The rate at which indoor air circulates is way less than outdoor air. Moreover, it is estimated that indoor air may be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air.
This should be reason enough for every parent to monitor the quality of indoor air, especially if you have kids around because they will be most vulnerable to a superfluity of risks from breathing poor quality air.
One of the primary causes of contamination of indoor air is dirty ducts and vents. If you haven’t cleaned your vents and ducts for a while, then it is likely that your kids may have been affected in a variety of ways.
In this piece, we will explore why clean ducts and vents are vital for your kids’ health. We will also explore some of the things you can do to improve the overall quality of the indoor air, in addition to cleaning the ducts regularly.
Regular duct cleaning reduces allergies
One of the leading causes of allergies in most homes is dust. The HVAC systems are unfortunately usually very good in accumulating all manner of dust and pollen from the outside, which is then distributed within the various rooms in the houses.
If the ducts are not cleaned regularly to get rid of these dust and pollen, occupants of the house are likely to start experiencing breathing complications, and children are usually the most vulnerable.
Some of the classic signs that your child could be suffering from the effects of dust and pollen include wheezing sound when breathing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, and nasal congestion.
With clean ducts, however, you will be able to get rid of any dust or pollen that might be trapped within your HVAC system, reducing the chances of your children suffering from the associated problems.
Less severe asthma symptoms
Exterior pollutants like dust and dirt are known to increase the effects of conditions such as asthma. Whenever you breathe in dirty air that contains lots of dust, upon reaching the lungs, the dust will release reactive nitrogen and oxygen species which might end up worsening the symptoms for respiratory conditions.
When a child constantly breathes poor quality indoor air with lots of dust, their lungs may become more susceptible to asthma attacks. As a parent, this is one of the worst conditions to witness your child go through.
However, minimizing the chances of this happening is as simple as having clean ducts and vents to eliminate the likely triggers for these kinds of attacks.
Reduced sensitivity to pet dander
Most children love pets, but a sensitivity to pet dander may render any interactions with them unpleasant.
If you keep pets at home, then you must be aware that the indoor quality air is likely to have traces of pet dander. If you don’t clean your vents regularly, you will be allowing these allergens to accumulate to levels that may become problematic.
It is likely that your children will become sensitive to these allergens—not only limiting their ability to interact with the pets but also hurting their health in a number of ways. Through regular air duct cleaning services, pet dander will not be allowed to accumulate to dangerous levels, hence, there will be very minimal risks of your children developing sensitivity to it.
Lower the effects of chemicals on kids
There are lots of chemicals used by households every day and not all of these particles may be safe when breathed by kids. Some cleaning products, perfumes, sprays, and detergents may irritate kids and even cause a myriad of respiratory problems if they are allowed to accumulate within the indoor spaces.
Therefore, it is recommended that if you have kids at home, you should observe regular cleaning of your vents because this is where most of the accumulation and distribution is likely to occur.
Reduce the effects of molds on kids
The presence of mold shouldn’t be a concern only for the sake of the kids, but also for the adults living in the house. Outdoors, the mold spores are sufficiently distributed and diluted, and they are not as harmful compared to when they are indoors, in enclosed spaces.
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell when a mold infestation has begun within your indoor spaces, and you may only suspect when your family members begin experiencing symptoms such as breathing problems and frequent asthma attacks.
In the absence of regular air duct cleaning, you will be allowing the spores time to accumulate to dangerous levels and be spread to all the other rooms within the house. To impede such a problem from snowballing, simply ensure proper and regular cleaning of your vents.
Better quality of indoor air
Another reason why you should regularly clean your air ducts and vents is to allow kids and all other occupants of the house to breathe quality indoor air.
Children still have their lungs developing, and it is vital that they be protected from anything that might hamper the proper development of their lungs, including dust, allergens, mold, and other harmful particles they may consume through breathing poor-quality air.
Also, there is some peace of mind that comes with your ducts being clean. You can rest knowing your kids are not susceptible to a majority of breathing conditions. This alone should be enough of a reason to strive to keep your vents clear through proper and regular cleaning.
Hire professional air duct cleaning services
Air duct cleaning may not be as simple as vacuuming your floors. It requires specialized skills and equipment to get the best results. The best route, therefore, is not to try and clean the vents on your own, but to hire skilled professionals with the experience and equipment to clean your ventilation system.
They will save you a lot of time and money and leave you with clean ducts for the highest quality of indoor air.