If you live in some of the more mountainous communities in our area, you know summers are scorching, but winters can get chilly—cold enough that you probably have two separate wardrobes. This time of year, most folks have their summer clothes tucked away in the back of their closet because, obviously, they don’t need to reach for them too often. The problem with that is, if a homeowner hasn’t properly cared for a house’s HVAC system, those clothes could be getting covered in unsightly dust, damaging bright colors and delicate fibers.

Storage closets get dusty enough from lack of use without extra particles from poorly maintained ductwork also settling into them. Hall closets aren’t a highly trafficked area, especially not the very back of them where you keep your summer clothes over the winter. That’s why it’s really important to make sure you have clean ducts and vents throughout your HVAC system so your summer dresses and shorts don’t end up covered in damaging dust, September to April.

Dusty Damage to Clothes

I’ve been working with HVAC systems most of my life, which means I’m no stranger to dust—there’s a reason I don’t wear nice clothes to work. If too much dust gets into clothes, that dust has a tendency to not come out, especially if those clothes aren’t washed right away, like the ones in the back of closets.

You protect expensive clothing, like suits and evening dresses, with garment bags, but what about your casual summer wardrobe? No, you store those in the back of the closet, and you never worry that dust from your HVAC system will coat them like snow. And what about the other problem that comes along with dust—the smell?

Now, some dust-related clothing dilemmas can be taken care of with a wash, but you don’t want to have to throw your entire summer wardrobe into the washing machine the first time the temperature creeps up above 80 degrees, which, let’s face it, in our area is hard to predict. No, the easiest way to keep dust out of your clothes is to make sure you have healthy vents and ductwork, so the dust coming out of your HVAC system is kept to a minimum.

Where Dust Comes From

The first step in winning the battle against dust is to understand how it escapes from your HVAC system and into your home in the first place. Here are the two usual ways:

• Cheap air filters: You already know that an air filter with a good MERV rating is important. There are many different types of air filters, but, in general, all you need is a filter with a good MERV rating. The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value is a rating designed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers. By using MERV to select the best filtration method for your HVAC system, you can ensure that you’re making the right choice to keep dust out of your home.

It’s also important to make sure that you are changing your air filters as often as needed. In general, most filters need to be changed bi-monthly, because if your filter is ineffective or old, it won’t be able to do its job of keeping dust from getting into your closets and the rest of your home.

• Leaky ducts: It’s entirely possible that your HVAC system is actually sucking dust in from your attic or basement, then blasting it out into the other spaces of your home, like the bedrooms and closets. If an intake duct in your attic has a hole or a gap, for example, it can suck in dusty attic air only to push down into the main living spaces of your home. And there’s other places for dust to get into your ductwork, too, like the ground vents, if your home has them.

Know Your Ducts

The more you know about dust in your ductwork, the better chance you have to ultimately protect your clothes, and keep the air clean in your house. Normally, when we talk about reasons to make sure your air quality is top-notch, we talk about keeping you and your family healthy, which, to be sure, is a priority. But making sure your clothes stay crisp, colorful, and smell-free are added incentives to fix potentially leaky ductwork.

So, how do you start investigating the current status of your ducts? An HVAC professional has all the skills you need to find even the smallest leaks, and fix them fast, so you don’t have to worry about your summer clothes surviving the winter.

Keep the air in your home dust-free this winter by making sure your ducts are sealed and healthy. Call the professionals at Bell Brothers today to get expert service on your HVAC system.