Last winter, I cooked salmon for dinner and the odor of it spread throughout the house. While the odor of our meal was pleasant in the kitchen, no one in the family was thrilled about it in their dining rooms. Even worse, the odor of fish lingered for afternoons. 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 hubby always sneezed every time the furnace started up, and my teenagers had suffered from more coughs, colds and sore throat than usual. I finally tied up an appointment with a local Heating as well as A/C corporation. When I explained my complaints, the supplier instantly inspected the ductwork. She found a significant buildup of contaminants inside the pipes. She 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 easy and not overly extravagant. The supplier provided a thorough duct cleaning. The process utilized what resembled an industrial-style vacuum cleaner and took multiple hours to complete. Not only did the duct cleaning get rid of the odors, however the household instantly felt fresher, cleaner and more comfortable. I’ve also seen a definite decrease in the cost of my utility bills.