Living With Pets: Dander, Hair and Your Ductwork

Dogs and cats bring a lot to a home. They also bring hair, dander, tracked-in dirt and the occasional chewed toy that disappears into a floor register. If you share your house with pets, your HVAC system deals with all of that every day.

This post covers how pet hair and dander move through your ducts, what you can do to keep it under control and when a professional cleaning is worth it.

What pets add to the air

Pets shed in two ways. There is the hair you can see, which collects in corners, on furniture and in tumbleweeds along the baseboards. And there is dander, tiny flakes of skin that are much smaller and stay airborne longer. Saliva and dried urine particles can also become airborne.

All of it moves with the air in your home. When the HVAC system runs, it pulls air through the return grilles, and pet hair and dander go along for the ride.

Where it ends up in the system

The return grilles. Returns pull air from the living space, often at floor level or low on the wall. If your dog sleeps near the hallway return, that grille is going to collect a lot of hair. You can often see it matted on the slats.

The filter. The filter catches much of what the return pulls in. In a home with pets, it can fill up noticeably faster.

The return ducts. Hair and dander that slip past the grille settle on the inside walls of the return ducts, especially at bends and along the bottom of horizontal runs.

The blower. If the filter is loose, missing or overdue, hair can reach the blower and coat the fan blades. That is a job for an HVAC contractor to inspect and clean.

Floor registers. Supply registers in the floor catch hair, food crumbs, litter and small toys that roll in.

How pets change your filter routine

A filter that lasts a few months in a pet-free home may need changing much sooner with a couple of shedding dogs. Some practical tips:

• Check the filter every month and replace it when it looks gray or furry, regardless of the schedule printed on the package.
• Use the highest-rated filter your system can handle without restricting airflow. Your HVAC contractor or the equipment manual can tell you what is safe for your furnace.
• Make sure the filter fits snugly in its slot so air does not bypass it.
• During heavy shedding seasons, usually spring and fall, check even more often.

Everyday habits that help

• Brush pets regularly, ideally outside, so less loose hair ends up in the house.
• Vacuum often with a vacuum that has a good filter, and pay attention to the floor around returns and registers.
• Vacuum the return grilles every couple of weeks. A brush attachment works well on the slats.
• Wash pet bedding regularly.
• Keep pets from lying on registers if you can. A pet bed right on top of a floor vent puts hair straight into the duct.
• Cover floor registers with a register cover that has a fine screen if small toys or litter keep disappearing into them. Make sure it does not block airflow.

If anyone in your household has pet allergies, talk with a doctor or allergist about how to manage them. Duct cleaning is not a substitute for medical advice, and the EPA notes that it has not been shown to prevent health problems.

When duct cleaning helps

Even with good habits, homes with pets can build up more hair and dander in the ducts over time. Consider a professional cleaning when:

• You can see hair and dust matted inside the return ducts with a flashlight.
• Hair or dust puffs out of the supply registers when the system starts.
• You moved into a home where the previous owners had pets, and you do not have pets yourself.
• Something got lost in a register, like a toy, and you want it out before it causes trouble.

A source-removal cleaning loosens debris from the duct walls and pulls it out with a strong vacuum. It can help remove built-up hair, dander and dust from the supply and return runs, so less of it gets moved around when the system runs.

Pure Green Air Duct Cleaning Arvada offers basic air duct cleaning for $199 for up to 10 vents, with $29 for each additional vent. If one or two returns near where your pets sleep are the main problem, deep duct cleaning at $59.99 per vent lets you target those.

Don't forget the dryer

Pet hair on clothes and blankets ends up in the dryer, and more of it gets past the lint screen than you might think. Clean the lint screen after every load and keep an eye on drying times. If clothes are taking longer to dry, the vent may need attention. Dryer vent cleaning is $99 for up to 10 feet of vent.

If your pets are leaving their mark on your ducts, request an estimate for your home in Arvada, CO.