Last winter, I cooked salmon for dinner and the odor of it spread throughout the house.
While the smell of our meal was pleasant in the kitchen, no one in the family was happy about it in their bedrooms.
Even worse, the smell of fish lingered for days. With outdoor temperatures down to twenty degrees, it simply wasn’t possible to open the windows and air out the house. I tried vacuuming, dusting and wiping down counters with antibacterial cleaners. I even vacuumed out the supply and return vents of the ductwork and changed the air filter in the furnace. I bought room deodorizers and burned scented candles. Nothing helped. The odor persisted. I also realized that there was an excessive amount of dust circulating in the air. My husband constantly sneezed every time the furnace started up, and my kids had suffered from more coughs, colds and sore throat than usual. I finally scheduled an appointment with a local HVAC company. When I explained my complaints, the technician immediately tested the ductwork. He found a significant buildup of contaminants inside the pipes. He said that this debris absorbs and retains odors. Whenever the furnace operated, harmful toxins and unpleasant odors were getting distributed to every room in the house. Fortunately, the solution was fairly simple and not overly expensive. The technician provided a thorough duct cleaning. The process utilized what resembled an industrial-style vacuum cleaner and took several hours to complete. Not only did the duct cleaning get rid of the odors, but the house immediately felt fresher, cleaner and more comfortable. I’ve also seen a definite decrease in the cost of my utility bills.