Duct cleaning is one of those tasks that it's easy to forget about. Since ducts and vents are often overlooked, many homeowners might not even remember the last time they had them attended to. The fact is, however, that duct and vent cleaning may have health advantages, and might even reduce your energy bills and extend the life of your forced air system.

Vent and Duct Cleaning and Indoor Air Quality

One thing to consider when you're thinking about vent and duct cleaning is the fact that indoor air quality is decreasing.

Revitalize your hibernating home with simple suggestions.

1. Work from the top down, inside to outside, to avoid getting what you just cleaned dirty again.
2. Do one room, even one area of one room, at a time to avoid unfinished jobs. The satisfaction of seeing one room sparkle will make the hard work feel like it's worth the effort.
3. When tidying, reduce trips around the house by temporarily depositing items in one spot en route to but not at their final destination.
4. Do two things at once. While laundry is going, scrub the shower stall.

Before we answer that question here are some interesting facts about the amount of microbes that can build up in the home and they may surprise you:

• People lose nearly 1,000,000 skin particles every 24 hours.
• 50 to 100 strands of hair are lost from the average human head every day.
• The allergens adhering to dog and cat fur can maintain their strength for months.

Aside from looking nice in your home, carpets and rugs actually perform a variety of useful functions such as trapping many of the airborne contaminants mentioned above and keeping them out of the air that you breathe in.

With the warmer weather approaching and spring around the corner it's time to improve your indoor air quality. This year colds, flu and viruses lingered. If your family suffered from sickness or experiences allergies it is important that you freshen up your air quality. During the winter air becomes stale due to the lack of air movement and having your home closed up. Take advantage of the nice air this week and open up your windows.

Here are three things you can do inside your home now to get a jump start on your spring cleaning and improve your indoor air quality:

• Start from the bottom - Your floors are one of the easiest places for dust to accumulate.

It's time for some Spring Cleaning. Stop using harsh chemicals and discover the power of white vinegar. It's cheap, it's natural, and it's tough on bacteria, mildew, and dirt. Read on for some smart vinegar cleaning tips for every room in your home.

Kitchen

Refrigerator: Definitely skip the toxic chemicals where you store your food. Instead, wipe up spills with a 50-50 vinegar-water mix. You can even keep a bottle of the mixture stored in your fridge!

Drain: Pour vinegar onto a scrub brush small enough to get inside the disposal.