How To Clean Your Air Registers

Investing in simple HVAC repairs is always smart. You don't need to spend a lot of money or do much technical work to dramatically increase the efficiency of both your heating and air conditioning. Not only that, you can usually improve the quality of air that is being circulated in your home. This is especially important if there is anybody in your household who suffers from allergies. Perhaps the easiest, and most important, DIY job you can do to improve air quality and airflow is to clean your air registers. It is probably a good idea to clean your air registers every year. This article explains the best way to do it.

Removing Your Registers

First of all, you need to remove your existing air registers from the wall. Most are attached with basic bolts. So they are easy to remove with a power drill. However, removing them will cause the paint to chip off. The best solution is to simply buy new bolts when it comes time to reattach your registers. Also, you might need to cut away any paint or caulk that is sealing the edges of your registers. In most cases this isn't an issue, but some painters will paint right over the registers, and possibly caulk the edges. Either way, once the screws are removed and you cut along the edges, your registers should pull right off of the wall.

Clean the Registers

The best way to clean the registers depends on what material they are made out of. Plastic, fiberglass, and vinyl registers are waterproof so you can easily clean them by soaking them in your sink. In fact, you can use dishwashing soap and a scrub brush to easily clean both sides of your registers in between each individual vent. If you happen to have wooden registers, you obviously don't want to soak them in so much water. Instead, just wipe them down with a damp rag.

Inspect and Clean you Ducts

While your registers are removed from the wall, you should inspect them closely. Use a flashlight to look deep inside and pay attention to the sidewalls. If you notice dust or mold buildup inside your ducts, you should probably call in professionals to clean them. Duct cleaning is not particularly difficult if you have the right tools. If you do have a pole and duct cleaning brush, you might as well clean them yourself. However, if you do decide to let professionals come and clean them, you will be able to get a better bid since your air registers are already removed from the wall.

As you can see, this is simple work that is basically free and doesn't take up too much time. For more in-depth maintenance and repairs, reach out to a professional like Cape Fear Air Conditioning & Heating Co., Inc.


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