Dust-busters!

Professional duct cleaning services have been launched in Bahrain to ensure the air inside homes is pollution-free and not making the inhabitants sick.

The service has been introduced by AJM Kooheji Group’s service centre ‘keeping customers’ health in mind’ considering the dusty weather conditions experienced on the island.

“Indoor air quality is one of the biggest concerns for homeowners who have ducts attached to the air conditioners for cooling,” explained Sanjeev Awasthi, COO, AJM Kooheji Group.

“In a typical household, up to 40 pounds of dust is created annually through everyday living. This is dangerous as your cooling system is the lungs of your household. The system takes air in and breathes air out.”

While the pollutants are different, indoor air is sometimes a greater health hazard than the air outside, according to analysts. Dirty air ducts are a breeding ground for viruses, dust mites, pollen and animal dander.

“Your central air system enables these airborne contaminants to re-circulate – causing illness and aggravating the symptoms of allergies and asthma,” added Mr Awasthi.

Professional air duct cleaning can remove these types of contaminants and improve indoor air quality – quickly and effectively, the company promises.

The AJM Kooheji Group’s service ISO 9001 certified-team uses specialised vipers, vacuums and brushes to clean out the supply-and-return ducts throughout the home. Duct cleaning also involves a thorough cleaning of the air handler, grills, fans, motors and housing of the HVAC system.

The team provides free duct inspections to capture and show tenants and owners the pictures of the invisible portion of each HVAC duct. It is up to customers whether to take the decision to go ahead with cleaning or to live with the bugs.

The company says its R5000 vacuum system is much more than an air duct cleaner. It boasts the power of an air scrubber for remediation work. A viper loosens the dust from the duct surface which later gets sucked by the vacuum.

Duct cleaning should be considered in particular for several reasons:
* Renovation: If your home has been remodelled – especially if there was asbestos abatement, lead paint removal, or major cleaning – your HVAC duct may as well need to be cleaned. Ducts attract dangerous dust and debris during painting and renovation.

* Animals: If you have pets at home, it is highly recommended to clean ducts every six months since pet hair gets deposited in ducts and it keeps circulating.

* Mould: If there is visible damage to ducts or its covering, probably there is growth of fungus inside the duct due to moisture or a water leak.

* Contaminants: If noticeable bad odours or other contaminants are being released into the room due to the neighbourhood, then the ducts may need to be cleaned.

* Illness: If someone in your family is suffering from an unexplained allergy-related illness, and you’ve taken every possible step to get it cured but still not successful, you may want to consider having your ducts cleaned to see if the HVAC system is the culprit.

Editor’s note: For free consultancy call 17400909, 39995370 or 36577466.