5 Spring Cleaning Tips for Your HVAC System

It’s March, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning! As a homeowner, you probably have an idea of some of the annual home maintenance and cleaning tasks you’d like to complete this season. However, there’s one area homeowners often let slip: the HVAC system.

In this blog post, we’ve compiled a few of the most often-forgotten HVAC cleaning chores. To make your home extra clean and help keep your temperature control system in top shape, check these tasks off your list.

1. Change Out Your HVAC Air Filters

One of the easiest ways to keep your HVAC system running properly is to change out your air filters. Over time, these filters will get clogged and make it harder for air to flow between your heat source and the rest of the house. If you don’t change your air filters, your HVAC system won’t work properly.

Ideally, air filters should be changed out frequently, depending on the filter quality. However, if you’ve neglected this area of home maintenance, spring is a great time for a fresh start!

2. Clean Your Dryer Vents

For many people, cleaning the lint trap in the dryer is second nature. However, most of us don’t think about the dryer vent, which is the tube that runs from your dryer to the outside of your house. Over time, tiny bits of lint will escape out from the dryer into the vent, clogging it up and potentially causing a fire hazard.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year. Failure to clean the dryer is the leading cause of these fires. By regularly cleaning both your dryer vents and the lint trap, you can help prevent a potential catastrophe.

3. Dust and Clean the Exterior of Your HVAC System

Over time, dust, dirt, and other allergens will build up on the surfaces of your HVAC system. If you crack your windows more often as the weather warms, you may find that surfaces accumulate dust faster. A little bit of dusting and mopping can help you avoid a growing layer of grime.

Toxic mold can also grow around your air ducts and other parts of your climate control system. If you notice anything that looks like mold around your air ducts, take action to remove it before it gets worse.

4. Do Some Weeding

If you have a heat pump or air conditioner, you should take time every now and then to remove any weeds that may have grown around the outside unit. Weeds can inhibit airflow, which makes your HVAC system less efficient.

Ideally, you should have two feet of cleared space around any outdoor units for your HVAC system.

5. Get a Professional HVAC Cleaning

Spring is a great time to get your HVAC system cleared of all the debris that built up in winter, especially if you didn’t have it cleaned in the fall. Ideally, you should have your temperature control system inspected and cleaned at least once a year. You may also want to have your air ducts cleaned.

Annual maintenance helps you avoid breakdowns and keep your heating system working at peak efficiency. At Paragon, some of our customers find that their energy savings are enough to pay the cost of annual maintenance inspections, without taking into account their savings from fewer emergency repairs.

HVAC Maintenance in the Greater Seattle Area

At Paragon Heating and Home Comfort Solutions we serve homeowners in Snohomish and eastern King County. Our technicians are certified, trained, and highly experienced in HVAC systems, and we pride ourselves on a tradition of excellent customer service.

We are one of the only heating and air conditioning contractors in Snohomish and East King County that is open on Saturday. Contact us today for assistance with your HVAC needs.