# Clean dust in house vents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-dust-in-house-vents/320874 "2005-09-09T20:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-dust-in-house-vents/320874/1 "2005-09-09T20:52:59Z")
The vents in our house have a fair amount of dust. There is also a little mold on the vent covers, which we are cleaning, but I don’t see any in the ducts. I can clean a little of the dust near the openings, but that might make a lot of it fall down, and then get kicked up when we turn the fan on. I don’t know if we can afford to get them professionally cleaned. Should I clean what I can, or just let it be and assume it’s reached an equilibrium? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-dust-in-house-vents/320874/2 "2005-09-09T21:18:15Z")
I have my furnace ducts cleaned once a year. It costs $75 and is worth every penny. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-dust-in-house-vents/320874/3 "2005-09-09T21:20:08Z")
Let it be. I’d imagine it’s like cleaning the fins on a ceiling fan. If you don’t do it right, it’s just going to make a mess when you turn it on. Clean the dust/mold around the vent opening itself, but I woulnd’t go reaching in there with anything. (But you may want to make sure that it’s not full of mold). Also, I know of two people who had their vents professionaly cleaned and both said that it was a waste of money. In both cases the cleaner only pulled out a small handful of dust from the entire house. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-dust-in-house-vents/320874/4 "2005-09-09T21:21:11Z")
Okay, so I guess it’s not always a waste of money, YMMV.