Certified air duct cleaning matters

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What is NADCA?

NADCA is the National Air Duct Cleaners Association. It is the professional organization for companies engaged in the inspection, cleaning, and restoration of HVAC systems. It provides advocacy, education, certification, standards, and marketing for its members. It maintains an anti-fraud division to uncover and root out both those who falsely claim to be HVAC technicians or vent cleaners, and those vent cleaners who are only pretending to do work.

Why Is That Important?

When done correctly and thoroughly, cleaning and maintaining your HVAC system can be beneficial to your health and to the efficiency of your system. However, there are a lot of scammers who will pretend to do something and leave your system in a mess, or even damage it. When you think about choosing an air vent cleaning company, it is important to find one that is conscientious. But if you are like most people, this is not an area in which you have a lot of experience. How do you find a good provider of cleaning services? That is where NADCA comes in.

Members of NADCA are required to agree with and adhere to professional standards and ethics. Companies that are members of NADCA are required to have at least one NADCA certified Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (someone who has passed the NADCA Certification Examination) on staff, to maintain liability insurance, and to agree to clean according to NADCA standards and comply with the NADCA Code of Ethics.

The Code of Ethics includes requirements such as being honest and forthright in advertising, providing only necessary and desired services to their customer and not trying to sell them unnecessary services, staying up to date with equipment and training, and doing thorough work.

The United States Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) recommends using NADCA-certified HVAC professionals.

How Do I Find A Certified Company?

The best way to find out if the vent cleaning agency you are considering is a member of NADCA is to go to their website and use the “Find A Professional” tool. Current members in good standing within a particular distance of your search will be listed.

Alpine Specialty Cleaning is NADCA certified and qualified to provide you with excellent care for your HVAC system.

A Healthier Life: The Use of Plant Based Cleaners in the Home

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Plant based cleaners are becoming increasingly popular for house cleaning, and for good reason! Whether you’ve transitioned your home to a green-clean home or not, it’s worth knowing that not all plant-based cleaners were created equally. In fact, some still contain harsh and irritating chemicals like alcohol and fake fragrances.

 

At  Alpine Specialty Cleaning  we use Better Life cleaning products, and we’d like to show you why that’s important and what it means for you.

 

Environmental pollution

Green cleaners for house cleaning are safer for the environment as less toxic chemicals end up in landfills, soil, and drinking water for animals. However, even some green cleaners are not biodegradable, safe for marine life, or safe for wildlife – which almost defeats the purpose of green products. Better Life is not only biodegradable and safe for wild and marine life; it’s also packaged using recycled materials that are manufactured using mainly solar power.

 

Dyes, fragrances, and additives

Many green cleaners still use additives that are found in traditional cleaners such as alcohol, dyes, artificial fragrances, sulfates, or other chemicals that may not only be damaging to your respiratory system but are also toxic. This could be dangerous for you, your family, pets, and wildlife. Better Life does not contain any of the ingredients above and is non-toxic for everyone in (and out) of your home.

 

Animal testing

Some green products still test on animals, which is counterintuitive to how one usually thinks of green products. Better Life never tests on animals – so you can rest assured that no animals were harmed for the sake of a clean house.

 

Safer for you and your family

Not only are the Better Life products that we use safe for the environment, animals, and the Earth – they’re also safe for you and your family.

 

Want to find out more about our process? Get in touch with Alpine Specialty Cleaning today to see how we can make your home a healthier, cleaner, and greener place to be.

 

Cleaning Your Dryer Vent Is Important

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Cleaning Your Dryer Vent is Important

The vent for your dryer – that tube that goes from your dryer to the outside of your house – is not a thing that we think of cleaning very often. We clean out the dryer lint filter every load, but lint can also build up in the pipe to the outside, and even inside the dryer itself. There are many reasons why this is unsafe.

Risk of Fire

Lint is flammable, dryers run hot, clogged dryers even more so – the buildup could cause a fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are 2,900 dryer fires each year, causing 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and 35 million dollars worth of damage. Over a third of those are caused by dirty vents.

Decreased Efficiency

A clog in the dryer vent line can cause your dryer to be less efficient, requiring more time or even more than one cycle to dry clothes. Also, increased cycles and longer cycles cost more money in energy and in wear on the dryer and on the clothing.

Wear to Clothing

Clogged dryers may run hotter, causing more wear and strain on the fabric. Your clothes could wear out faster.

Longer Dryer Life

A dryer that has to work harder to dry clothes, and that runs hotter and longer, wears out faster. Keeping your vents cleaned out increases dryer life.

Mold

Dryers run with a lot of humidity at times. Clogged vents can have difficulty blowing all that moisture outside, and can even hold wet spots and puddles inside. Lint can soak up the humidity and get moldy. Soaked lint also compacts and sticks, and makes the clog worse and more difficult to clear.

It is important to make sure that not only your lint filter but also your dryer vent are clean and clear. As vents often have bends and wrinkles and connections that may not be clear, consider having them professionally cleaned at least once a year.

Alpine Specialty Cleaning specializes in dryer vent cleaning. Please click here: dryer vent cleaning for more information and a free estimate!

Why Use Deionized Water For Cleaning?

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To understand the benefits of cleaning with deionized water, first we must understand what exactly it is. Deionized water is water that has been processed through a filtration system that removes nearly 100% of all elements other than the hydrogen and oxygen that form the water molecule. Essentially, it is completely pure water, with a purity degree four times higher than that of distilled water.

When water is deionized, it draws in other minerals and elements, such as those found in dirt and contaminants. Since most of its mineral content is removed, it’s very “hungry” to acquire other components. It aggressively tries to compensate for the loss of its ions by taking them away from its surroundings. Because of its ability to easily remove “gunk,” it makes a great cleaning agent for a variety of surfaces such as windows, table tops, wooden surfaces, mirrors, baseboards, and even CARPET CLEANING. Since there are no minerals in deionized water, it leaves behind no residue, spots, or stains on surfaces. For those who are not using deionized water as a primary cleanser, it is an excellent second-stage rinsing agent highly effective in removing all trace amounts of cleaning solution left behind.

Using deionized water to clean with is a relatively new method. It uses no chemicals, as they are replaced by the water. When it comes to cleaning, deionized water is much more efficient than tap water. It’s environmentally friendly, due to its purity, making it one of the most note-worthy new trends in green cleaning.

If you’re interested in learning more or would like further details on our deionized natural cleaning methods, contact us at Alpine Specialty Cleaning today.

How Clean Is The Air Inside Your Home?

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Just because you don’t see any dirt or dust floating throughout your home doesn’t necessarily mean the air is clean. In its report titled “Targeting Indoor Air Pollution,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited indoor air pollution as being one of the top five environmental hazards. So, what can you do to improve the quality of air inside your home?

Maintain 40-50% Humidity

While most homeowners are familiar with the temperature inside their home, many ignore another important climate measurement: humidity. If the humidity is too high, mold and mildew will thrive. If it’s too low, you may experience dry skin and nose bleeds. To prevent problems such as these, maintain 40-50% humidity inside your home.

Houseplants

In addition to their aesthetic qualities, houseplants also promote clean air by filtering impurities. For a list of the top air-purifying plants, check out NASA’s Clean Air Study here.

Avoid Synthetic Fragrances 

Whether it’s a scented candle or air freshener, you should avoid fragrant products containing synthetic chemicals. Once burned, many of these chemicals are converted into toxic and more dangerous chemicals, such as acetone.

Vacuum

Of course, another simple yet effective tip to improve the air quality in your home is to vacuum the floors. Vacuuming at least once a week removes a significant amount of loose dust, dirt, pollen, mold, and pet dander (assuming you have a pet).

Clean the Air Ducts

Air conditioning and heating ducts are a haven for airborne pollutants. According to some sources, up to 40 pounds of dust is created in the average home. While some of this dust catches on the furniture and floors, it also accumulates inside the HVAC ducts where it slowly disperses back through the home.

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends cleaning your air ducts at least once every 3-5 years to reduce buildups of dust and other airborne pollutants.