Should I Get My Heating Ducts Cleaned?

Q. I'm writing to you from Barbados, a place that never gets cold. Some homes here have heating ducts, and I'm wondering how are heating ducts cleaned? What are the benefits to a home from getting your ducts cleaned? (from James in Barbados)

A. Good question, James. Many homeowners want to keep their homes as dust-free as possible, and that includes eliminating pollens, pet hair, and other irritants from the air. It seems rather intuitive that you would want to occasionally clean the warm air -- or supply ducts -- as well as your cold air -- or return ducts. It makes sense to get rid of any nastiness in these sheet metal conduits just like you would vacuum your house or shampoo the rugs.

Unfortunately, cleaning your home's heating ducts haven't been shown by a number of scientific and independent studies to have much impact on better air quality. It's also not been shown to reduce energy costs, another common claim of duct cleaning companies. And why would that be? Experts tell us that people, pets, and other air polluters are constantly making their messes outside your home's heating ducts. Changing how clean your ducts are won't change that situation at all outside the ducts. And the energy cost reductions? Well, what dust or debris there may be in your ducts usually has zero impact on hot air flow or on the cold air return to your furnace or boiler -- unless you have a major obstruction in the ductwork.

Many commercial companies advertise big health benefits and energy savings from cleaning your ducts, but you should be sceptical. We found a great article from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Association, Should You Get Your Heating Ducts Cleaned?, and it raises doubts about the process except in some cases:

• Your house has a water problem and water has created mold in your heating ducts. You'll want to take care of the source of the moisture first, then have the mold removed from your ductwork.
• You are moving into new construction and you want to make sure that all construction debris is removed, from plaster dust and sheetrock screws to the odd left-behind worker's lunchbag, coffee cup, or soda can.
• There is a major blockage in the airflow from your furnace. Sometimes a good cleaning can remove sudden blockages, from whatever cause, in your system.
• Your return air registers seem to be accumulating a lot of debris and you want them to be cleared out. Return registers, with slower moving air, can become dirtier than supply ducts.

Use warm water and a common household cleaner (we prefer natural cleaners like inexpensive white vinegar) to clean your heating duct outlets and grates -- and feel free to reach into the duct with your cleaning. You might rescue marbles, pencils, and small toys that have fallen through the grates, too!

If you do have a company clean your heating ducts, for whatever reason you want professionals to make your ductwork squeaky clean (and many of our experts say you should save your money and skip the cleaning), make sure they are properly licensed and bonded workers and get some homeowner testimonials for the reliability of their work. Some companies use in-duct TV cameras to show you the spic-and-span results of their cleaning, and we like that proof that their work was done well.

One caution: some companies will try to sell you fogging or spraying services after the cleaning, and there are no biocide treatments that are endorsed by independent or government agencies. Save your money and resist purchasing such after-cleaning applications as they are not proven to be effective in eliminating or reducing bacteria or mold growth. In fact, such widespread spraying of chemical agents into your ductwork system is a bad idea for your home's air quality, and that's precisely why you would want your heating ducts cleaned in the first place. 

Photo credits: Matheson Heating, Steamatic Services of Joplin, Can Do Mechanical

What's Wrong With a Hotel Look for My Home?

Q. My interior designer just told me that my house looks like a hotel. So what's wrong with that? (from Marie Claire in Baltimore, MD)

A. Marie Claire, thanks so much for writing in. We have been observing that the decorating distinction between a fine boutique hotel -- featuring all the amenities of home -- and fine home design -- featuring suites of furniture and boutique hotel amenities -- is becoming quite blurred. We hope that changes.

Call us old fashioned, but we're of the school that says that unless you want to decorate to look like the Presidential or the Royal Suites at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, you should avoid having your home decor sing the Boutique Hotel Blues. Let's let some photographs do the talking, shall we? Here are some scenes from both suites at the Waldorf:

Contrast these pictures with photos from contemporary boutique hotels:

Did you notice the difference? At the Waldorf, designers chose eclectic arrangements, and each piece of furniture had a distinct contribution towards making not only the room function well, but for the entire design scheme to jump with joy. The boutique hotel photos showed matching and well-coordinated furnishings and accessories that robbed the rooms of any character or uniqueness. There is also a trend to design boutique hotel rooms with mid-century coolness, right down to the Jonathan Adler knockoff vases, and it's become so prevalent that Boutique Cool has morphed into Boutique Sterile.

Waldorf = Beauty & Personality

Boutique Hotel = Matchy-Match & Mass-Produced Look

Hospitality decorating, even in a wonderful boutique hotel, usually errs on making the same kind of furniture suites for multiple rooms, with the same kind of coordinating accessories and bedding. It's fine if you're traveling on business and you only have to stay in that environment for a day or a week, but it would be sheer boredom if you had to call this environment your home.

We recommend mixing up your design choices. Choose some inexpensive furniture and accessories, like a bookshelf from Target, a club chair from Crate & Barrel, the Horizons Studio buffet from Ethan Allen, and funky accessories from Urban Outfitters. Or go crazy at local auction houses and flea markets and get true "finds" that ooze quirkiness and warmth. Then go shopping for some antique and used furniture pieces that add patina and beauty to your rooms. We recommend spending more than you think you can afford to get a few very special things that will immediately become a room's focal point and conversation starter. Coordinate wall colors and coverings, window treatments, and accessories like rugs and pillows with your mix of items so they all come together as a whole.

And what if you had a few one-of-a-kind items for each of your rooms? New Yorker Pamela Bell's muslin upholstered sofa and wing-back chair got a revved-up look (see below) when she invited her child's entire class over to graffitti-it-up and embellish it with colors, autographs, drawings, and sayings. You won't find these furniture items in a hotel, but it's this kind of uniqueness and energy that makes a home something personal.

Diversify your design choices, listen to your decorator's good advice, and work with her or his vision to create a unique space that reflects you and your family's tastes and personalities. And know that you don't want to live in a hotel room when you can more comfortably and sanely have your own unique-looking home. Good luck!

Photo credits: About.com, Shoreham Hotel, Blue Ant Studio, Professional Travel Guide, NYTimes.com