How to Clean House Air Vents
Your homes vents are essential to hot and cold air moving throughout your home efficiently. It is extremely important that these airways be kept clean and free of debris and dirt, as it goes a long way in keeping your home clean and healthy. Routinely cleaning your own vents goes a long way in keeping the air in your house moving the way it should.
Outlined below is a Step by Step Guide that details how to effectively and easily clean your home’s vents. This process should be done monthly as it ensures clean vents and a quick cleaning process as debris does not have a lot of time to build.
Note: You should also change your furnace filter every 3 months for a clean and healthy home. For a Step by Step Guide on Changing Your Furnace Filter, click here.
Instructions
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1
What You Need
- vaccum (the more brush heads the better)
- bucket
- cleaning/degreasing solution (for a Step by Step Guide on Making Your Own Cleaning Solution click here)
- small brush
- garbage bag or cardboard (optional) -
2
Vacuum the Vents
First things first, you must examine your vents to determine which vacuum brush head would be best suited to clean the debris and dust that may be caught in them. If you do not have any brush heads, don't fret. Simply use the vacuum hose to clean the grate as well as you can.
To vacuum the vents simply turn on the vacuum and go over the grate while it is still in the floor or wall. -
3
Remove the Vent for Further Cleaning
Once you have cleaned the vent from the top as best you can, remove it from the wall or floor and continue to vacuum it clean from various angles. You may need to use a different brush head for optimal cleaning, however once again this is not completely necessary. If your vents still have debris and gunk built up, you may need to take your cleaning to the next level.
Note: If the vent is screwed into a wall or ceiling you may want to place the cardboard or garbage bag underneath it to catch debris that may fall. Saves you some cleaning later...you're welcome. -
4
Soak the Vents
If you have not cleaned your vents in some time or find that they are not as clean as you would like, this step is for you. Fill the bucket with enough cleaning solution to submerge a vent.
Place the vent into the cleaning solution and let it sit until the desired results are achieved (15-20 minutes). You should brush and rinse the vents clean. Use paper towel to dry them. -
5
One More Thing
Before you put your vents back in place, use your vacuum to clean as far as you can into the vent. Try not to drop anything into the vents. -
6
Put Them Back
Now that your vents are completely clean, place them back and enjoy your clean and aesthetically appealing environment.