At least once a year the vents in your home should be cleaned. If you live in a particularly dusty area, then quarterly would probably be more beneficial for you. If you or a family member suffer from allergies, then regular vent cleaning is a definite must. you will want to do it quarterly or bi-yearly. If there are allergy sufferers around when you are cleaning, make sure all fans are off and make sure you have the room well ventilated. Vacuuming can displace a lot of dust. It ends up free floating around your room. Take precautionary measures to protect yourself and your loved ones.


Cleaning the outside of the vents can be a chore in and of itself. I like to unscrew them and place them in hot sudsy water. I let them soak while I vacuum out the interior of the vent opening. Some cooling/heating companies will try to tell you that this needs to be done professionally. If you have a fear of heights, a disability that would prevent you from climbing a ladder and balancing or horribly bad allergies that wearing a mask won't help, then you should probably call in the professionals. If none of those fit you - then lets proceed.


You will need the crevice attachment on your vacuum. You will want to reach in with your telescoping hose and reach as far into your vent as possible. You will want to do it gently so as not to cause any damage. Slowly and gently will do the best. Once you have it vacuumed to your satisfaction you can return to your vents that are soaking. Usually by this time they are pretty well clean. Be careful if you do need to scrub them - you want to make sure you don't mar the paint or scratch the metal or plastic.


Last, after letting your vents dry, return them to their proper ceiling, wall or floor positions. If you had the power off to your ac/heating units, this is when you can power everything back up. Now you are ready to go on to the next cleaning task on your DEEP CLEANING TASK list, if you have one that you follow.


Make it a great one!