Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned Summary
Knowledge about air duct cleaning is in
its early stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered as to whether you should have the air ducts in your home cleaned. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urges you to read this document in its entirety as it provides important information on the subject.
Many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection, so ask the service provider to show you any mold they say exists. You should be aware that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold can be made only by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. For about $50, some microbiology laboratories can tell you whether a substance sent to them on a clear strip of sticky household tape is mold or just something that resembles it. If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it should be removed and replaced as it cannot be effectively cleaned. If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will recur.
Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses any risk to your health. You should consider having the air ducts

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