Top 5 Contributors to Poor Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality can have a direct impact on our lives and our health. If you’re experiencing symptoms of poor indoor air quality, such as dryness and irritation of the eyes, headaches, fatigues, shortness of breath or sinus congestion, you should take some steps to make improvements. The first step in improving your home or office’s air quality, is understanding what contributes to poor indoor air quality in the first place.

There are many offenders when it comes to poor indoor air quality. Everything from dust and pollen to off-gassing furniture can contribute. We’ve narrowed down the top 5 worst offenders.

1. Dust & Dust Mites. Dust is one of the worst offenders. It seemingly comes from nowhere and covers everything if left alone for long enough. It can contribute to breathing and respiratory illnesses, allergies, skin problems, and more. Be sure to dust surfaces regularly to cut down on the amount of dust in your home. Air purifiers and vacuums with filters build in can help with this as well. Don’t forget to dust your blinds and bookshelf!
2. Off-Gassing. New household products such as furniture, countertops, cabinets, appliances, carpeting, and more can release VOCs and gases into the air including formaldehyde. When installing new furniture or other household items, you can open a window to allow for better air ventilation while the furniture off-gasses, or turn on an air purifier to help speed up the process.
3. Smoking. Cigarette smoke releases a wide range of chemicals such as formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, VOCs, and particulate matter. Avoid smoking indoors, or close to any vents, windows, or entrances, to improve your indoor air quality.
4. Pet Dander. We love our animal pals like family! But sometimes, especially certain breeds of cats dogs, and birds, can create dander and dust from skin and fur that can contribute to poor indoor air quality. If you have a furry or feathered friend, there are things you can do to mitigate this! Keep your pet’s area (crate, cage..) clean. Bathe your pet regularly - especially if they’ve spent a lot of time outdoors. Brushing dogs and cats,and keeping them groomed can also help cut down on fur and dander in the air. Vacuuming regularly also helps!
5. Garage Activities. If your home has an attached garage, the activities that take place inside of it can contribute to poor indoor air quality as well! Starting and idling a car, starting a lawn mower, operating a generator, cutting wood/carpentry, painting, etc. all release a variety of VOCs, including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and more. Try to ventilate your garage well and keep doors from your home to the garage closed and well sealed.

Air duct cleaning is number one in our list of steps to improve indoor air quality. Air ducts can become clogged with contaminants including any of the items listed above! Every time your heater operates, these toxins are fed through your heating system and into the air you breathe. Regular cleaning of your air ducts will eliminate these contaminants and drastically improve your home’s air quality.

In order to eliminate the threat of mould, bacteria or viruses in your ducts, we can also use our Benefact Herbal Based Sanitizer. The sanitizer contains thyme oil, an effective germ-killing ingredients that is less toxic than vinegar. Benefact kills over 99.99% of bacteria and surpasses Health Canada’s efficacy requirements for a broad range of disinfectants.

Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 Or 1-800-363-2563

Why You Should Clean Your Air Ducts This Spring

Ahhh Spring is finally here! With the days finally warm and sunny, you’re most likely going to want to open up your windows and get some fresh air inside. During the winter months you probably stayed indoors more often, with the windows closed and the air not getting much circulation. If you read our last blog post, you’ll know that this can really have a detrimental affect on your indoor air quality.

Spring is the perfect time to get your ducts cleaned for this exact reason. Especially since spring is a popular season for allergies outdoors, as pollen fills the air and the temperature fluctuates. You don’t want to compound your seasonal allergies with poor indoor air quality! Your air ducts are home to dust, dirt, mould, bacteria, flakes of skin, and other potential allergens. These contaminants are released into the atmosphere of your home, causing indoor air pollution, and environmental sensitivity.  The air ducts require periodic cleaning to reduce these airborne contaminants and to create a cleaner, safer home for you and your family.

You can make getting your air ducts cleaned a part of your regular spring cleaning. Cleaning your air ducts can have some major benefits.

· Removes accumulated dust

· Removes debris and cobwebs

· Increases the efficiency of your system

· Removes contaminates following construction or renovation

· Reduce odours caused by pet smell or pet hair

· Allows you to identify and remove any animal infestations

But the biggest and most important benefit is a dramatic improvement in indoor air quality. You’ll be able to breathe fresh, clean air! Our powerful truck mounted or portable HEPA vacuum systems are designed to handle any size of heating, air conditioning, or exhaust ducts, in homes, hi-rise buildings, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals and factories.

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Our certified technicians are experienced in cleaning all manner of systems. Our modern tools and equipment is among the best in the industry. Robots are used to inspect, clean, sanitize or encapsulate obscure confined spaces. Our Ventri Clean system is a high volume air knife that is used to slice through the dirt in your system. Rotating silica carbide brushes eliminate stubborn pollutants, airless sprayers are used to apply anti-microbial sanitizers and encapsulants.

Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 Or 1-800-363-2563

Remedy Excess Humidity In Your Home

The right amount of humidity in your home makes you comfortable and healthy… but too much humidity can cause many problems ranging from damage to your home, to damage to your health! If you notice your house has a humidity problem; condensation on the windows and walls, mould or mildew growth etc.. the first thing you should do is find the source of the humidity. Showering, doing laundry, and cooking all generate a lot of moisture that can accumulate and cause issues if not dealt with properly. Running exhaust fans while doing these activities can help reduce the humidity levels.

Humidity can lead to mould and mildew growth which can cause a slew of health problems

ranging from asthma and allergies, to mould toxicity.

If your heating system has a humidifier, the first thing to do is check the setting and make sure it is appropriate for the outside temperature. The colder the outdoor temperature, the lower the setting should be.

Below is a chart for suggested humidity settings.

OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE      RECOMMENDED RELATIVE HUMIDITY

-30C OR BELOW                         15%

-30C TO -24C                                 20%

-24C TO -18C                                 25%

-18C TO -12C                                 35%

-12C TO 0C                                    40%

You can run a dehumidifier to  reduce the humidity in your home. These are usually very effective and some models also purify and filter the air which generally improve air quality.

One of the best things you can do to improve ventilation and air quality indoors is to have your ducts cleaned.Your air ducts are home to dust, dirt, mould, bacteria, construction garbage, flakes of skin and hair. These contaminants are released into the atmosphere of your home, causing indoor air pollution, and environmental sensitivity.  The air ducts require periodic cleaning to reduce these airborne contaminants and to create a cleaner safer home for you and your family. Once they are clean and clear they will also do a better job at ventilating and therefore reducing the humidity in your home to an acceptable level.

Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 Or 1-800-363-2563

5 Ways to Improve Air Quality in Your Home

Indoor air quality starts to become a concern in winter months as we start to spend more time indoors, and less time opening windows to let in fresh air. Here are 5 tips to improving your indoor air quality and ensuring your family stays healthy all winter long.

Keep your house tidy

Regular dusting, sweeping, mopping, and wiping are all effective ways to keep the dust in your home at bay. You do not need to be obsessive about cleaning, but things like removing shoes when entering the house and dusting surfaces once a week will make a difference in your air quality.

Keep your pets bathed and groomed

Fido might be adorable but his dander and fur are not! And as the weather outside gets colder, your pet will most likely be spending more time indoors just like you. Make sure to brush and wash regularly, as well as wash any bedding or soft toys to keep the dander at a minimum.

Keep humidity down

Mould is a serious health risk in itself causing symptoms ranging from a runny nose to asthma attacks and other respiratory tract issues. Make sure the humidity in your home is under 30% in the winter and under 45% in the summer. Use ventilation and fans when cooking, showering, and other activities that generate moisture. Run a dehumidifier if you need to, and make sure there are no water leaks in your house.

Make use of Indoor plants

One NASA study showed that there are some plants that help to purify the air to an extent from chemicals that have been linked to eye irritation and headaches - benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, xylene, and ammonia. These chemicals can be found in seemingly innocent household objects such as napkins, cabinetry, paints, rubber, and household cleaners. Peace Lily and Florist’s Chrysanthemum are two of the most effective plants for helping to remove some of these toxins from the air.

Have your ducts cleaned

Your air ducts are home to dust, dirt, mould, bacteria, construction garbage, flakes of skin and hair. These contaminants are released into the atmosphere of your home, causing indoor air pollution, and environmental sensitivity.  The air ducts require periodic cleaning to reduce these airborne contaminants and to create a cleaner safer home for you and your family.

Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 Or 1-800-363-2563

What’s in Your Dust? How to Reduce Dust with Air Duct Cleaning

Ever wondered what’s in your home’s dust?

The dust in your home can contain up to 9,000 different microbes … including 7,000 types of bacteria and 2,000 varieties of fungi. And while the majority of the bacteria and fungi are harmless, some of them can be linked to allergies and illness.

“In a typical six-room home, up to 40 pounds of dust is created annually through everyday living.” – National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA)

Your heating and cooling system is the “lungs” of your home – it takes air in and breathes it out … pulling contaminants into your HVAC system and then recirculating them into the air. According to NADCA, this recirculation occurs on average 5 – 7 times per day, leading to a build-up of contaminants in your duct work.

Not only will you breathe in these contaminants on a daily basis, you’ll also be wasting 25 to 40% of your home’s energy! This waste of energy occurs because your HVAC system will have to work harder.

Dust accumulates inside your air ducts the same way as it can accumulate under a bed or couch. This dust is comprised of hair, flakes of skin, pet dander, lint, food debris, rodent droppings and construction debris. This dust can cause respiratory problems, trigger allergies and cause the system to be inefficient.

If you regularly dust and notice that your hard work is ruined only days later, or if you have a pet or have recently completed renovations, you should consider duct cleaning to remove the contaminants from the air.

To get started, simply give us a call and we will provide you with a free quote for residential duct cleaning services, based on the size of your home and an estimate of the home’s hot air vents and cold air returns. We can provide a written quote when needed.

From there, a typical residential cleaning takes approximately two hours. Our uniformed cleaning technicians will attach an eight-inch hose to your air ducts. All vents are sealed and then compressed air powered agitation tools are fed through the ducts. These tools operate on high pressure and high volume, as they travel through the ducts they brush and sweep all attached dust and debris. The loosened dirt and contaminants are sucked out of the air ducts by the powerful vacuum system.


Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 Or 1-800-363-2563.

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality and Reduce Allergens

Allergy season hit Ontario hard this year – in fact, it was reported that this year’s allergy season was one of the worst in years due to a combination of circumstances such as a snowy winter and delayed spring. What’s worse – an amalgamation of pollens has occurred, causing an increase in allergy symptoms ... and allergy season has just begun.

With such a high level of outdoor allergens, you may be spending more time inside. But did you know your home’s air quality may contain just as many allergens as outdoor air?

Indoor air pollution is just as likely to trigger an allergic response. Why? Because indoor air often contains higher levels of contaminants than outdoor air. Breathing in mold, pet dander, dust, animal droppings and pollen can lead to allergic reactions – and these contaminants may all be present in your air ducts.

When you turn on your home’s air conditioner, these contaminants are vented back into the air you breathe. If you find yourself experiencing symptoms of an allergic response, such as coughing, constant sneezing, a runny or stuffed nose, and itchy, watery eyes, while you are inside your home, it's time to implement some steps to improve your home’s air quality.

Step 1 | Clean Your Air Ducts

Cleaning your home’s air ducts will have a dramatic impact on your home’s air quality. Air ducts can be home to pet hair, dust, building materials, bacteria and fungal growth, which are fed throughout your home every time your HVAC system runs. Not only can these cause an allergic response, it can also cause respiratory infections and sickness, and create a dangerous fire hazard.

Step 2 | Buy Some Houseplants

There are certain houseplants that will not only improve the quality of air in your home, but will also collect pollen and pollutants in their leaves. The top plants recommended for relieving allergies are:

· Mums and Peace Lillies

· Golden Pothos and Philodendron

· Gerbera Daisies

· Areca Palm

· Lady Palm and Bamboo Palm

· Dracaena

These plants are known to remove toxins and allergens from the air.

Step 3 | Control Dust Mites

You can easily reduce dust build-up in your home by increasing the frequency of cleaning. Vacuum more often, or even consider removing carpeting and replacing with hardwood or linoleum flooring. In your bedroom, look for dust-mite proof covers and be sure to wash your bedding once per week. Consider choosing easy-to-clean furnishing such as chairs and dressers made of leather, wood or metal, and choose washable curtains made of plain cotton or synthetic fabric.

Step 4 | Stop Using Chemical Pollutants

Harsh chemicals, from your household cleaners to synthetic fragrances, can emit pollutants into the air. These chemicals circulate throughout your home’s air ducts and can linger in each room, causing you to continuously inhale harmful contaminants.

Step 5 | Reduce Humidity

Try to limit use of humidifiers and improve your home’s ventilation. Dust mites aren’t the only contaminant that thrives in humid environments; fungal contaminants like mold will flourish in moist areas.


Ready to take the first step in reducing allergens and improving air quality? Contact us today for a free quote for residential air duct cleaning!

Georgian Duct Cleaning is a family owned business in Simcoe County with over 20 years experience working with residential, commercial and industrial HVAC ducts. Call us for a free quote or for more information. (705) 722-5952 or 1-800-363-2563