Clean air ~ Look what was in my house!!

So I never thought about it, until my kids started having really bad allergies. We moved about a year ago, and ever since my poor kiddos have been miserable. Stuffy noses, headaches, itchy eyes, you name it, they were dealing with it. What to do? I started with steaming the mattresses, carpets and curtains in their rooms. Nothing. Then, I bought mattress and pillow covers to prevent allergens. Nope. I didn't know what to do about it, other than medicating them every day.
Then one day I thought, "What about the air?" Is the air in this house the problem? So, my dear neighbor gave me a coupon for air duct cleaning. I gave them a call. This is what they found in my house:



I couldn't believe it. That is what we were breathing! No wonder my kids were so bothered! You can actually see the tar from the previous owners cigarettes in the dirt! Gross!!!
I decided to go for the full treatment. As far as I'm concerned, this was a worthy cause. I had them do all the ducts, vents, & mains. (the coupon only covered a portion, of course) Then, I had them sanitize everything. The cost was large, but guess who can breathe now!







Heating duct before and after pictures:
I'm amazed at the results. My daughter hasn't woken up complaining of a sore throat since. My son hasn't coughed at all during the night.

I'm so glad we made this investment.


Here is that same vent after they cleaned it: