Keep Your Vents Clean With These Simple Changes To Your Routine

When it comes to cleaning around your home, your eyes are likely drawn to those noticeable, day-to-day tasks. Washing the dishes, sweeping and mopping, keeping your living spaces clutter-free — these chores can take up your attention, making it easy to miss your home's vents and vent covers.

Your vents are the unsung heroes of your home, filtering air and keeping it flowing. However, dust can easily pile up on the cover of your vents, creating both an eyesore and an unproductive work environment for your home's HVAC system. Fortunately, cleaning doesn't need to be difficult or time-consuming. Instead, by squeezing a few simple changes into your routine, such as cleaning your air vents and planning advanced maintenance when needed, your vents can look and function their best.

Before doing any sort of work on your home's vent covers, it can be helpful to turn off the HVAC system to keep debris from blowing around. When in doubt, a professional may be helpful for advanced tasks that aren't DIY-friendly or repairs and maintenance. Your system may require different care depending on your environment, such as if you have pets present, so keep that in mind when developing a routine that works for you. Monthly DIY care can also be a great time to upgrade the look of your air vents if desired.

The best way to tackle dust building up on your vents is to dust the covers each month. This simple task can be easily worked into your routine, taking just a few moments with a duster, a vacuum, or a DIY time-saving dusting hack to clear away surface grime. And the best part? Dusting your vent covers each month doesn't just provide a clean appearance, but it also minimizes the amount of airborne pollutants that can spread around your home and end up back in your vents.

Adding a doormat to your home isn't just an aesthetic choice. Instead, it can serve as a functional choice as well, keeping airborne pollutants that otherwise would end up in your vents to a minimum. Think about the places you go and the kind of germs, dust, or debris you may track home on your shoes. By having a doormat at the entrance to your home, as well as by taking your shoes off at the door, you can reduce the amount of dust you bring in. Overall, this can lead to cleaner vents in the long run. 

Before air can enter your HVAC system, it has to pass through a filter, which is designed to catch pollutants that you don't want to breathe in and airborne debris like dust, pollen, or pet hair and dander. As a result, keeping up with your air filter changes can help your system work efficiently, stopping much of the debris that can build up on your vents at the source. Depending on your home and HVAC system, you may need to replace your air filter anywhere from once a month to once a quarter.

Mark your calendars — deep cleaning your vents once a year can be a game changer if clean surfaces and air are your goal. Regularly dusting the exterior of your air vent can be helpful at preventing dust from building up, but it won't stop it entirely. Instead, you may also find it beneficial to remove your vent grills and wash them with soapy water while using your vacuum to deep clean away any dust or debris from underneath the cover.

Above, you learned that maintaining a regular routine for air filter changes can help keep your vents cleaner. However, before any dust or debris even reaches your HVAC's filter, you can target the problem through your day-to-day cleaning routine. That's right: vacuuming (and dusting) your home can be a great way to cut down on airborne pollutants, which can lead to cleaner vents. However, the type of vacuum you use matters, as you want to effectively capture these particles rather than reintroducing them to the air around you.

Alone, a properly functioning HVAC filter should be able to handle much of the airborne pollutants that can lead to a dirty vent. However, if you want an extra layer of defense, such as if you live in a place with high pollen counts or have pets, you may want to consider investing in an air purifier. This will help reduce the amount of debris in the air of your home and trap it in a secondary filter, reducing the amount of dust able to settle on your vents.

Just like dust, the hair and skin cells your pets shed can build up in your HVAC system and lead to dirty vents and even mold concerns. As a result, if you're looking for a simple routine to keep your vents clean, it can be helpful to start by targeting the potential root of the problem: your pet. Brushing your dog or cat regularly can help reduce shed fur floating around in the air, allowing you to dispose of it properly before it reaches your vents.

One of the most notable changes you can make to your routine for vents that are cleaner is bringing on a professional when help is needed. When it comes to the day-to-day or month-to-month tasks that keep your vents clean, it can be easy to take a DIY approach and handle most of the cleaning yourself. However, when dust builds up in those hard-to-reach areas and causes problems, you may want to consider calling a professional to remove debris within your HVAC system.