Part of maintaining a safe and healthy home is ensuring everybody under your roof can breathe easily. Bad indoor air quality due to airborne contaminants can be the source of a number of issues, including respiratory problems and eye, throat, and skin irritation. If the air isn’t cleaned up and these health concerns persist, they can develop into more serious medical conditions.

A dangerous prospect in terms of air quality is mold in a home’s HVAC system. Homeowners in Durham, NC are especially at risk considering how hot and muggy the weather can be in the summertime. Moisture in the air can result in condensation in the air ducts. High levels of humidity can mean this condensation can accumulate rather than evaporate. This can turn your ventilation system into a breeding ground for mold, which is made all the more serious considering your air conditioning can spread it throughout your home.

Identifying signs of mold in your vents can be key to stopping it in its tracks. By spotting problems early, you can order duct-cleaning service right away. Here are a few signs of air duct mold homeowners should be looking out for.
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Visible Signs of Mold and Moisture
Probably the best way of making sure any mold problems don’t spread throughout your HVAC system is by conducting routine visual inspections.

Take a close look at your vents every once in a while, and pop off any grates if you need to see inside the ducts.

If you spot any signs of moisture or mold itself, you should contact an air quality company right away to deal with the problem.

There’s a Strange Smell In Your Home
“strongsmell”If you can’t see any sign of mold, you will certainly be able to smell it. The stench of mold is unmistakable.

If you’re not familiar with the odor, think rotting food or dirty gym clothes. Either way, you should be able to detect something is wrong with the air quality.

Also, if you can detect the smell throughout your home, especially as you get close to any vents, it’s a good bet there’s mold in the HVAC system.

Your Family Experiences Respiratory Problems
“healthissues”Contaminated air can make it difficult to breathe and in worst cases cause sinus and respiratory infections or increased asthma and allergy attacks.

If you or anybody in your family has suffered these afflictions while at home, there might be a problem with the indoor air quality.

Eye, throat and skin irritation is also a symptom of mold. If you catch yourself sneezing or wheezing more frequently, consider hiring an air duct cleaning company.