Unfortunately, dust tends to gather in your home, especially when the windows are shut and you are nestled in for the chilly winter months. Everything that has settled in the nooks and crannies of your home is being constantly circulated around, and your family and friends are breathing this particulate matter. The typical home has a number of different pollutants in the air ducts that gets blown into the environment. Mold, dust (and dust mites), dirt, bacteria, decomposing vermin, pest droppings, and other microbial particulates become part of the air that you are breathing, and these airborne intruders are especially hard on children.

Dirty air ducts result in an unpleasant environment for everyone, but they are especially harmful to people who suffer from asthma and certain types of allergies. So even if nobody in your family seems to be showing any symptoms of a reaction to the quality of your indoor air, guests who may to vulnerable to these allergens could well be affected. The last thing you want to see around the holidays is a friend or family member having an asthma attack or an allergic reaction due to the air that they are breathing in your home.

The colder months are also a time when there are viruses going around, and the cleaner your home is the better. Everyone should have their air ducts cleaned regularly, and the holiday season is a perfect time to schedule a duct cleaning. You ensure the health of your family and guests, and you start the new year off on the right foot with fresh, clean air ducts and vents. Besides, if you don’t have a chimney…how do you think Santa gets in?

Happy Holidays from Atlanta Carpet & Duct Cleaning! We urge you to give us a call at (770) 806-6006 to schedule your Atlanta duct cleaning appointment to prevent indoor air pollution.

Many of us think that the only voting that we do is at the polls, but that is not the case. We vote every time we spend a single dollar, so we should always choose wisely when we decide to patronize a company. Who deserves your business, or “vote,” as it were? If you care about the environment, you would want to contract the services of an Atlanta carpet cleaner who utilizes green, eco-friendly cleaning solutions. If you are concerned about the local economy and making sure that your neighbors have jobs (so they can spend and support your business in turn) it would make sense to support local businesses that give back to the community rather than national franchises. Let’s look at a few of the factors that people should consider when choosing a carpet cleaning company in Atlanta.

Experience Counts
There is no substitute for experience, and there are so many different types of carpets and upholstery on the market today it is especially important in the field of carpet cleaning. The more jobs you have completed successfully, the more you understand how to approach each subsequent assignment.  Plus, if you as a consumer select a carpet cleaning company who has been in business for a number of years, you can be pretty confident that they are satisfying their customers consistently.

Support Local Businesses
There are companies out there who do business in a number of markets around the country who try to present the appearance of being local, and many times the owners of these companies actually know nothing about the industry. They hire people with little to no experience and then turn them loose on your carpet. There are also the franchises that are bought by people who have some money to invest, but no background whatsoever in the cleaning of carpets. It is best to avoid these opportunists and do business with long standing, local professional carpet cleaners who have a history of customer satisfaction in the Atlanta area.

Seek Referrals
Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and it is always a good idea to pick the brains of family members and friends to see which Atlanta carpet cleaning company they recommend. When you have visited someone’s home and recognize that they always have a nice clean, fresh smelling carpet, you may want to ask them who is maintaining their carpet and give that company a call!

Summary
When choosing an Atlanta carpet cleaner, keep these key points in mind:

• Experience

• Training

• Certifications

• Modernity of Equipment

• Eco Friendly Cleaning Solutions

• Customer Satisfaction Rating

• Referrals/Reputation

• Support Local Businesses

When you analyze the above criteria, it is hard to look past Atlanta Carpet & Duct Cleaning. We have been in business for over 20 years, and over that time we have built our business on positive word of mouth advertising and referrals. We use nothing but state-of-the-art, truck mounted equipment, and we are committed to the exclusive use of environmentally friendly cleaning products. We are a family owned and operated business and we live, work, and play right here in Atlanta, so we are constantly giving back to the local economy and helping to strengthen the economic foundation of the community. All of our technicians are licensed, bonded, and insured, and we are committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Atlanta Carpet & Duct has been the wise choice for Atlanta homeowners for more than two decades, and we look forward to continuing to build on our reputation for many years to come. Give us a call at (404) 496-5549 to schedule a service appointment or to request a free estimate.

A technician who worked for a carpet cleaning service was cleaning the carpets at a commercial location using truck mounted equipment. He parked the truck in the warehouse that adjoined the offices that he was contracted to clean, and of course he had the cleaning equipment running in the enclosed warehouse. This type of system is fueled by gasoline from the fuel tank, and tragically, the worker succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning and passed away without ever noticing that he was in any sort of peril.

We can all recognize the need to protect ourselves from dangers that we can see, but carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because it is colorless and odorless. Since we are Atlanta chimney sweeps as well as carpet and duct cleaners, we are acutely aware of the fact that creosote deposits that accumulate on the sides of your chimney can inhibit proper exhaust ventilation, and aside from being a fire hazard, that gas can make its way back into your house if the pathway out of the chimney is not clear.  Literally thousands of people die from carbon monoxide poisoning each and every year, and countless more experience lesser degrees of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by dirty chimneys.

This is the time of year when every responsible homeowner needs to have a qualified Atlanta chimney cleaning company come out and make sure that your chimney and fireplace are clean and free of potentially life threatening creosote deposits. Call Atlanta Carpet and Duct at 770-806-6006 or contact us through this website for more information or to set up an appointment for chimney sweeping in Atlanta and vicinity.

Everyday household products are one of the most common and overlooked causes of indoor air pollution. Most of the typical products that we use to clean our homes, wash our clothes, and keep our bodies clean and fresh contain countless combinations of toxic chemicals that can impact our indoor air quality. As a duct and carpet cleaning company, we do a lot of research on the subject, and the American Lung Association offers the chart below that breaks down the common household products that cam diminish your indoor air quality.

If you take notice of the last type of household product that is covered in the chart, certain types of carpet and upholstery chemicals can have very harmful health effects. This is why Atlanta Duct Cleaning uses nothing but non-toxic, organic, environmentally friendly cleansing solutions. The green cleaning products that we use are tough on dirt, but very gentle on the environment.

The best defenses against the potentially damaging effects of these products is to use non-toxic versions, but if you do have to use them, use only as much as you need. Always make sure that you read the instructions and warnings on the labels, and when you can, contract the services of a professional who utilizes environmentally friendly alternatives to toxic chemicals.

The best way to keep your carpets and ducts clean without worrying about toxic chemical contamination is to contact the green cleaning team at Atlanta Carpet & Duct. We are standing by to serve your carpet and duct cleaning needs and we can be reached at (404) 509-8591.

Source: LungUSA.org

Okay, so we breathe dust…well, what exactly is dust made of? The fact is that dust is in many instances comprised of living microscopic organisms, most notably, dust mites. These mites are one of the primary causes of allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, one gram of dust can contain as many 19,000 dust mites. Dust mites thrive in a humid climate. They cannot live when the humidity is less than around 40%; when it is up around 75% and above on a regular basis, dust mites thrive.

So when you see that seemingly harmless dust drifting by, you have to realize that there is more going on there than meets the eye. If you or a family member suffer from any allergies or bouts with asthma, this dust is likely to be a major contributing factor.

You might think that dusting and vacuuming a lot are the best ways to control dust and the dust mites that are partially comprising it but, in fact, this does not do the trick. It actually circulates even more dust that had previously been sitting dormant. What you need to do is address the problem at its source.

A lot of dust accumulates in your air ducts, and of course air is constantly being pushed through them. They act to propel the dust, and in turn the dust mites, throughout your home and into the air that you are breathing. This is one of the primary reasons that you need to have an experienced and qualified professional technician clean your air ducts frequently. Imagine what your furniture would look like if you never, ever dusted it. That kind of buildup is right up there in your ducts if you aren’t having them cleaned regularly.

Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning specializes in dust mite removal, and here in Atlanta, due to the high humidity, it is all the more important to have your air ducts cleaned regularly. We use a non-toxic, non-allergenic, organic solution that eliminates dust mites and other allergy causing microorganisms safely and effectively. Give us a call at (770) 806-6006 to eliminate dust mites at their source and improve the quality of the air that you and your family are breathing.

1. Be careful when you are drying clothes that have have been exposed to flammable substances.

If you have some clothing that has absorbed potentially flammable chemicals, you need to be very certain that these garments have been thoroughly washed before you put them into the dryer. You might want to wash these items more than once, and if you aren’t sure whether or not they are completely safe to put in the dryer, you can always hang them out to air dry.

2. Make sure that the area around the dryer is clean and free of lint.

It is important to make sure that lint is not building up around the dryer, and this is especially true of the area between the back of the dryer and the wall. You may not think to clean back there, but if there is a buildup of lint behind your dryer and some sparks happen to fly, the result could be disastrous.

3. Use metal duct to avoid kinking.

When you use the plastic or foil ducting that is flexible it can kink and lint often builds up in the resultant “elbows,” gradually blocking the flow of air. If you do use these types of ducting, be aware that when you twist it or turn it at an angle you may be limiting the ability for air to flow through it smoothly. Use common sense and make sure that your ducts are facilitating an unobstructed air flow.

4. Remember to clean the lint screen every time you do a load of clothes.

It’s easy to forget about the lint filter, but it needs to be cleaned every time you dry a load of clothes. If you are wondering how important it is to get the lint out of a very hot machine, do you know that lint is commonly used as a fire starter?

5. Have your dryer vent and duct cleaned by a professional.

It is very difficult for the typical home owner to effectively clean their own dryer ducts and vents, and this is one of the reasons why many households are at risk. Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning specializes in dryer vent cleaning, and we would be more than glad to keep your dryer safe with a thorough cleaning of your exhaust system. A little bit or home fire prevention goes a long way.

Asthma Awareness Month is necessary because the enormity of this epidemic cannot be overstated, but the public at large does not realize how many people this disease is affecting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are approximately 23 million asthma sufferers here in America, and in just the last year alone 12 million of them have had an asthma attack. Sadly, 6.8 million of them are children.

There is a lot of talk in the news about health care costs, and asthma is a major contributor. This chronic disease accounts for almost 17 million trips to doctors’ offices or hospitals annually, and asthma attacks result in an additional 2 million visits to hospital emergency rooms.

When people have an asthma attack, simply put, they feel like they can barely breathe because the airways to their lungs become inflamed and they narrow. Fortunately, there are treatments available, but at present, there is no cure for asthma.

You might think that it is much safer for asthma sufferers in their homes than it is outdoors, but the EPA has estimated that indoor air can typically be some 70% more polluted than the air that we breathe outside. For people that suffer from asthma, this is not good news, because the typical American spends about 90% of his or her time indoors, and unfortunately, most homes are full of asthma triggers.

Asthma triggers are the pollutants and allergens that we come in contact with around the home. Some of the most common and ubiquitous asthma triggers are dust mites, secondhand (and thirdhand) smoke, mold, common household pests (cockroaches in particular), dogs and cats (skin flakes, urine, and saliva), and Nitrogen Dioxide, a gas that comes from wood burning stoves, fireplaces, and other indoor heaters that burn fuel.

The primary purpose of Asthma Awareness Month is to help people understand what they can do to alleviate these asthma triggers and stop asthma attacks before they start. At Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning, we are dedicated to eradicating asthma triggers throughout the homes of our customers. We use specially formulated eco-friendly, organic cleansing solutions and commercial grade equipment, and our certified technicians have the experience and expertise that it takes to keep the air that your family is breathing fresh, clean, and free of airborne allergens and pollutants. Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning staunchly advocates asthma awareness, and we invite you to give us a call if you would like to be certain that your home is free of harmful asthma triggers so you and you are family can breathe safely and easily.

Many of the causes of poor indoor air quality are also what are known as asthma triggers. People who suffer from asthma react to airborne pollutants and allergens that they breathe, and these “triggers” are what causes of the onset of an episode of asthma. Maintaining the quality of the air in your home has everything to do with simultaneously maintaining your health, but when you or a family member has asthma, it is vital.

Asthma is defined as a chronic medical condition, and there are about 23 million asthma sufferers in America today. Overall, poor indoor air quality has a greater impact on children than it does on any other age group, and part of this statistic stems from the fact that nearly seven million children have asthma.

Though asthma is an across-the-board problem that affects everyone, minorities are especially susceptible to asthma. African Americans are three-and-a-half times more likely to visit the emergency room due to an asthma attack than are Caucasians, and the asthma death rate for African Americans is double that of Caucasians. Hispanics, particularly those of Puerto Rican descent, are also more frequent victims of asthma than Caucasians.

All of the factors that contribute to poor indoor air quality that we are going to discuss can be asthma triggers, but they are also common allergens. They can cause a host of symptoms, such as eye, ear, nose and throat irritation, dizziness, listlessness, undue fatigue, and headaches. Indoor pollutants can also contribute to a condition that is known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis occurs when the body’s immune system triggers an inflammation of the lungs, or to the airways that lead to the lungs. This condition is caused by breathing the particulate matter that is circulating in the air that you breathe. These allergens include the biological pollutants that we will be highlighting in some detail in the next section. Symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis include chills, coughing, fever, aches throughout the body, and shortness of breath.

Let’s look at some of the primary causes of poor indoor air quality and evaluate what a certified carpet and duct cleaning technician can do to eliminate these allergens and pollutants before they can take root in your home and cause or aggravate serious health problems.

Biological Pollutants

Biological pollutants are substances that are either living, or are the remains or byproducts of a living organism. When you imagine yourself, or your children, breathing these contaminants, it is somewhat startling. However, these biological pollutants are the primary causes of the poor air quality that leads to so many health problems. It is worthwhile to note that they are all very common asthma triggers, and they are ubiquitous throughout almost every home.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are tiny insects that cannot be detected by the naked the eye, but the fact is that even though you can’t see them, you can rest assured that they are there, usually by the tens of thousands. They feed on the dead skin of people and pets, and they make their homes in your mattresses, pillows, upholstered furniture, drapes, children’s stuffed toys, and especially, in your carpet. One square foot of carpet can play host to as many as 30,000 to 40,000 dust mites. Plus, these mites leave behind upwards of twenty dropping per day, so we are talking about a very big little mess.

These dust mites are one of the primary reasons why we recommend a regular regimen of carpet and upholstery cleaning. It is not just a matter of keeping your home looking good and prolonging the life of your expensive furniture and costly carpet. It is a health issue. Considering the fact that approximately one in thirteen Americans suffers from asthma, it is safe to estimate that every two or three households contains someone who is prone to asthma attacks. Calling an experienced, professional carpet and upholstery cleaning company to rid your home of these pests on a regular basis is an absolute must, and the small price that you pay to keep your carpet and upholstery dust mite free is negligible considering the value of the health of your family.

Mold

Where there is moisture, there may well be mold, and it is very common to find mold in the air ducts of people’s homes. Mold reproduces through the production of microscopic spores, and these spores circulate around the home in the air that you are breathing. When you are not inhaling them, they are landing on any and every surface throughout your home, and they can grow on just about anything.

Breathing mold spores can cause asthma attacks and allergic reactions, so it is vital that you have your air ducts cleaned by a licensed indoor air quality specialist. Quality air duct cleaning companies utilize state-of-the-art equipment and eco-friendly organic solutions that rid your ducts of mold and create an environment that is unfriendly to future mold growth.

Thirdhand Cigarette Smoke

We have all heard about the dangers of the secondhand smoke that you can see lingering in the air when you are in a room where people are smoking. All around the country legislation has been passed to make smoking in public places against the law so that non-smokers are not subjected to the risks associated with secondhand smoke, which include heart disease and lung cancer. There isn’t much that a carpet and duct cleaning company can do to prevent people from smoking, but there is a new phenomena that is occurring that we can help with, and it is called “thirdhand smoke.”

Secondhand cigarette smoke contains some 4,000 different chemical compounds, and some are toxic; others are actually carcinogenic. These chemicals do not disappear when the smoke does. They waft invisibly through the air (for as long as months), and the chemicals land on all of the surfaces in the room and get embedded in your carpet and upholstery. This is what is called thirdhand smoke.

Thirdhand smoke can be an extreme irritant to allergy sufferers, and it is a very common asthma trigger. If you have smokers in the home, you will invariably have thirdhand smoke soaking into your upholstered furniture and carpet. Only a professional carpet cleaning company is going to have the commercial grade, truck-mounted equipment and potent, concentrated cleansing solutions that it takes to remove these toxic chemicals from your carpet and upholstery.

Flood Cleanup

When you have a home flood, you are in emergency mode and the last thing that you are probably thinking about is the quality of your indoor air. Whether the cause is a severe weather condition outdoors, or an internal problem like a broken plumbing pipe, a defective water heater, or some other faulty appliance, your first thought is to stop the flow of water, and rightly so. However, when the clean-up begins, it is important to be certain that you do not inadvertently leave behind a breeding ground for mold.

As we have previously stated, mold grows in conjunction with moisture. If you try to dry out your carpet on your own, it is very likely that you will be unable to effectively remove all of the moiture from every nook and cranny of the carpet and its backing and padding. This is the perfect environment for the proliferation of mold. A certified emergency water response technician will be able to identify the proper approach to your clean-up job and be certain that your carpet is perfectly dry and mold-free. When you have an indoor water emergency, you want to put it completely behind you and not start to see and smell mold throughout your home a week or two after you think you have cleaned up the mess.

Carbon Monoxide

One last indoor air quality issue that we would like to highlight is that of the dangers of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas, and that makes it especially dangerous because when it is present you don’t know that it is there. CO comes from unburned fuels and blockages in your chimney, so the way that it commonly enters your environment is through fireplaces and woodstoves. Having your chimney regularly cleaned by an experienced technician is a must if you want to be certain that you are not being exposed to carbon monoxide. CO is an air quality issue that is potentially lethal, so we really can’t overemphasize how important is to keep your chimney clean and free of creosote and other obstructions.

We all like to keep the environment that we are living in aesthetically pleasing, and we all know how good it feels when our homes are nice and clean and everything is in its place. However, it is really surprising when you learn about all of the factors that contribute to indoor air quality, and you may start to realize that perhaps some of the health problems that you are experiencing may have something to do with the air that you are breathing in your home. There is a lot that the average homeowner can do on his or her own to prevent poor indoor air quality, but to have complete peace of mind, you are really going to have to enlist the services of a professional indoor air quality specialist.

The good news is that Atlanta Carpet and Duct Cleaning has been keeping our customers’ homes free of dust mites, mold, and other biological pollutants for over twenty years.  It is a matter of the health of your family, and this is why we take our jobs to heart. We have been serving the Atlanta, Georgia area for a very long time, and our customers stay loyal and recommend us to others, and we appreciate their support. Why do they do this? Because we do quality work at affordable prices, and because they know that we care about their well being.

We hope that we have been able to pass along some good information about indoor air quality, and we look forward to keeping the air that you breathe safe, clean, and free of pollution. For carpet and air duct cleaning in Atlanta with an emphasis on indoor air quality, call Atlanta Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning, and when we are finished, you will truly be able to breathe easy.

1.) Carpets are Expensive

When you make a big investment in something, you invariably want to keep it clean and looking good. This is why you see the car washes full each weekend, and why people have their expensive suits dry cleaned. When you look around your house and you do the math, you will find that your carpet is one of the larger investments that you have made. You would never think about not cleaning any other part of your home, and your carpet is exposed to myriad soiling agents, like pet stains and hair, assorted spills, and daily doses of whatever happens to be on the bottom of your shoes. Your carpet cost you a lot of money and it is very expensive to replace, so the relatively small price that you pay to keep it clean is money well spent.

2.) Carpets Need Maintenance

Like any other valuable possession, your carpet needs regular maintenance. If you are committed to a regular carpet cleaning schedule, your carpet will never become so soiled and stained that it gets “past the point of no return.” Plus, when one of our certified carpet maintenance technicians examines your carpet, he or she may see a rip, a tear, or a loose seam that can be easily repaired if it is addressed immediately. However, these types of things can lead to permanent damage if they are ignored, and yes, you will have saved a few dollars on carpet cleaning and simple maintenance. However, if you fail to take proper care of your carpet, you will find yourself spending thousands instead.

3.) Doing It Yourself Can Cause More Harm Than Good

As professional carpet cleaners we are often called upon to clean up and/or repair damage after someone has tried to clean their own carpets. What happens is that too much soapy water gets into the carpet, and the amateur equipment that people buy or rent does not provide strong enough suction to get it all out. A soapy residue remains in the carpet, and it acts as a magnet for all sorts of dirt, and at times, the backing and padding will become saturated and create a whole host of additional problems.

Problems also arise with the types of cleaning solutions that do-it-yourselfers use. Half the time they are not concentrated enough to get the carpet clean at all, and the rest of time they are too harsh and they can damage the carpet’s sensitive fibers. Professional carpet cleaners use environmentally safe solutions that are at once strong enough to cleanse the carpet thoroughly, but gentle enough to do no harm. Our licensed, insured, and bonded carpet cleaning technicians have worked with all types of carpets, and there are many different fibers out there and varied types of stains and quantities of soil build-up. The layman has no way of knowing which solution and cleansing technique is called for in a given situation, and they often wind up doing more harm than good.

4.) Having Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned Extends Their Life & Allows for Gentler Options

Having your carpets regularly cleaned by a professional carpet cleaning technician is simply going to save you far more money than it costs you in the long run, plus, it improves the quality of your day-to-day life. Your carpet absorbs a lot of wear and tear on a daily basis, but it was designed to do so. It will last a long time as long as you stick with an intelligent carpet maintenance schedule, and our seasoned technicians can prolong the life of your carpet through the utilization of powerful but gentle, state-of-the-art carpet cleaning solutions and truck mounted equipment.

Paying for carpet cleaning is a part of life, but the good news is that when you call Atlanta Carpet Cleaners, it costs you a little to save a lot down the road. We will give you an accurate estimate and leave your carpet looking spotless and smelling better than new. Don’t allow your carpet to get old before its time. Call the pros at Atlanta Carpet Cleaners, and after we are through, you’ll understand why we have been the carpet cleaners Atlanta has relied on for the last 25 years and counting.

If you have one or more of the following conditions, you should have your ducts cleaned either once or twice a year:

- You can see particles such as dust floating in the air. - Your home contains smokers - You have pets in the household - The area that you live in is known for its high pollen count - Your area live has high levels of moisture or humidity - You have recently completed a home renovation project or you have just purchased a newly constructed home - Frequently use chemical cleaning products - The home has suffered flood damage. - You live near industries that emit a lot of smoke and other pollutants. - There are rodents such as mice and rats running through the ducts

Contaminants in your ducts can affect your health. As the particles blow through the home, occupants are at a high risk of inhaling them. This can lead to such health problems as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, sinus problems, constant coughing and sneezing, severe allergies, headaches, and sleep problems.

The benefits of having your ducts cleaned include:

1) Good for your Heating/Cooling System: Most duct system failures occur because of an accumulation of dust and dirt. By cleaning your ducts, your system will be more efficient which will lower your heating/cooling costs. The EPA states that, ‘a buildup of .042 inches of dirt on heating or cooling coil can result in a decrease in efficiency of 21%.’

2.) Healthier Environment: Cleaner air helps reduce the incidents of lung problems such as asthma. Your sinuses will clear and you will not be constantly breathing and coughing. You will generally feel better. You will also not be breathing in bacteria, fungi, and other hazardous microorganisms. Your house will stay cleaner because there will be less dust and dirt on the floor and furniture. Your pets will be healthier and breathe easier.

3) Healthier Children: If you have children, you know that they need to eat healthy and get regular exercise so they can grow to be healthy adults. Because children’s immune systems are developing, they are at a higher risk of illnesses. Having clean indoor air will help them breathe easier and stay healthy.

4.) High Risk Individuals: People who already have a health condition such as asthmatics and the elderly will benefit from having clean air ducts. They will breathe better and the risk of developing a respiratory illness will be reduced.

When choosing a duct cleaning service provider, make sure they are certified and have experience cleaning ducts. According to the EPA: ‘A careless or inadequately trained service provider can damage your ducts or heating and cooling system, possibly increasing your heating and air conditioning costs or forcing you to undertake difficult and costly repairs or replacement.’

Once your air ducts have undergone a thorough cleaning by a trained professional, there will no longer be any contaminants being blown throughout the home. You will quickly notice the change as you will find yourself breathing much easier. We all want to do our part to keep the environment clean. Because we spend so much time in our homes, it just makes sense to have clean air.