The furnace is a vital component in your heating and air conditioning system. If the furnace is not functioning properly, your airflow will reduced. Also, if there are any mildew, allergens, dust, or odors in the furnace compartment, they will be circulated through your home. So furnace cleaning is a vital maintenance task if you want to ensure great air quality in your home. This article explains the best tools and supplies to use to clean your furnace for better air quality in your home.

Accessing the Furnace

First of all, you need to figure out how to safely shut down and access your furnace. Most furnace access panels can be removed without any tools. Some might even be on a hinge, like a door. Usually, there will be a kill switch that shuts the furnace off when the panel is removed. You will also want to turn off the gas control knob once you remove the panel. Also look for the main power switch to completely shut off the power. You might need to hit the breaker switch if there is no visible power switch inside the furnace cabinet.

Cleaning the Furnace

Don't clean the furnace with any harsh or flammable cleaning supplies. Bleach, for instance, shouldn't be used. Also, don't spray the cleaning liquid inside the furnace. You don't want to get overspray on any of the vital electrical components. Instead, soak a rag in the cleaner before you rub down any surfaces. You should also use a hose vacuum to soak any dust out the hard to reach areas. The two most important things to clean are the furnace pump and filter. The filter can be vacuumed off to some extent, but it is often not very effective. If the filter is especially dirty, you should just replace it completely. Furnace filters are cheap and easy to replace.

You should also clean the furnace pump thoroughly. Definitely clean the pump with a vacuum instead of rags. You don't want to push the dust into the fan vents. This could seriously slow down the productivity of your pump and ultimately slow down the airflow.

Make sure you turn the power and gas back on before closing up your furnace and trying to run it. This simple work won't be very time consuming, but it could increase the quality of the air in your home. This is a major issue if anyone in your household suffers from allergies.

If it turns out that parts of your furnace need to be replaced, check out sites like BuyFurnaceParts.com.