By Matthew Bennett

Air vents often remain unnoticed until something goes wrong with them. Since airflow goes through these areas, regular cleaning is important for you to keep the air in your home clean and free from dust and other impurities that may aggravate or trigger asthma, eczema or atopic dermatitis. A buildup of dust, dirt and grime can also cause disturbances in the airflow, clogging up the ventilation and making your house feel stuffy and claustrophobic. To avoid these problems, here is a simple step-by-step process for you to follow in cleaning your air vents.

  1. Start by cleaning the air vent grates. This is the easiest step to follow, and should be done regularly to minimize the inevitable buildup of dust. You can use a broom or the brush attachment of your household vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and dirt that has stuck to the air vent grates. If the air vents are located on the ceiling, be prepared to do some sweeping afterward. If the dust is persistent and stuck on the grate, you can use a moist microfiber towel to get rid of the persistent dust buildup.
  2. Unscrew the air vent covers and clean them thoroughly. This will be your chance to remove any rust and grime that has accumulated over time. When unscrewing the grates, make sure there are newspapers underneath to catch the bits of dust that will surely fall out as well. A simple washing gets rid of most of the dirt, but for the more annoyingly persistent grease and rust, you may have to soak the entire grate in a degreaser solution for several minutes. After soaking for around 15 minutes, use a brush to remove the dirt until it is clean enough for you. Peeling of the paint coat may occur, so don’t leave the grate soaked in the degreaser for too long.
  3. Take out your vacuum cleaner and suck out all the dirt that you can reach. Having unscrewed and removed the air vent grates, you can now reach the dirt inside the recesses of the air vent. Your vacuum cleaner will be enough to provide sufficient cleaning for most cases. Make sure to secure the attachments to the vacuum hose with tape: it is possible for you to lose these attachments if they fall off while inside the vent. Floor registers are particularly infamous for this problem. Do not forget to use a mask while doing this.
  4. Put the grates in their proper place and clean up the room afterward. Cleaning up an air vent will surely stir up a lot of dirt. Be prepared to clean the entire room afterward. Keep enough ventilation for the room: open all windows and doors to keep everything from becoming stuffy. Don’t forget to change the air filters as well.

Cleaning an air vent is a time consuming process, and will take a lot of patience to finish. Luckily, it does not have to be done regularly – cleaning once or twice a year is usually sufficient to maintain a decent level of cleanliness. If you are too overworked to do these steps, you may want to consider hiring a professional cleaning service.