indoor to ensure that your home ventilation system is functioning efficiently and that your air ducts are not contaminated, you need to commit to a preventive maintenance program.

Preventing air duct contamination is done in part by preventing dirt from reaching the inside of your air duct system, and also with a healthy portion of active maintenance. Here are some tips:

• Using the air filter with the highest efficiency that is recommended by the maker of your HVAC system.
• Changing filters on a regular basis.
• Changing filters with increased frequency if you notice build-up or clogging.
• Making sure that there are no missing filters. If one of your vents is missing a filter or there are gaps around the filter, the air, along with contaminants, can enter your HVAC system with ease.
• Insisting that the professionals who maintain or check your HVAC system clean the cooling coils and drain pans.
• Your home's heating and cooling system is especially vulnerable during times of home renovation, construction, or maintenance. During these times you should seal off both the supply and return registers. You should also not operate the air ventilation system until all the dust and debris has been cleaned and removed from your home.
• While air duct cleaning may help lessen the need to dust your home, the more frequently you dust and vacuum, the less often your need to have your air duct cleaned, because you have removed this dust from your home.
• It is best to use a HEPA vacuum cleaner or at least the highest efficiency filter bags your vacuum cleaner can take.
• If your home HVAC system includes in-duct humidification equipment, the humidifier should be operated and maintained in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

The bottom line with these recommendations is that whether of not you make the choice to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, you can follow these tips to help reduce the risk of air duct contamination.

Low Cost Energy Savings

Clean the heating and cooling system in your home does a lot more than improve indoor air quality and circulation. Air duct cleaning can also be an effective, low cost way of lowering your utility bills. Over time, dust and debris build up in HVAC systems, causing them to operate less efficiently and reducing the systems ability to heat or cool properly. Studies have suggested that dirty air ventilation systems, particularly dirty coils, can reduce the efficiency of your HVAC system by as much as 30%. 

Furthermore, if your filters are dirty, they are further obstructing air flow, causing utility bills to rise and reducing the life span of your HVAC system as a whole. These reductions in the efficiency of your air duct system continue, because the dust and debris that is not caught by the coils or filters builds up in the ductwork itself (if it does not escape and get spread throughout your home). There are two things that you can do. The first is to regularly inspect and change your air filters, so as to increase the efficiency  and life span of the air ventilation system as best you can. The second is, if it has been more than a year or two, to have your air duct system cleaned by a professional air duct cleaning company. Why not get a free estimate today.

Hospital Air Duct Cleaning

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New Jersey Air Duct Cleaners at Clean as a Whistle provide hospital air duct cleaning. In order to do this more effectively, they have developed a mobile containment system which requires only one person to be operated and ensures that air ducts and vents can be properly cleaned without disrupting patient care. This Hospital Ceiling Containment System is a versatile and effective tool in the endevor to provide quality healthcare environments in line with the demanding I.C.R.A. and J.C.A.H.O. standards. Learn more about our innovative air duct cleaning in New Jersey.

Spring Air Duct Cleaning

Don't let allergens, pollen, and dust get the better of you this Spring!

 One of the most often overlooked parts of Spring cleaning is cleaning air ducts and vents. Everyone knows that allergies can get really bad in the Spring. The pollen counts get high and those who suffer from allergies have a miserable time.

What most people ignore, unfortunately, is that indoor air quality is often considerably worse than outdoor air quality, so just by sitting in their homes, they could be exposing themselves to serious allergens. In fact, the EPA ranks poor indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. If you air duct system is dirty, it is likely spreading pollen, dust, and other allergens, including mold and bacteria, throughout your house, which can aggravate allergies, asthma, and other symptoms.

There are other reasons why air duct cleaning in the spring makes sense. Often, during the winter months, your home is closed up and you air duct system is frequently in use, heating your home. However, what many do not realize is that this type of air duct system usage in the Winter can lead to a serious build-up of contaminants in the Spring. When you are doing your spring house cleaning, don't you want the air to be clean too? If so, then cleaning your air ducts just makes sense. 

There is a couple of steps that can be taken in the spring to ensure that your air ventilation system is functioning properly and providing you with contaminant-free-air. 

1. Change the air filter. People think that the air filter is not important, but it is one of the simplest steps to ensuring that the air in your home is clean. This comes at the recommendation of the American Lung Association.

2. Your HVAC system should be inspected and, if necessary, cleaned. There are numerous areas within an HVAC system, such as the vents, plenums, and ductwork, that frequently trap contaminants. This contributes to poor indoor air quality when not cleaned and maintained. According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), if there is visible dust, dirt or debris within the ductwork, your HVAC system likely needs to be cleaned.

3. If your air duct system does need to be cleaned, hire a professional air duct cleaner. Unfortunately, not all duct cleaning companies can be trusted. Improper air duct cleaning has not benefit, can actually make indoor air quality problems worse, and costs you money. Make sure that your air duct cleaning company is certified by NADCA, the National Air Duct Cleaning Association.

The spring is a great time to get a jump on indoor air quality, and ensure that you fight back against pollen and other allergens. Make sure you clean your air ducts!

Hospital Ceiling Containment System

Providet Service Associates, along with providing residential air duct cleaning in New Jersey, also provides commercial air duct cleaning. One of the most common types of commercial air duct cleaning jobs is in hospitals, where cleanliness and sanitation are of the utmost importance. Because of this, Clean as a Whistle (a division of Providet Service Associates) has developed an innovative new way to clean air ducts in hospitals: the Hospital Ceiling Containment System.

A significant concern of hospitals is to maintain a clean and safe environment. The health care industry has made impressive strides in preventing cross contamination and the spread of contagions. Hospitals and Health care facilities are constantly developing and improving methods to provide a sanitary environment for both patients and staff. The Providet Products Ceiling Containment System is a versatile and effective tool in the endeavor to provide quality health care environments in line with the demanding I.C.R.A. and J.C.A.H.O. standards. 

More information to come soon on this exciting and innovative new way to clean hospital air ducts. 

Air Duct Cleaning in New Jersey

Here are some things to think about if you are considering having you air ducts cleaned in New Jersey:

• Most New Jersey counties have an outdoor air pollution level that ranks in the worst/dirtiest 10% in the United States.
• Indoor Air Pollution has been found to be up to 70 times worse than outdoor air pollution.
• The average person spends between 60 and 90 percent of his or her time indoors.
• 40 pounds of dust accumulate in the average 6 room home every year.
• Indoor Air Pollution causes or aggrevates half of all illnesses.
• The majority of indoor air quality issues can be traced back to the HVAC unit (about 66%).
• Allergies are practically an epidemic in the United States, with more than 50 million people suffering from them.
• The fungi and bacteria in air duct systems has a direct link to allergies in 1 out of 6 allergy sufferers.
  

Indoor Air Pollution in New Jersey

As professional air duct cleaners in New Jersey, it is our job to fight indoor air pollution, whether it be in the home, office, warehouse, hospital, school, or other building. However, not many people truly understand the nature and danger of indoor air pollution, and why having your air ducts cleaned on a regular basis is so important.

Indoor air pollution occurs when chemicals, gases, particles, and other substances are produced or released in or near the home (or other building). These could be man-made substances, or they could be naturally occurring substances, but their presence in the air qualifies as pollution. This may not seem like a big deal. However, common pollutants that can be found in many homes, both new and old, include:

• Volatile organic compounds
• Formaldehyde
• Particulates
• Radon
• Asbestos
• Combustion gases and by-products
• Mold and Fungus spores
  

All of these pose a serious health risk to you and your family. These indoor air pollutants come from a variety of sources. Some potential sources of indoor air pollution are obvious, such as:

• Household cleaning products
• Wood or fuels that are burned
• Building materials and products
• Furnishings
• Paint strippers
• Pesticides
• Soil under a house

Other sources are less obvious, but just as dangerous, because they release pollutants almost continuously. Air fresheners are just one example of this. Other sources of indoor air pollution, such as unvented space heaters, produce pollutants occasionally or when only when they are used. Regardless of the type of indoor pollution in your home, or its source, contacting professional New Jersey Air Duct Cleaners, such as Clean as a Whistle, is the first step to ridding your home of these dangerous chemicals and molds. Contact us today for a free air duct cleaning estimate.