Kitchen remodels, basement finishes, new flooring and bathroom tear-outs are common projects in Clive, and they all make dust. Drywall sanding is the worst of it. That dust is fine enough to hang in the air, and if the furnace or air conditioning runs during the project, the return vents pull it straight into the ductwork. Plastic sheeting over the doorways helps, but it rarely catches everything.
Top Notch Chimney Sweep & Services is a family owned company and has been working in Central Iowa since 2002. Our technicians are certified in air duct cleaning, and post-renovation cleanup is one of the most common reasons Clive homeowners call us.
Why Remodel Dust Lingers
You finish the project, clean every surface, and a week later there’s a fresh layer of fine dust on the furniture. That’s often the ductwork. Construction dust that settled in the returns and supply lines gets pushed back out every time the blower starts. It can go on for months, and it also loads up your furnace filter faster than usual. Swapping in a fresh filter right after the project helps, but the filter only catches what reaches it. Whatever settled in the ducts upstream stays there.
Common sources we find after a renovation
- Drywall and joint compound dust in the return ducts
- Sawdust and debris that fell into floor registers left uncovered
- Bits of insulation, tape and packaging inside a duct that was cut or moved
Timing the Cleaning
The best time to clean the ducts is after the dusty work is done, meaning sanding, cutting and demolition. If you clean too early, the next round of sanding fills the ducts again. Once the finish work is wrapping up, give us a call. If your contractor relocated or added runs, mention it when you book so we know to look at those sections closely. It also helps to know if the furnace ran during demolition or sanding.
How We Do It
We start by examining the heating and cooling system and checking for materials that don’t belong in it. Next we connect a powerful HEPA vacuum to the system. It captures the dust as we loosen it, which matters a lot when the dust is fine construction powder. Then we run specialized brushes through the supply and return ducts. We also check for holes or defects, which is worth doing after a remodel, since ducts that were moved or cut sometimes don’t get reconnected tightly. More detail is on our main air duct cleaning page.
Other Things a Remodel Can Affect
If your project moved the laundry room, the dryer vent may now run farther or take more turns than it used to, and longer runs collect lint faster. Our dryer vent cleaning service clears the line and checks it for damage. If the work touched your fireplace or the roof near your chimney, a chimney inspection will make sure nothing was disturbed.
For everything else we do locally, see our Clive service area page.
Project finished? Call (515) 249-6337 or book your air duct cleaning online.
