Did you know that needing multiple runs to dry is a classic sign you may be overdue for dryer vent cleaning services? If you are experiencing the example above, that is also a tell tale sign that it’s time to call in the professionals.

Imagine it. You finally motivated yourself enough to begin on the enormous mountain of laundry that has been growing at an unexplainable rate. You hear the chime or buzz of your dryer, telling you that you can move on to load number two. You open the dryer door… only to find your laundry still damp, but extremely hot. You want to be on top of your appliance maintenance for many reasons, and here’s just a few.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Services Save You Money

Believe it or not, making sure you’re cleaning your dryer vent routinely is a surefire way to get the most out of it. Not only will it last longer because it’s being regularly cared for, but it is also going to be operating at it’s highest efficiency. When there is a build up of lint or other debris within your dryer duct, the dryer has to work much harder in order to do its job, creating a decrease in efficiency and sometimes making you run the dryer two, three, or even four times just to get the job done.

You are also saving yourself from having to deal with a costly repair. Leaving the dryer duct to develop a high amount of build up can sometimes end in the dryer itself breaking down or throwing up codes that simple dryer vent cleaning services can no longer fix. While that’s not always the case, it’s typically a better idea to stay on top of your appliance maintenance before a costly fix comes your way.

The time is now!

Did you know that thicker clothing in your dryer is likely to produce more lint? We are finally emerging from our Portland NW winter, and the season of knits, wool, and basically, thick clothing galore. Now that it’s the end of the season, why not bring your dryer duct into Spring with the newness and cleanliness that many other things experience during this time of year.

Your Dryer Deserves it

We’ve come a long way in the world of laundry. I don’t know about you, but I am very grateful to be living in a time where there are machines that can complete the entire process of washing and drying my clothes. Things were not always this easy.

In fact, the dryer as you know it today wasn’t truly crafted until the 1930s and didn’t have timers or auto-shut-off features until the 1950s. Before that, there existed the “Laundry Drying Tumbler,” which was a hand-cranked device that was able to use air in order to dry clothes. It was heated by gas and operated by an electric motor. Imagine having to spend your time hand-cranking your dryer in order to dry your clothes. Or what dryer vent cleaning services looked like at that time!

It honestly wasn’t that long ago that clotheslines were the method for drying, even in the winter. So if you think about it, our dryers are precious parts of our every day lives and definitely deserve to be upkept.

You’re Supporting Local

By calling A+ Carpet Cleaning, you are supporting a local, family business that has had the pleasure of serving the Portland Metro area for over two decades. Mike & Tiki Honkanen, owners, raised their boys while growing their company, putting the real family in family business. Supporting local businesses is you taking interest and part in your community. When you go out of your way to support local, you are investing in the physical economy you reside in, as well as make a much larger difference than if you had been giving money to a large corporation.

Who You’re Hiring

Not only is A+ Carpet Cleaning a local business, but the methods and equipment we use meet nothing less than the highest of standards. When you hire us, you know you are going to be getting personal and genuine customer care as well as professional service and results.

What Portland folks have said about us…

Meredith C. “We had my air ducts and dryer vent cleaning services by A+. Mike was very kind and helpful. After he was done cleaning our vents, he helped educate us about how to get the most out of our HVAC system. We tried out his hints and our heat is already working better to heat the whole house. The office people at A+ are also very nice and responsive. I appreciated their prompt replies. Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely be calling them again for all my air duct and carpet cleaning needs!”

Priscilla C. “A+ carpet and cleaning came out to clean our air ducts and dryer vent. They did a great job and were super courteous and professional. Highly recommend!”

Liz L. “We’ve used A+ Carpet for all kinds of services since we moved into our first house! They’ve cleaned our carpets, air ducts and dryer vent and repaired the carpet on our stairs. Everytime they come they are super professional, kind and knowledgeable. Mike and his team are the best! We’d recommend them to anyone.”

What To Do Now…

Give us a call at 503-314-7453! We’d love the chance to clean your dryer vent. If it’s been over three years since you’ve had your air ducts cleaned, we can also perform that service for you, and reduce the dryer vent cleaning services price as a result! If you’re still not sure, you can always email us at info@aplusqualitycleaning.net. We will look forward to servicing your home!

If you do any amount of laundry on a regular basis, the washer and dryer are two vital parts of your week. Having clean clothes to wear, clean sheets to use, and clean towels in the bathroom is a good feeling… a feeling that many of us want to protect at all costs.

As you continue to use your dryer, the amount of lint and debris in the vent can build up, which is why  professional dryer vent cleaning is important! As with anything in our home, did you realize that your dryer requires maintenance to function at its best? During the process of drying, heat is cycled through the machine while a fan blows, allowing heated air, lint, and moisture out of the machine and into the dryer vent.

What is a dryer vent?

You may know what a dryer vent looks like, but there’s more to it than that! A dryer vent can vary in shape and size, but its function is the same. If you could see through walls, you would notice a tube running from your clothes dryer to the exterior of your home. Some dryer vents are as long as 35 feet , while others are as short as three feet.  Regardless of how long it is, there is potential for eventual clogging, which will greatly reduce the effectiveness of your dryer as well as create an eventual fire hazard.

What are signs I need dryer vent cleaning?

There are a couple telltale signs that your dryer vent might be in need of a professional clean. Sooner Cleaning + Restoration came up with a list of a few:

The dryer is taking multiple cycles to dry the clothes: This one seems like a no-brainer! If you aren’t getting dry clothes after a 45 minute cycle, that’s a typical symptom of a dryer vent needing a clean.

When you take the clothes out, they are extremely hot: No, this doesn’t mean your dryer is doing an extra good job. What’s happening? The fan is trying to blow the heated air out through a vent that is clogged, so the heated air is trapped in the dryer. An easy way to tell if your vent is clogged is to go to the external end and see if you can feel any air coming out.

The room is warmer than normal when the dryer is running: Hot air trapped in your dryer = hot air going into your home.

You smell something burning when you run the dryer: Lint is flammable, and dryers run fairly hot in order to get your clothes nice and dry. If you are smelling a burning smell whenever you are drying your clothes, we’d recommend calling a professional dryer vent cleaner as soon as possible.

How do you clean a dryer vent?

We clean dryer vents by inserting an air compressor hose that goes up the vent and blasts any existing lint towards the output as we retrieve the hose. The debris is brought back to our truck mounted machine.

The difficulty of cleaning a dryer vent can vary depending on where the output is, if it has any clogs that need to be removed, how long the venting is, and if the dryer or dryer vent is easily accessible or removeable. A vent that is on the third story, for example, will pose more of a challenge than a dryer vent that outputs at ground level on the side of your home.

With 15+ years of dryer vent cleaning under our belts, we’ve overcome a wide variety of challenges. We have helped remove not just clogs, but other miscellaneous items such as dead animals, construction debris, and household items.

How often should I have my dryer vent cleaned?

Typically, dryer vents should be cleaned at least once a year. Making sure that your dryer vent is free of build up is a great way to maximize the efficiency of your dryer and reduce the risk of a fire hazard.

Can I clean my dryer vent myself?

To maximize the end result, it’s always best to call in a professional. At A+ Carpet Cleaning, we even reduce dryer vent cleaning if we are already there cleaning your air ducts, so it’s a win-win! If you utilize the wrong method or tool on your dryer vent, you may do more harm than good. Particularly when you have a long vent or are already having difficulties with your dryer, we’d highly recommend letting us help you using our commercial-grade equipment and years of professional experience.

When should I clean my dryer vent?

You can have your dryer vent cleaned any day of the year—Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall! Though we’ll be in a rainy season for a little while longer, that doesn’t have to prevent you from taking care of your dryer and taking care of your home. You can give us a call at 503-314-7453.

A+ Carpet Cleaning – Portland
2885 NW 111th Ct, Portland, OR 97229
(503) 314-7453
https://carpetcleanerportland.com/ 

If you aren’t sure you need air duct cleaning services, the NADCA recommends having your ducts cleaned every 3-5 years. If you are a new owner or just don’t remember how long its been, we’ve also included some other telltale signs that it might be time to call a Portland local air duct cleaning company (like A+ Carpet Cleaning)!

You may need air duct cleaning services if…

You see a puff of dust come from your vents every time you turn on your furnace

This one is somewhat of an obvious one. If you see dust coming out of your vents, that’s a very clear sign that they are in need of a professional clean. This indicates that there is loose debris that has been cycling through your home for so long that it’s begun to build up. Dirt, dander, and allergens are swept through your HVAC system daily, and without a regular clean, there is the potential for them to begin to collect.

You have to replace your filters more often than usual

Your furnace filter is your defense between the debris your system picks up and your indoor air quality. If you have to replace your filter multiple times a month (or a week), this is your HVAC system’s way of telling you it’s time for a professional air duct cleaning. A frequent filter replacement is indicative of a large amount of soil in the vents and without a cleaning, there is nowhere else for any of it to go other than to continue to dirty your furnace filter and the rest of your home.

You smell something weird

Sometimes our homes just have an odor, whether it’s something pungent we cooked or an accident a pet had. However, if you are smelling an odor consistently and you have scoured your home and still can’t find the source, that may be a sign that the ducts are in need of a clean. We recommend getting close to the registers while the air is running so you can properly determine if the ducts are the source of the smell. If they are, it’s time to call an air duct cleaner in Portland!

There isn’t a lot of air coming out of the vents

Is your furnace working hard and barely getting any air flow? That’s a classic sign of a lot of debris blocking the air’s path. Imagine trying to push air through an increasingly narrow vent… it’s a lot of work, and unfortunately, until the issue is dealt with, the debris build-up will continue to increase. Not only does this impact your utility bill at the end of the month, but you feel like you aren’t getting your money’s worth because there’s barely any air coming out of your vents!

You just did a renovation

Home renovations are wonderful (speaking only about when you get to the end). Looking around and seeing all the results of the hard work you’ve put in is a special feeling. However, the process of remodeling creates a lot of dust and air particles that you likely want to get out of the air circulation ASAP. We have many clients who call us as soon as their remodel is finished so that we can come in, reduce the HVAC debris, and give them a truly “new” feeling when they walk in that first time.

How to clean air ducts

When Mike (founder of A+ Carpet Cleaning) was researching the best method to clean air ducts, he had to sift through a large variety of methods that all utilize different equipment and in some cases, products. After considering the options, he chose the RAM Air system, believing it to be the best. Why? The RAM Air method utilizes high pressurized air to clean your ducts rather than rotating brushes or other more intrusive tools that could scratch or cause other damage within your HVAC system.

When we clean your air ducts, we use the following pieces of equipment:

• Air hose: This is a hose that is small in circumference and has a small ball at the end of it. The ball has many tiny, hard to see holes drilled in it where the air comes from.
• Vacuum hose: This is a more typical hose size, and will attach to the vent cover (coming up) so that the debris is pulled towards us and into the van once the air hose is turned on.
• Vent cover: This is a cover that we place over your duct when we take the usual vent cover off. Our vent cover is thick plastic and has two holes: one for our vacuum hose and one for our air hose.
• 5ft ladder: to reach any ducts that are on the ceiling or wall. If you have high ceilings/walls that would require a taller ladder, make sure to mention that to us when you call to schedule!

Who is cleaning your air ducts?

A+ Carpet Cleaning is a family-owned and locally-owned business that’s been around for over 15 years! Mike & Tiki Honkanen, co-owners, have raised their sons and grown their business over the course of the past two decades, and greatly enjoy getting to meet new people as well as continue to serve our loyal clients. Many clients have turned friends, and they feel a deep desire to continue to serve Portland and the nearby areas. Being a family-owned business is a delight, and A+ Carpet Cleaning is made up of a team of people that want to treat your home as their own.

Currently, we have over 2,000 positive reviews online, and we welcome you to check out our different pages! And if you ever need any air duct cleaning, carpet cleaning, area rug cleaning (the list goes on)…give us a call!

But first, why should I have my air ducts cleaned?

When it comes to professional air duct cleaning, we know you may be skeptical. Why spend money on ducting and vents that seem to be working just fine? We’ve written another article on this subject that goes into much more detail, but in short, air duct cleaning is beneficial for your wallet, your indoor air quality, and your allergies. By maintaining your ducts, you are less likely to need to replace certain elements prematurely, and the decrease in blockages helps your furnace to keep the air flowing without working extra hard, saving you money on your end-of-the-month bills. A professional air duct cleaning will reduce allergens, particularly in homes with pets or lots of plants. If all that isn’t enough, the NADCA  recommends having your air ducts cleaned every 3-5 years.

Why can’t I clean my air ducts myself?

We know that we live in a world of DIY, but some things are better off left to the professionals. Air duct cleaning, for example, requires professional equipment, expertise, and experience. Without those things, you could potentially cause more harm than good. You don’t want to end up damaging your HVAC system in an effort to save yourself money—that would be somewhat of an ironic twist. At best, you might not damage your ductwork, but you won’t do as good of a job. A professional air duct cleaner knows how to clean ducts both efficiently and safely.

How does a professional air duct cleaning work?

There are multiple methods that different professionals use when it comes to air duct cleaning. For A+ Carpet Cleaning, we use a state of the air, forced air system called RAM Air.

We don’t use chemicals or abrasive brushes in your ducts. Instead, we have two hoses; an air hose and a vacuum hose. We also have our own vent cover that has two holes for each hose.  You can see the set up below: our air hose is on the right, and the vacuum hose is on the left. During the process, both hoses are set into their holes in our plastic vent cover. The cover is there to prevent debris from entering your home as we push it back towards us during the air duct cleaning process. At its end, the air hose has a small sphere with many small holes poked into it. This hoses, when on, expulses air at a high rate of speed.

Preparing for your Air Duct Cleaning Appointment

Vents

Did you know that there might be two very different things going on behind the vent covers of your home? Primarily, the vents are serving as registers, which are output vents that are expelling either cold or hot air, depending on the time of year.  However, a few of the vents are returns. These are typically larger, occasionally more square, and are what takes the air in for your furnace. If you aren’t sure which vents are what, we have a handy chart that can help us determine a rough number of ducts depending on the square footage of your home. You can also do a brief walkthrough of your home and count the number of vents prior to calling or while you’re on the phone with us.

We don’t just need to know vents in general. For us to provide our best estimate for you, we ask for the number of registers on the floor, the number of registers on the wall, and the number of registers on the ceiling. Then we’ll ask for you to count the return ducts. Typically in homes less than 2,000 square feet.

The other thing we need to know about the vents is how high they are if you have any on the ceiling or wall. If we can’t access the vents with our typical five foot ladder, we have to bring a larger one, so make sure to note that before calling.

Dryer Vent

Your dryer vent needs cleaned more often than your HVAC, so it might be the right time to get them both cleaned at the same time. If that’s the case for you, we just ask that you know where the dryer vent outputs (on ground floor level and easily accessible, or does it go through the roof?). When we ask if all vents are accessible with a 5-ft ladder, this includes your dryer vent.

When you are speaking with the office, please mention if you are having any trouble with your dryer vent. This could include loads needing multiple cycles to dry, potential clogging, and error codes. If you are dealing with any of those complications (or others), make sure to  let us know so that we know how best to help you when we arrive. We have removed animals from dryer ducts before, as well as significant amounts of lint and dryer debris. It’s important to have your dryer vent cleaned once a year in order to keep your dryer at maximum efficiency as well as to prevent any kind of fire hazard.

Preparation

When you are scheduled for an air duct cleaning, the preparation is fairly simple. Much like all other services we perform, we do ask that you have  parking space 50 feet from the entrance of your home and a working water spigot 50 feet from the parking space. We also ask that you move any fragile items away from the register before the technician arrives. Finally, if you acquire new furnace filters prior to his arrival, we’d be glad to swap those filters out for you at the end of the job so you are starting completely fresh. Please note that in order for us to change the furnace filters, the furnace needs to be easily accessible.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do we clean dryer vents? We clean dryer vents by inserting an air compressor hose that goes up the vent and blasts any existing lint towards the output as we retrieve the hose. The debris is brought back to our truck mounted machine.
• Do we do rodent removal? Yes, we can.
• Do we deodorize/sanitize? Yes, we can.
• Can we clean dryer vents that go out to the roof? Yes, we are willing to clean those kinds of vents if the dryer is easily removable because we can only clean them from the inside.
• Can you clean air ducts in an older home? We have cleaned air ducts in homes that are over 100 years old! Don’t let the year your home was built hold you back from giving us a call. We’ll ask you what year your home was built in as part of the process. If there are any concerns, we’ll ask follow up questions to make sure we’re being transparent if there are any out-of-the-normal variables affecting your home’s air duct cleaning.

When to Clean Air Ducts

You can have your air ducts cleaned any time of the year. All you have to do is call 503-314-7453, and we’ll take care of you.

Air Duct Cleaning Process

When we are talking about air duct cleaning with our clients, many people are curious about the process itself. Carpet cleaning is easier to visualize for most, and that could be because it’s more known of a service. We’re not sure, but either way, we’d love to take you through, step-by-step, what cleaning one typical register looks like! Is your spigot leaky? Here’s a handy tip from Mike on an easy way to get rid of that pesky drip.

Step One: Vent Cover

In order to use our equipment properly, our technician will carefully remove your vent cover and vacuum it to the best of his ability.

Step Two: Hoses in Place

The technician will then place our vent cover over the vent and attach the vacuum hose. He will then push the air hose down the duct as far as it will go. The air hose will be off during this time until it is in place.

Step Three: Air Hose Position, On!

Once the air hose is in place, the technician will turn it on, beginning the process of the clean. Air hits the insides of your ducts at such a high rate of speed that any debris is blasted off. Our vacuum hose is on as well, drawing the newly detached debris back towards our vacuum hose to be sucked into the van. Some debris will fall back towards the furnace, which is why replace the furnace filter for you at the end of the job.

Step Four: Finishing Up

The technician will continue using the air hose and vacuum hose in combination until he is sure the debris is properly expunged. After that, he will turn the air hose off and remove our vent cover. He will then use the vacuum hose to vacuum around the vent and the vent cover itself again before replacing the vent cover and moving onto the next one.

The Big Picture

Air duct cleaning is a lengthy and precise process, even for professionals. When we are cleaning a ceiling vent, he still does that same process; you can imagine the expertise it takes to hold up a vent cover and work two hoses while being on a ladder. When owner Mike was researching the best way to clean air ducts, he discovered this was the most efficient and it had the least impact on the ductwork itself. Some professionals will use abrasive brushes or chemicals; we just use air. And it works!

A+ Carpet Cleaning is a family owned, Portland air duct cleaning company. We have thousands of positive reviews online because our customers can tell that we care about them and their homes. If you aren’t sure if you need an air duct cleaning, feel free to give us a call and we can walk you through what home maintenance might look like for you. Our phone number is 503-314-7453.

A+ Carpet Cleaning – Portland
2885 NW 111th Ct, Portland, OR 97229
(503) 314-7453
https://carpetcleanerportland.com/ 

You may be preparing to get your home host-ready, and we know that you may have lots of options when you’re looking for a carpet cleaner near you. However, we would argue that you can’t do better than a local,  family owned carpet cleaning business.

Service

Did you know 75% of people would return to a company because of excellent customer service? As consumers ourselves, we place high value on intentional customer service. We want to treat you the way we like to be treated as customers. So what does that mean practically?

Oftentimes, the first interaction you have with us as a business is the first phone call you make. When you call the office, you’ll be either speaking with Chantal, who has been with A+ Carpet Cleaning for two years, or Tiki, the co-owner of the business. Our office is happy to answer any questions you have, review our methods with you, and work on getting you the best estimate we can. We are up front with our pricing, how it works, and do our best to ensure costs are as transparent as possible so you aren’t met with any surprises on the day of service.

We are always happy to send a personalized email with what we discussed (method, estimate, pricing, etc.), and make communication as convenient as possible by having access to call, email, and text. A phone call can be difficult if you have a day job and work through office hours, or if your home usually has a noisy (but joyfully so ) background. If a call sounds daunting, feel free to text us (same number, 503-314-7453) or email at info@apulsqualitycleaning.net.

We want you to know that we prioritize you and your needs. As a smaller family owned carpet cleaning business, we have the resources to go the extra mile for you and your home, whether that means working with a tricky schedule, talking you through carpet recommendations, or offering advice on odor removal.

You matter to us. When you look at the reviews, you may notice that many of the reviewers are returning clients who plan to come back. We have built a reputation for ourselves through being genuine and experts at what we do. It’s as simple as that!

Accountability

Mike and Tiki Honkanen, owners of A+ Carpet Cleaning, both play foundational roles in the day to day of the business. While Mike runs his own van, Tiki supervises the office and is often the voice you hear on the other end of the phone! Rather than run you through a million different triages of authority, the owners of A+ Carpet Cleaning are always available to you if you need them. W

When the owners are heavily invested in the business at this kind of level, you know that you are getting five-star service! And speaking of five-star service, we’d encourage you to check out our reviews and recommendations on Google, Yelp and Nextdoor. Reviews are a great way to hear an unbiased opinion on a business, and we ourselves certainly check the reviews before moving forward with a company.

We have over 2,500 positive reviews across different platforms. We truly believe in “treating your home like our own,” and are so grateful that our clients can see that!

Your Needs

When you hire a family-owned carpet cleaning business, you are working with a company that desires to suit their services to your needs. Our pricing structure allows for flexibility and personalization that a larger business might not be able to accommodate. Whether you need your whole home cleaned or just one spot from a puppy accident, we are here for you. If you are concerned a stain may be permanent, our technician is more than happy to help you assess that in person and let you know if a repair might be preferred. A stain in your carpet doesn’t mean you will have to replace the whole room; oftentimes a professional carpet technician will be able to patch the spot for you, saving you a lot of time, money, and the hassle of moving every bit of furniture out of a room.

We know that you need more than just services done well—you need smooth and transparent communication from start to finish. We do our best to ensure that you feel fully prepared for your carpet cleaning appointment by sending a confirmation email as soon as you schedule. The confirmation email will remind you of how to prepare for the technician before he arrives, as well as remind you of the day and arrival window you were scheduled for. Our system will also automatically send you a reminder on the day before your appointment, just as a friendly heads-up that your scheduled cleaning is only 24 hours away!

The communication doesn’t stop there! A few days after your cleaning, we will personally send you a text, asking how the carpet cleaning went and making sure you are happy with everything. Your satisfaction is so important to us.

This is the kind of attention that you can get from a family owned carpet cleaning business! We are here for your needs, whether it’s a move-out clean, yearly maintenance, or an emergency pet accident.

The Local Part of a Local Business

Obviously, there are lots of economic and moral benefits to supporting local businesses. However, hiring a local business benefits not just the local economy, but it serves you in a big way!

A+ Carpet Cleaning has served the Portland metro area for over 15 years. We know the neighborhoods, the traffic, and the how each season brings a new version of wonderful PNW weather. With that in mind, we are able to be more precise when we are discussing estimates over the phone.

As an example, there are some areas that are more likely to have wool carpets installed. Adversely, there are some areas that have more issues with carpet rippling/carpet stretching needs because the homes were built by the same builder who did not have them properly installed in the first place.

We also know how to give more accurate arrival windows because we know how to factor in traffic when it comes to 217, Highway 26, and, dare we mention it, I-205. Rather than provide you with a generic “somewhere between 8-5” window, our office staff takes drive time into careful consideration when providing you with your arrival window so that our arrival windows can range between 1.5 to 3 hours instead.

When it comes to the weather, we have put processes and procedures into place so that we are prepared for the oh-so-typical Portland rain, such as having blankets for the hoses to run on in your home and shoe covers for ourselves.

A Family Owned Carpet Cleaning Business Near You

Overall, when you are looking to hire a professional cleaner, why not hire a professional who not only knows his service well, but also knows the area where you live and can offer precise recommendations and services based on your location? We are proud to be local to Portland and would love the opportunity to meet a neighbor and help. Call your local, family owned carpet cleaning business today.

A+ Carpet Cleaning – Portland
2885 NW 111th Ct, Portland, OR 97229
(503) 314-7453
https://carpetcleanerportland.com/