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Is your home clean and well-maintained but it still feels dirty and oppressive? Do you or a loved one suffer from asthmatic attacks in your home? Do you have a simple cough you just can’t shake? You’re probably dealing with bad air quality.

Air quality not only makes a home feel comfortable and welcoming, it largely defines occupants’ baseline health. Bad air quality in a home not only leads to irritation, but it can also suppress your immune system and cause your body to struggle unnecessarily with germs and viruses. Many times, people fail to think about air quality when trying to figure out why they feel under the weather all the time. Instead, they’ll go to the doctor and end up with band-aid solutions that don’t address the underlying issue.

CONTAMINATED AIR CULPRITS

The air quality in your home depends on many different factors, and we want to explore the most impactful ones to give you a few starting points when it comes to solving your air quality issues.

ARTIFICIAL AIR FRESHENERS

If you love candles and incense, you aren’t alone. These products can add a lot to the ambiance and of your home, especially if there are other smells you want to cover up. The problem is, candles and incense put adulterants in the air and make bad air quality worse. They not only emit nasty, artificial scents, but they also put irritating smoke and carbon particulates in the air. There are plenty of alternatives to smoke and incense, including orange peels and carefully-used essential oils.

LACK OF AN AIR PURIFIER

You don’t want to just keep new particles out of your home’s air, you want to remove the current particles. While your HVAC system has filters, they won’t get everything. An air purifier can make a huge difference by pulling many particles out of the air and lightening the burden on your HVAC filters. Purifiers also snatch particles out of the air before they can settle into your carpet.

YOUR VACUUM

Your vacuum pulls particles out of the carpet, hopefully without blowing them up into the air. Unfortunately, many vacuums stir up as many particles as they capture, which can greatly decrease the impact of your cleaning. While most vacuums come with basic HEPA-rated air filters, it’s worth investing in a high-quality vacuum that will leave your homes cleaner. Lastly, no matter what kind of vacuum you have, make sure it doesn’t over-fill and keep it clean so that it can do its job.

MOISTURE ISSUES AND MOLD

Mold always means trouble. When it gets airborne, it not only causes respiratory irritation, it can actually be dangerously toxic. Keep mold out of your bathroom by running the fan for half an hour after showers and baths. Wash your shower curtains and check under all your sinks to make sure you don’t have mold building up. You should also get your air ducts cleaned regularly to make sure mold isn’t building up within them.

ARTIFICIAL CLEANING MATERIALS

There’s a pretty big movement toward natural cleaning supplies, and for good reason. Artificial cleaning agents often use extremely harsh chemicals to get the job done, and the fumes can deeply affect the respiratory systems of anyone in the vicinity. Children are especially vulnerable to irritation. Keep everything clean with natural cleaning agents like tea tree oil, vinegar, or other products that will do the job without burning your lungs.

RUN-DOWN HOME APPLIANCES

A lot of your appliances circulate at least a little air while they run. This list includes clothes dryers, stove hoods, home air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and vacuum cleaners. All of these appliances have air filters that get dirty over time and will stop doing their jobs if they aren’t maintained. Simply cleaning your filters can make a huge difference for your respiratory system.

YOUR CENTRAL AIR UNIT’S FILTER

It can be easy to procrastinate on maintenance for your furnace or central air system when you don’t see major problems. Unfortunately, this is how issues get so advanced that expensive, inconvenient interventions are the only options. Get your system tuned up regularly to ensure it’s working at its best and keeping you both comfortable and healthy all year long.

YOUR AIR DUCTS

Air ducts carry warmed or cooled air throughout your entire home, and if they’re dusty, moldy, or acting as mouse apartments, they’ll spread the nastiness all over. In order to avoid serious health issues, get your ducts cleaned regularly. The DUCTZ team is ready and waiting to give your air system the sanitization it needs. We’re thorough, careful, and dedicated to excellence.

TURN TO DUCTZ TODAY

Our extensive air quality testing team serves a wide swath of Florida, including Palm Beach, Dade, Broward, Weston, and beyond. Don’t settle for hoping your air quality is okay. Instead, give us a call, get a quote, and let us help you breathe easy!

There has been a lot of attention given to air pollution in the past few decades. As a result, we probably know more about the dangers we’re exposed to outside our front doors than we do about the pollutants filling up our homes. While car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and smog can all cause serious problems, there is a group of other pollutants that can cause serious problems. At DUCTZ, we work hard every day to clear these little-known pollutants from Broward’s homes and businesses by cleaning ducts and performing air quality tests.

If you’ve never had an air quality test done in your home, you aren’t alone. Air quality testing isn’t on many people’s home maintenance lists. However, it should be. It is important to understand what you’re breathing while you’re in your home! Otherwise, how can you know that your home is the refuge you need it to be?

WHY AIR QUALITY TESTING ISN’T OPTIONAL

When you get your home’s air quality tested, you learn just what is going on in the air you breathe while you sleep, eat, and spend time with your family. Here are a few of the reasons why you should definitely contact us for air testing in Broward:

TO FIND CONTAMINANTS AND POLLUTANTS.

There are several different contaminants that turn the air you breathe against you. In our humid Florida environment, mold and mildew can show up at any time, and once they get airborne, they can really impact your health. Radon gas can also be common in homes and is one of the biggest causes of cancer in people who don’t smoke. When we test your air quality, we can also identify asbestos and empower you to avoid the serious health problems that come with it.

TO DETECT CARBON MONOXIDE GAS.

Between 2010 and 2015, over 2,200 people died from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Because it is both colorless and odorless, it can be inhaled from damaged water heaters, blocked fireplace vents, or bad gas lines without anyone knowing it. Carbon monoxide prevents the body’s organs from getting the oxygen they need, which leads to dizziness, headaches, nausea, and even death. While you can buy carbon monoxide detectors from the home improvement store, you should still have your home tested professionally.

TO GET RID OF ALLERGY TRIGGERS.

Allergies are some of the most troubling health issues to have. You can’t cure them, and they can end up shrinking your life down to a fraction of what it once was. In worst cases, the allergies can kill you. Asthma is an allergy that is particularly enhanced by dirty air. If you struggle with asthma symptoms at home, you should absolutely get your air quality tested. The misery you’re experiencing may be preventable!

TO LOWER YOUR ENERGY COSTS.

HVAC systems will keep trying despite serious blockages and damages. As a result, people don’t know something is going on. When the DUCTZ team conducts air quality tests, we often find clogged air vents or damages dragging HVAC systems down. Once owners know which problems are plaguing their HVAC systems, the owners can get them cleaned and repaired.

TO DEFEND AGAINST SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS).

Once contaminants get airborne, they can cause significant, perpetual illness in a home or business. This is called Sick Building Syndrome, and it shows up when air filtration systems aren’t maintained properly. People generally don’t realize it is happening because SBS looks like a bad cold or allergies. Symptoms include the following:
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Flu symptoms
- Rough voice
- Dry cough
- Nausea
- Trouble concentrating
- Asthma attacks

CONTACT DUCTZ FOR AIR QUALITY TESTING

Figuring out just what you’re breathing every day is well worth it. The DUCTZ team is here to provide world-class air quality testing, so contact us today!

Clean air plays an integral role in your health, and in these modern times, our HVAC systems determine what kind of air we breathe at home and at work. That is why the team at DUCTZ works hard every day keep the people of Broward breathing easy.

One of the ways you can make your indoor air quality a little better is by incorporating some greenery into your living spaces. Plants not only have the ability to clean the air, they make spaces more relaxing and pleasant. Here are some of the most effective plants for improving air quality!

GREAT PLANTS THAT WILL CLEAN YOUR AIR

PALM TREES
- Not only are palm trees beautiful, they can do a lot for your air quality. They are proven to be particularly good at removing formaldehyde, and, best of all, they are easy to care for! If you want the best palm at removing formaldehyde, go for the Dwarf Date Palm. However, if you don’t want to deal with the pygmy palm’s thorns, you can get clean air with Areca Palm, Parlor Palm, Bamboo Palm, or Lady Palm. Keep in mind that palms are the happiest in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
ENGLISH IVY
- If you see “English Ivy” and think of an aggressive, stubborn, invasive species with the power to tear gutters off of buildings, you aren’t wrong. However, when you bring it inside, it is a formaldehyde-removing powerhouse. Because it likes to climb, you can shape it into beautiful topiaries. It isn’t as temperamental as other plants, and all it needs is watering and misting to be a well-behaved, pretty addition to any room.
PEACE LILY
- Do you like blooms on your indoor plants? It can be difficult to find indoor plants that deliver the color and interest you want. However, the Peace Lily plant generates beautiful, seashell-shaped spathes that will make a big difference when you’re in the middle of winter and the blooms of spring seem forever away. It not only removes formaldehyde, it can remove the harsh volatile compounds produced by cleaning products. Not just that, it can humidify your air and deal with low-light conditions. The only downfall of the Peace Lily is that its leaves are poisonous for children and pets.

RUBBER PLANTS
- These plants are particularly great for dim offices, where particle board furniture is held together with glues based on formaldehyde. They don’t need a lot of sunlight to thrive and they don’t need a lot of coddling, either. Their waxy, rich leaves are pleasing, and their shape can add a lot to any room. If you’re thinking of putting a rubber plant in your home, remember that rubber plants are toxic for pets and may not be the best choice if you have a furry friend.
GOLDEN POTHOS
- If you tend to be hard on your plants, golden pothos is the air-cleaning plant for you. It can put up with a lot of neglect and handles being overwatered very gracefully. Golden Pothos is also very effective at removing a wide array of air pollutants, making it a fantastic, worry-free option for people who want a lush addition to their homes or businesses.
BOSTON FERNS
- These plants are the kings of formaldehyde-removal. They also are very effective at removing xylene and benzene, dangerous indoor air pollutants that are common in houses that have attached garages. Their many benefits come with the need for extra care, including weekly feeding during their growing seasons and regular watering year-round. Depending on how humid your home or office is, you may need to mist or water your fern every day. The benefit of this is getting that lovely wet dirt smell in the depths of winter!

CONTACT DUCTZ

Air quality is something you cannot compromise on. Making sure that the air in your home or business is clean and clear is easy when you live in Broward because DUCTZ is here. Using the very best equipment and cutting-edge techniques, we can do whatever it takes to renew your entire HVAC system. Whether it’s a quick inspection to ensure that your air is clear or in-depth remedial work after construction, we are your ultimate solution. Contact the air specialists at DUCTZ for professional air quality testing today!

All HVAC systems need to be able to pull air in from the outside. That means there have to be openings in your home’s exterior through which air can flow, and unfortunately, pests can get through those openings and enter your home. Systems that are well-taken-care-of have plenty of safeguards to keep the creepy-crawlies at bay, but the fact is, bugs don’t need much space to sneak in. At DUCTZ, we’ve seen our share of vents that have become thoroughfares for all types of pests, and we understand what it takes to do our part to keep them out.

WHICH PEST TYPES ARE COMMON?

Pests vary by location. In Florida, we’re pretty warm and humid, which means we get to deal with cockroaches, ants, and other pests that thrive in these conditions. Drier, colder locations end up having to deal with rats and pests that don’t need humidity to thrive. However, it doesn’t matter what kind of pest you’re talking about; all of them share the need for shelter, water, and food, which is exactly what brings them into our homes.

TIPS FOR KEEPING PESTS OUT

Pests leave droppings, skin cells, and saliva in your home, and these can be massive irritants for people who suffer from respiratory conditions like asthma. Even if you don’t have a respiratory condition, it’s not good to live with bad air quality. The impacts aren’t isolated to your health; some pests build nests and like to chew on things, which can lead to damages. So here are a few things you can do to ensure that your HVAC system is well-maintained and resistant to pests.

Get your ductwork sealed. You may be surprised at how much ductwork is required to get comfortable air to all of your home’s rooms. Over time, the ducts can break down, creating gaps that allow pests in and waste a bunch of energy.

GET YOUR HOME TREATED REGULARLY.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this is especially true when it comes to pests. It is far easier to keep them out than try to get them out. Get semi-annual inspections and spraying to eliminate the possibility of infestations before they can happen.

SEAL OFF ENTRY POINTS.

Getting professional pest control involved is a good idea, because professionals know where to look to identify entry points. If they find entry points in your HVAC system, we can install special screens and make any repairs you need.

KEEP MOISTURE UNDER CONTROL.

All pests depend on water for survival, so ensuring there aren’t pools or puddles near your home is a good way to encourage pests to stay away. Pay special attention to the area around your outdoor air conditioning condenser. We can help install dehumidifiers if there are damp trouble spots in the system itself.

GET REGULAR HVAC MAINTENANCE.

Our HVAC specialists can identify signs of infestations while tuning up your system. If we see issues, we can provide solutions and leave you sleeping more soundly at night.

When you own a house, there are lots of maintenance items to consider year-round. The roof, the paint, the hot water heater, the dishwasher, the gutters, the yard … the laundry list is long. In our experience in the duct and HVAC business, we’ve discovered that HVAC isn’t always very high on homeowners’ to-do lists unless something catastrophic happens like a system failure. Handling your HVAC system this way is the most expensive path you can take. More than most other systems, HVAC systems need consistent maintenance. They work hard, especially in Southern Florida, where we depend on our air conditioning almost year-round.

Most people are fine with getting their filters changed and their AC units inspected, but we’re talking about duct cleaning. Duct cleaning is more involved, as it requires specialists to physically clean out your ducts and sometimes HVAC unit, removing dust, mold, and other contaminants affecting your air quality. How often do you need to have this work done?

According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), you should have your ducts cleaned every three to five years. That being said, you may need it more often or less often depending on where you live, how often you run your HVAC system, and how sensitive your household is to allergies or asthma.

WHEN IS IT TIME TO CLEAN YOUR AIR DUCTS?

Every three to five years. If a contractor advises you to clean more often, you should be wary as ducts don’t need that much cleaning.
If you just moved into a new place, it’s a good idea to get the ducts cleaned. This is especially true if the former owner can’t remember the last time the ducts got cleaned!
You just finished building a new home. Chances are very good that the air ducts are full of drywall dust and other debris from construction.
You just completed a remodeling project. Remodeling usually spreads sawdust and other contaminants through a home, including the ductwork. You don’t want your hard remodeling work to become covered with dust (and you don’t want to breathe it, either).
You have reason to suspect there’s mold growing in your ducts.
Every time the system turns on and air exits the vents, there’s a visible poof of dust.
You see vermin like rodents or insects entering or exiting your vents and suspect an infestation somewhere in the house.
Your filters have black debris right outside of them, and when you change your filters, you see a lot of buildup on and around them. Both of these are signs that you’re overdue for cleaning!

IS AIR DUCT CLEANING REALLY WORTH IT?

Air duct cleaning hasn’t been endorsed by the EPA as an ultimate solution to health issues, but there is a lot of evidence that it helps, especially when it comes to respiratory issues. Whether you have asthma or allergies (or both), dust mites, pollen, and dander can practically cripple you. You need your HVAC system to be your ally, to fill your home with safe, clear air that’s a relief from the outdoors. However, a contaminated HVAC system can be your enemy, turning your home or business into a miserable place.

According to the NADCA (and our experience), you won’t get the results you need from duct cleaning unless you ensure every part of the system is addressed. It doesn’t matter if you change the filters if you have a filthy air conditioning unit or contaminated corners in your ducts. You need a cleaner who will use negative air machines and tools to physically remove debris so it can be collected. Just blowing a lot of air through the system is not sufficient.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A GREAT DUCT CLEANING COMPANY.

You’ll pay between $400 to $1,000 for a good duct cleaning because it will address the furnace, central system, and air coils. If a contractor has lower prices, you’re not going to get good work.
The work itself should take a few hours. There is no such thing as a great duct cleaning that takes only half an hour.
When you ask if they follow the NADCA’s standards, they should say yes!

DUCTZ is proud to be Broward’s premium air quality testing and duct cleaning team. Turn to us today for world-class service!