Your home is bound to pick up all types of odors over the years. Most come and go with ease. Some can be easily remedied with a simple cleaning. However, odors in your air ducts are a true headache. They are hard to clean and the only come out when the air is blowing. Furthermore, when you aren't running your AC or heat for extended periods, the odor can worsen because it is confined in such a tight space. You don't always need to hire professional HVAC techs to get rid of duct odors. This article explains how to remove your registers and search for the cause of the odor.

Remove the Registers and Have a Look

Simply put, the best way to figure out your problem is to remove the air registers from the wall and have a look. You will probably need a flathead screwdriver, a ladder and a flashlight for your inspection. This way you can see deep into your ducts. If you see any dead rodents or birds, you have probably found the source of your problem. However, just removing the cause of the odor is not necessarily going to fix it. That is, the odor could have permeated throughout the ducts, so you might need to clean your ducts. Luckily duct cleaning is simple as long as you have a few basic tools and cleaning supplies.

Clean Your Ducts

Washing the inside of your ducts is much easier if you have a telescoping painter's pole and a mop (or similar cleaning head) attachment. pour some of your favorite all-purpose cleaner into a bucket of water. Make sure the cleaner has a smell that you enjoy because it will spread into your home once the air is turned back on. Liberally wash down the sidewalls with the mop, making sure that you hit every square inch. There will be a lot of water slopping through the ducts, so have a dry towel on hand so you can soak it up. You can speed up the drying process by turning the air on while the registers are still removed from the wall. You don't want to leave puddles of water sitting in the ducts.

The last step is to clean your registers before reattaching them to the wall. The registers might also have some odor attached to them, so you should not forget to do this.

For professional assistance, reach out to companies like Advanced Air Quality Services.

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