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A residential attic with flexible silver HVAC ductwork connecting to an air handler unit, surrounded by blown-in fiberglass insulation and exposed wooden rafters.

Duct Cleaning in Arlington, VA

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
A silver foil-insulated flexible air duct running through an attic filled with loose fiberglass insulation and wooden roof framing.

Seven months of heating pushes a lot of air through your ducts

Your furnace runs October through April in Arlington, close to seven months a year. Every one of those cycles pushes air through the same ductwork, and whatever is sitting in the ducts, dust, pet hair, drywall dust from an old repair, gets stirred up and carried into the rooms you live in.

Arlington County also sees its share of wind storms and winter storms, and power can go out for a day or more when they hit. When the furnace stops and starts back up, that first blast of air pushes through ducts that have been sitting still, and any buildup in them moves with it.

7 months
October through April, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
4 months
June through September, your air conditioner does the same
Isometric cutaway illustration of a house showing metal ductwork running from a furnace through rooms with ceiling vents, furniture, and a bathroom.
Your ducts carry heat October through April and cooled air June through September.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should air ducts be cleaned?
There is no fixed schedule that fits every house. Homes with pets, a recent renovation, or someone with allergies usually need it more often than a house without those things. If you see dust building up around the vents or notice a musty smell when the air kicks on, that is a sign to have them looked at rather than wait.
Is air duct cleaning worth it?
It depends on what is actually in your ducts. If there is visible mold, a rodent problem, or heavy dust and debris, cleaning them makes a real difference to the air moving through your house. If the ducts are reasonably clean and the filter has been changed on schedule, cleaning them will not do much. A contractor can inspect the ducts and tell you whether cleaning will help your situation before you spend money on it.
What does air duct cleaning involve?
A contractor connects a vacuum system to the ductwork and uses brushes or compressed air tools to knock loose dust and debris from inside the ducts, then pulls it out through the vacuum. This covers the supply and return ducts along with the grilles and registers, and often the coils near the air handler. The furnace or air handler itself gets cleaned as part of the job since it connects directly to the same air path.
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