Amistee Air Duct Cleaning

Amistee Achieving Superior Service Rating on Angies List!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Amistee Air Duct Cleaning was recently presented an award from Angie's List. This award is for achieving and maintaining a Superior Service Rating on Angie's List throughout 2009 as determined by Angie's List members in the category of Air Duct Cleaning. If you have not read any of the reviews on Angie's List and are a current member of their service. Take a look at Amistee and see why many of the other Angie's List member chose to use Amistee Air Duct Cleaning as their duct cleaner in Michigan.

Amistee Air Duct Cleaning in the Novi News

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:09:00 +0000

Amistee keeps heating, cooling ducts clean

JANUARY 7, 2010

Web site: www.Amistee.com us about your business, including types of services and/or products you feature Amistee is an air duct cleaning company, which settles for nothing less than the absolute best customer service and guaranteed cleanings. We only use the biggest and best vacuum trucks in the industry and stand behind everything that we do. We look to consistently improve our customers' indoor air quality by cleaning roughly 20-30 pounds of dirt and dust out of area homes heating and cooling system.

How did you first decide to open your business?

Mike and I saw the affects of dirty air ducts to family members' health first hand. We saw a very high demand for high quality service and cleanings. We opened up Amistee in January 2005 with all of this in mind.

Why did you choose this area for your business?

With both Mike and I growing up in Livonia, we were very familiar with the I-275 corridor. This corridor can very quickly deliver you to any of the major freeways connecting any service company to all of Metro Detroit. Also, we felt Novi was a great place to find commercial jobs because of all the emerging businesses in the city.

What makes your business unique?

Amistee is truly unique because we do exactly what we say we will do every time. So many times in the service industry homeowners will be told many things that do not come true. Our customers know that when they call upon Amistee to perform their air duct cleanings they will receive the very best cleanings, no questions asked.

How has it changed since you opened?

Since Amistee's founding, customer service and quality has always been number one. We first opened the doors with one large vacuum truck and a loan. Now, five years later, we have a fleet of four giant vacuum trucks to perform residential cleanings, a division for commercial air duct cleaning and a sales team.

Do you have a funny tidbit or story about your experience as a small business owner to share with our readers?

Getting into the air duct cleaning business is not an everyday story. When we first got into the business we did not realize how many interesting things we would find inside of homeowners ductwork. We have found dead squirrels, birds, bats, mice, ground hogs, moles, rats and even frogs. We also found guns, bullets, money, family heirlooms and a lot of change. Don't forget about the builders' cigarettes and pop bottles.

How has the recent economy affected your business?

Business is truly all about strong relationships. Although Michigan has been going through some tough times, Amistee has been growing every year since its inception. With many more families growing concerns about indoor air quality, we can help solve some of their problems.

Any advice for business owners?

If you treat your employees and customers as family, that will get you very far in many different aspects. We never take any shortcuts on jobs because you would not take shortcuts in your family's homes. We would not make any employee do anything that we ourselves would not do. This goes a long way and will gain a certain level of respect within a company.

What's in store for the future of your business?

If we continue to provide a quality air duct cleaning service at affordable pricing, we see a bright future ahead for Amistee.

Amistee In Crains Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:44:00 +0000

Referrals, commercial work boost duct-cleaner Amistee

By Sherri Begin Welch

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Mike McCowan (left) and Steve Dickinson started Amistee Inc. in 2005.

Photo credit: Courtesy Amistee Inc.

Amistee Inc. owners Steve Dickinson and Mike McCowan have a history of seeing business opportunities when other people are hunkering down.

While attending Michigan State University together, the pair launched a number of money-making ventures, including lawn care and snow removal.

When 2 feet of snow fell on East Lansing one winter, they knocked on doors and got jobs shoveling snow off the roofs of local homes.

The pair later graduated from MSU with engineering degrees and went their separate ways for a year or two.

Dickinson headed to Connecticut and McCowan to Chicago. But they'd talk by telephone about how their corporate jobs weren't for them.

They quit their jobs, returned to Michigan and in 2005 launched Amistee to take advantage of the opportunity they saw in air duct cleaning.

Amistee has grown each year since then. But its owners, both age 28, saw an opportunity this year to expand the business.

By increasing their marketing budget 56 percent to build relationships with heating and cooling companies for referrals, the Realtors of foreclosed homes, and companies looking to cut energy costs, Dickinson and McCowan expect revenue of $900,000 to $950,000 this year, up from $698,000 in 2008.

The two plan to hire two sales people to help expand Amistee's market and hit $1 million or more in sales next year. Amistee employs 12, including the owners.

Amistee needs “to do more than just place a Yellow Pages ad,” Dickinson said.

Because of the economy, it makes sense to do more business networking and advertising through trade shows, association memberships and events hosted at Amistee's Novi site and restaurants. Increased direct mail advertising is also in the plan, he said.

People buying foreclosed homes and houses that have been sitting on the market empty represent business opportunity, he said.

“If you have construction debris or bacteria in the duct system, that's what you're going to be breathing,” he said.

And companies looking to cut energy costs can shave as much as a third off the cost of their building's compressor energy by having the air-conditioning unit coils cleaned, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates.

“For the commercial properties, they're interested in trying to save as much money as they can,” McCowan said. “When you get in these large buildings with a lot of coils that get plugged up, for us to come in and clean everything, in the long term, that's going to save them money.”

An increasing number of businesses across the country are getting their ductwork and coils cleaned in an effort to cut heating and cooling costs, said John Schulte, executive director of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association in Washington, D.C.

Between 40 percent and 45 percent of the energy used in a commercial or industrial building typically is tied to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, Schulte said.

“It used to be (companies) cleaned air ducts for better indoor air quality,” he said. “Now we're seeing more (companies) cleaning because they want the energy savings.”

Air Filter Installation and Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Amistee will always check to see what type of filter your furnace requires during our air duct cleanings. Along with this check we will see if you should replace the filter after our cleaning or if the current filter has more life. A lot of times we find that homeowners are installing their air filters improperly or not changing the filters as often as they should.

Every air filter has a different life expectancy. Some of the 5" air filters have a life of anywhere between 6 months to 1 year. The smaller air filters have a life more around 1-3 months.

When purchasing an air filter, any Amistee Air Duct Cleaning employee will tell you that to catch dirt and dust from recirculating throughout your duct system and back into your home you should use a filter that you can not see through. The general rule of thumb is that if you can see through the filter, most dust will go through the filter as well.

The average size of most household dust is roughly the size of sweet and low. If you pour a packet of sweet and low over your filter pretending it is the air from your house, how much of the packet will be trapped in the filter and how much will pass through. This will tell you how good your filter is. We generally tell customers not to get the cheap fiberglass filters and not to get the very expensive pleated filters when replacing their 1 inch filters. Get the middle of the road filters just as long as you can't see the person standing next to you when you look through it.

Installing your air filter is easy to the person who does it for a living but sometimes confusing to the average homeowner. On every filter there is an arrow pointing in one direction. This arrow represents the airflow of your duct system. When you insert the filter into the slot the arrow should be going in the same direction as the air when the system is on. The arrow is pointing TOWARDS the furnace and not away from the furnace. If you have any questions or problems you can call Amistee Air Duct Cleaning and we will give you a free 2 minute phone instruction on how to install your filter. You do not need to be a current customer to get this help. Call 877-349-8877 and ask anyone on staff and they will gladly help you.

NADCA and Amistee

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:28:00 +0000

A lot of customers think of NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) as "just another association". It seems like every industry has an association to belong to. With the air duct cleaning industry NADCA is "the" association to belong to. Being a member of NADCA shows that you are serious about providing the best possible cleanings for your customers.

In Michigan, and more specifically the Metro Detroit area of Michigan, being a member of NADCA sets you apart from the hundreds of other fly by night air duct cleaning companies.

One of the most important qualifications for being a member of NADCA is that you MUST be state licensed. In Michigan there are a lot of air duct cleaning companies operating without a state license. When choosing a NADCA company you know that you are getting a state licensed company. Amistee Air Duct Cleaning has been state licensed since our very first duct cleaning and never breaking the law.

Secondly you must be fully insured to be a member of the association. For many this is a given that a company coming into your home would be insured but over HALF of the companies performing air duct cleaning in Metro Detroit are either under insured or not even insured at all!! This means that if they are out at your home and break or destroy your property you may be out of luck. Amistee Air Duct cleaning carries a full 2 million dollar policy to protect you and your family.

Thirdly, to be a member of NADCA the company must pass a series of tests to show that they know how to properly clean ductwork. This may seem like a silly thing but to me it is very important. There are many many companies that are not cleaning ductwork the right way but may think that they are. This eliminates that problem for the members of NADCA.

NADCA is an association to advance the air duct cleaning industry. Amistee Air Duct Cleaning was created to provide only the best possible cleanings for our clients.

Call Amistee today to receive special treatment and see why everyone is using us!

Fall Duct Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:41:00 +0000

What makes the fall such a great time to clean air ducts? This is a common question that customers are always asking and the answer is simple. Health and efficiency!!! When you are getting ready to come in from the outdoors and button up your home for the winter months, homeowners should think about what they are breathing.

The fall is also a great time of year to change your furnace filter(s) and start out fresh. The furnace filter will stop and prevent future particulates from flowing into your home but will not help what is already there. Air duct cleaning is effective when done properly. The duct cleaning industry gets a lot of raised eyebrows because everyone has heard of the scary stories where a duct cleaner has taken a homeowners money but not done much.

If you are looking to help your furnace run more efficiently, breath better to help your health, and reduce your cleaning time from less dust, then air duct cleaning is for you. The fall is a great time because you are about to enter a time of year where you will spend more time indoors than any other season.

October is National Fire Prevention Month

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:29:00 +0000

October is the National Fire Protection Associations prevention month. Did you know that your dryer exhaust should be cleaned annually? This will not only prevent a fire but reduce your energy costs. It is hard to believe that so many fires start with they dryer. Behind the stove and hot water tank, the clothes dryer is the next most likely appliance to catch fire in your home. According to FEMA, failure to clean your dryer vent is the most prevalent reason that dryer vent fires happen. If you think about it, if there is nothing built up in your venting system (lint) then there is nothing to catch fire.

Call Amistee today and start reducing your energy costs and put your mind at ease with a clean venting system. Our trained staff will professionally clean your dryer vent. Air duct and dryer vent cleaning is all Amistee does. Trust the professionals!

CLICK HERE to watch a great video on dryer vent fires

Why Worry About IAQ

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Amistee Air Duct Cleanings main focus is indoor air quality. Every employee of Amistee strives to improve the IAQ of each customers home or business. Some individuals do not believe that air duct cleaning will help IAQ. This thought is because they have not done the required research before making a decision about air duct cleaning.

When done right air duct cleaning will reduce the amount of dust and debris coming from your heating and cooling system. This is the air you breath. The key words in all of this is done right. Air duct cleaning must be done right to achive any kind of result.

The EPA's biggest health threat today is IAQ because they see the direct relationship between what people breath and their health. The average person takes 5.6 million breaths each year. If you are exposed to bad air then you are pulling in toxins 5.6 million times a year.

60,000 deaths are related to the exposure to particules in the air and 20,000 deaths are related to Radon.

80% of the pollutants that the EPA are worried about are airborne. This means that they are getting transported throughout your air duct system. Can you see the importance of cleaning you air ducts?

Recent studies have shown that indoor air in America is much worse than outdoor air. This constant exposure will damage anyones immune system. Is your family always sick? Who do you know that Amistee can help?

Postal Worker Saves Man From Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Postal Workers Save Man From Fire

No One Was Injured In Fire

POSTED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

UPDATED: 4:11 pm EDT June 10, 2009

WESTLAND, Mich. -- A local postal worker came across a house in flames as she was delivering mail.Lori Boljesic has made mail deliveries on the 2900 block of Clayton Avenue in Westland for years. She knows many of the residents by name. She received a call from a co-worker on a nearby route.Postal Workers Save Man From Fire "My friend Sharon called and asked if I saw a house on fire, which I hadn't. She saw the smoke billowing out of the house,” said Boljesic. Boljesic and her friend went inside the home on fire and began opening windows for the pets inside. They said they did not know there was a young man inside sleeping.“We opened the window and he popped his head out and I remembered his name and I told him, 'Brandon, your house is on fire. Get out,'” said Boljesic.Brandon Champion, who was inside the burning home, said, ”I don’t know what would have happened. I would have died because my room was filled with smoke. I couldn't even see in from of me.”Fire investigators said lint from the dryer connection started the blaze.Brandon’s mother threw in a load before heading to the store. She’s thankful for this special delivery.“They’re my heroes. They saved my son’s life. He wouldn’t be here right now,” said Rita Sudia.No one was injured, but the family lost everything and didn’t have renter’s insurance.The Westland post office is accepting donations to help the family.

Amistee Air Duct Cleaning will clean your dryer vent so that you will not have to worry about any sort of fire in your home. Dryer vents are easy to clean and can prevent fires from happening. Call Amistee Air Duct Today at 248-349-8877.

How Long Does Air Duct Cleaning Take??

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:24:00 +0000

Recently Amistee Air Duct Cleaning has gotten a lot of customers asking a very common question. The question is "How long will it take to clean my air ducts" At Amistee we use a very systematic approach to cleaning your homes air ducts. This allows us to get a great idea of the length of time to clean your air ducts without even seeing your home.

We will ask you some very basic questions like the size of your home in square foot, number of furnaces, location of furnace and if the home has ever been done before.

Our standard air duct cleaning will run anywhere between 2-3.5 hours. Keep in mind that this is for a single furnace home that is roughly under 3,000 sq ft. A single furnace home over 3,000 sq ft may be anywhere between 3-4 hours.

If your home contains two furnaces and they are both in your basement side by side then the estimated length of time to clean your air ducts should be anywhere between 3-5 hours.

We always like to tell customers that this is an estimated length of time and the cleaning might take a small amount of time longer depending of your homes situation or sometimes even less. No matter the situation Amistee will never cut any corners and the job will always be done right.

One of the best things about using Amistee to clean your homes air ducts in Michigan is that if for some reason you do not feel we did the proper job or you feel corners we cut to speed up the process, we will be back out to your location within 24 hours. We guarentee all of our work and will do whatever it takes to make sure you feel comfortable in your home. No questions asked, your happiness with our services is our number one goal.

Amistee is Part of Novi Business Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Recently, Amistee Air Duct Cleaning was part of the Novi Business and Taste Expo. This event was held at the Hotel Baronette on Novi Rd, in Novi Michigan on Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

The purpose of the event was to meet other local businesses in the area. Amistee Air Duct Cleaning had a booth showing off equipment, pictures of dirty duct work and some examples of dirt that is found in a typical homes duct system.

Duct cleaning awareness is what Amistee truely believes in. Once a homeowner understands the importance of a clean HVAC system, we will leave it up to them whether or not they clean it. Our job is just to educate the consumer. Duct cleaning in Michigan is such and important thing and we just want to share what we know about indoor air quality.

Dirty Dryer Vents Cost Money!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:42:00 +0000

The State of Michigan's website shows a list of articles about cleaning your dryer vents. it will also show actual cases of fires that were the result of dryer vents being clogged.

Recently Amistee had our air duct cleaning technicians out to a home that was complaining that it was taking a long time to dry their clothes. At this particular home the lint trap was packed with a 3 inch sheet of lint. After removing the lint from the trap Amistee's technicians continued with the cleaning process and started with the actual venting.

When the duct cleaning professionals opened up the venting, they found the vent had zero air flow and was blocked completely with lint. This is common if the venting has never been cleaned.

Amistee and the State of Michigan recommends that you have your dryer vent cleaned every year.

Having a clogged dryer vent will increase the time your dryer needs to run to dry your clothes. This will increase your energy bills and take more of your time to do your chores.

To save money and reduce the chance of a preventable fire call Amistee today at 248-349-8877 for tips on keeping your dryer vent cleaned and to schedule an appointment today!

Will HVAC System Cleaning Reduce Our Home Energy Bills?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Does cleaning the air ducts inside of a home really reduce energy bills? Many people in Michigan are trying to reduce the amount of money they pay to DTE or Consumers Energy. Research by the U.S. EPA has demonstrated that heating system cleaning may allow systems to run more efficiently by removing debris from sensitive mechanical components.

Clean efficient systems are less likely to break down, have longer life span, and generally operate more effectively than dirty systems. At Amistee Air Duct Cleaning we clean all of the air components within your furnace along with your return and supply duct work. With air duct cleaning in Michigan you will be able to breathe fresher cleaner air and also operate your equipment more effectively saving you money and time from having technicians out fixing you broken dirty furnace.

The Best Time Of Year For Duct Cleaning In Michigan

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:52:00 +0000

We are often asked if there is a "perfect" time of the year to clean air ducts in Michigan. The answer to this very simple question is that every week of every month is a perfect time to breathe cleaner fresher air. Amistee cleans air ducts 52 weeks out of the year Monday thru Saturday. Of course we go through our busy seasons (fall and spring) but this is only because that is the time of year people are thinking of cleaning their air ducts the most.

In Michigan we have 4 beautiful seasons. A lot of the times our homes are bottled up to keep out the summer heat or block out the winter chill. In doing so we are creating an environment that uses and recycles the same dirty air that we are inhaling.

Sometimes we will have customers say that they would like to wait until it is a bit warmer outside before they clean their air ducts. In Michigan we have a lot of cooler months and this is the most important time to clean your heating and cooling system. This is when you are breathing the same air over and over.

With the energy efficiency act that was passed in the late 1970's homes in Michigan are being built much tighter. We like to tell people to think of a very large plastic bag surrounding your home. There is very little air entering or exiting your home. This air is being recirculated throughout and used over and over with very little fresh air being added to the living environment. The best time of year for duct cleaning in Michigan is every month and most importantly in the very cold or hot months of the year.

Call us today or fill out a "contact us" form on the website. Someone will get back to you to provide you will a price and scheduling information within 24 hours. We provide you with a lot of information and zero hassle in making your decision.

Clean Air Adds Months to U.S. Lives, Study Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:05:00 +0000

By Alicia Chang, Associated Press
Http://www.freep.com
Published in the Detroit Free Press February 2009

LOS ANGELES - Cleaner air over the past two decades has added nearly five months to the average life expectancy in the United States, according to a federally-funded study.

Researchers said it is the first study to show that reduction in air pollution translates into longer lives.

Between 1978 and 2001, Americans' average life span increased almost three years to 77, and as much as 4.8 months of that can be attributed to cleaner air, researchers from Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

Some experts not connected with the study called the gain dramatic.

"it shows that our efforts as a country to control air pollution have been well worth the expense," said Dr. Joel Kaufman, a University of Washington expert on environmental health.

Scientists have long known that the grit in polluted air, or particulates, can lodge deep in the lungs and raise the risk of lung disease, heart attacks and strokes. The grit - made of dust, soot and various chemicals - comes from factories, power plants and diesel-powered vehicles.

In 1970, Congress passed a revised Clean Air Act that gave the Environmental Protection Agency the power to set and enforce national standards to protect people from particulate matter, carbon monoxide and other pollutants.

For the study, scientists used government data to track particulate pollution levels over two decades in the 51 U.S. cities studied.

They compared these changes to life expectancies calculated from death records and census data. They adjusted the results to take into account the other things that might affect life expectancy, such as smoking habits, income, education and migration.

The study was partly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA.

You may visit http://www.Freep.com to view this article

You may visit http://www.epa.gov to find other related studies

Nadca Announces Winners of the 2008 Safety Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:05:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

NADCA Announces Amistee as winner of the 2008 Safety Award

(Washington, D.C.) NADCA - The HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association has named Amistee Air Duct Cleaning, of Novi, MI as the recipient of the 2008 Safety Award. This honor was awarded to show that the company is dedicated to ensuring the safety of its employees and clients

Matt Mongiello, co-chair of NADCA's Education and Safety Committee, said, "The success of a company depends not only on production and sales, but also how safely each job is performed. There is no job so important - nor any service so urgent - that we cannot make time to work safely.

"Establishment of a safe environment is the shared responsibility between a contractor and its employees at all levels of an organization. Achieving the goal of accident prevention and health preservation is an admirable feat and shows the commitment of a company dedicated to excellence," added Mongiello.

The requirements for NADCA's Safety Awards are based on standards from OSHA. In order to complete the Safety Award Application, Amistee had to maintain the OSHA #300A Log in accordance with record keeping requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association created the NADCA Safety Awards Program to recognize companies such as Amistee Air Duct Cleaning for having superior employee safety and health program results. The NADCA Safety Awards Program is awarded every year.

Cheap VS. Getting It Done Right

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Everyone who has researched air duct cleaning has seen the ads for the $69.99, $99 or even $199 whole house special. This type of advertising is misleading and we call it the "bait and switch" method. This means the company advertising this will give you a low price and then once they get out to your house they know you won't send them away so they will say "our price is only for the first main duct" and then charge you a lot more to perform the work. I am writing this particular blog to help you educate yourself on what to look for in an air duct cleaner in the Michigan region.

When you hire a company that advertises a special, look right beneath the price and see what it says. A lot of the times it will say "One main cleaning and up to 10 heat vents" or "Includes one main duct" or "Includes on main supply duct and one main return duct". All of these advertisers we recently pulled from coupon magazines and I promise all of them will get to your home and change their price in most cases 5 times what they have advertised.

It is not uncommon for Amistee to go back on a job completed by one of these companies and have the customer say they kicked air duct cleaning company "A" out of their home because they wanted to charge $25 for each hole cut into the duct work, or they advertised large truck mounted equipment but showed up with a small vacuum mounted in a van. These are some of the tell tail signs you are getting taken from a bad air duct cleaner. Equipment and tools are important with any type of job your doing and air duct cleaning is no different.

There are companies that actually have other companies trucks pictured in their ads when they have nothing similar to that as their equipment. In a recent publication company "A" was advertising "powerful truck-mounted equipment, state of the art equipment and video inspected system. When you are looking at the ad everything looks great. It seems as if they have good equipment and they will inspect their work and the price is cheap. The unknown facts are that the company stole the picture of the truck from a NADCA certified companies web site and when they actually come out to do the work show up in a van. Their advertised "video inspection" means they will visually inspect your ducts. You can do this yourself right? Company "A" is not state licensed and not a member of NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association). For a small ranch their price went from $69.99 to over $800 AND THEY ARE NOT EVEN DOING THE CLEANING THE RIGHT WAY!

I am using the name company "A" because we do not want to say anything bad about anyone so please just research research research. If air duct cleaning is done improperly it may cause more harm than good. Duct cleaning can limit the amount of dust coming from your heating and cooling system and help occupants with allergies but not if it is done the wrong way. Here are a few things to ask when you are calling around to local companies.

1. Are you licensed and if so what is your state license number? If they will not give you the number they are not licensed. It is not like a social security number and does not need to be private. As you can see Amistee puts our number on our website under "State Licenses"

2. Are you members of NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association)? A full list of all the members is on the website at www.NADCA.com. All of the current members are in good standing and I feel confident referring you to any of them for air duct cleaning.

3. What type of equipment do you use? If they say "we only use truck mounted equipment" start asking things like "does your equipment run off the engine of the truck"? If they say no then it is a smaller portable machine which will be less powerful. How many CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute) does your equipment pull? This is important because it will tell you if they are using powerful equipment. Amistee's vacuum trucks pull anywhere between 16 and 17,000 CFM. Our trucks are all lettered with our logo and name so you know you are getting who you called.

4. Will you take before and after pictures for me at no extra charge? The main thing is "no extra charge" Amistee will show you the pictures from inside your duct work date stamped so you know it is YOUR DUCT WORK and not Mrs. Jones from a year ago. Other companies that will not do this are obviously not proud of their work and have something to hide.

5. How long does the process take? I have heard of companies claiming to clean air ducts and with one guy show up and clean maybe some duct work and leave in less than half of an hour. Our process is using the most powerful up to date equipment and tools with two highly trained technicians. We tell our customers the standard air duct cleaning will take roughly 2-3 hours.

6. Do you guarantee your work? Many companies put this in print ads but do not stand behind the writing. If you have a problem and call them back they will not come out or the number might be changed. If they do not publish a physical location this might be a company to steer away from. If there is a problem you would not be able to go into their shop. We stand behind our work 100% and will take care of any problem not matter if it is big or small. Your satisfaction is what we live and breathe for. Our main office location is 44485 Grand River Ave in Novi Michigan. We are here 6 days a week and not going anywhere.

7. How do you price an air duct cleaning? Does the company give you a starting price and then add on all the extras? This can get to be very expensive and quickly make the price very high. Amistee Air Duct Cleaning gives an "all inclusive" pricing structure. Our pricing is flat rate including all of the duct work connected to your furnace from every vent back to the furnace. We will also clean the air side components of your furnace. We believe you need to clean the whole system to get the true benefits of air duct cleaning. If you provided us with the correct information about your home (size & number of furnaces) our price will not change at all. You will know how much you are paying before we even show up. WE HAVE NO HIDDEN CHARGES!

8. Do you have any referrals from previous customers? Having someone give a referral who has used a company for the same service you are looking for is a tell tail sign if they are good or not. Amistee has a list of over 3000 satisfied customers. If you ask we will give you names and phone numbers of our most recent customers in your area.

9. Are you highly rated by the BBB and do you have any complaints? This might be a question you do your own research on. If you ask a company if they are members a lot will say yes even though they are not. If they are going to lie to you about being a member they will also lie about having complaints. Go to the BBB website and do a search. Amistee is in high standing and does not have any complaints.

10. Are you referred by other local contractors? A heating and cooling contractor treats their customers as their babies. They do not want to refer companies that are going to provide shoddy work and not do the proper job. Amistee works with most of the local heating and cooling contractors and restoration companies.

11. Do your workers actually work for your company? We sometimes see companies send out subcontractors to perform the work. These workers are not true company employees. They may not be in uniform or even know what they are doing. Amistee only does air duct cleaning and uses ONLY Amistee employees. We promise to you that anyone from our company will show up on time, in a clean uniform and ready and willing to provide you with the best service in the industry, you have my word

12. Is your equipment clean? You are the only one that is allowed to get your home dirty. Your home is not ours and that is why we strive to leave it cleaner than when we arrived. All of our equipment is cleaned before arrival. There will be CLEAN tarps laid down to protect your flooring. Most of the time our hoses will need to go around a corner and that is why we have protective foam pieces to place in between the wall and our hose. Are other companies going to do this? If not your wall may be scratched and nicked.

13. Are your shoes clean? Are the technicians going to walk through the home with dirty feet or leave their shoes on? This is something so simple but often forgotten about. Any Amistee employee that walks into your home will have a protective shoe cover on their feet. Even if you say no it is our policy to ALWAYS were shoe coverings.

As you can see there is a lot to look for in a qualified air duct cleaning company. All companies are not the same and duct cleaning can be done in a poor quality. Duct cleaning does make a difference but it has to be done the right way. If you cannot afford to get it done the right way then do not spend a low amount because it might do more harm than good. Call Amistee Air Duct Cleaning today and ask about our spring specials. Our prices are very fair and I promise after your cleaning you will see why.

Is That Smell Coming From My Ducts

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:54:00 +0000

One would think that the air duct system is a closed off system meaning nothing besides dirt and dust can enter it. This is not true and more times than you might think homeowners have to deal with animals entering their heating and cooling systems. Once an animal has entered your heating system it is a nice bet that they will not come out. The duct work is a maze with many drops and turns that will leave an animal lost without food or water. In Michigan there are all kinds of small critters that like to travel looking for warm places to live or possibly take a vacation to. We have found squirrels, birds, bats, chipmunks, skunks, mice, rats, ground hogs and even FROGS inside of the duct work system. If you do not believe me visit our main office in Novi, Michigan and one of our staff members will show you the pictures of all of them. We take pictures on all of our jobs and then file them into our system. Most of the time the homeowner is getting a very bad odor inside of their home and usually the ducts are the last place they think to look. Most recently Amistee Air Duct Cleaning professionals were on a job cleaning the duct work system of a two story home. When they opened up the duct system and inspected it they found a dead ground hog that was 15 inches long. The image above is what was inside of the duct system that we cleaned. Many times the smell will not start until the animal has been dead for at least 48 hours. Depending on the size of the animal it may take weeks before the smell vanishes. In this type of situation the only option is to have the air ducts cleaned and then sanitized to kill any type of virus or bacteria that may of been left in the duct work from the dead animal. If you are getting a smell from the duct work vents that you do not remember being there day prior, you might have a dead animal in your ducts. Call Amistee and we can send out one of our duct cleaning specialists to help you restore order to your indoor air.

Do My Ducts Need To Be Cleaned?????

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:14:00 +0000

The common question many homeowners ask themselves is "do our air ducts really need to get cleaned"? As an air duct cleaning company we see a lot of things. Since air duct cleaning is all Amistee does 6 days a weeks 52 weeks out of the year we see all sorts of duct work. Some of the duct work is 2 weeks old, some close to 100 years old and many in the middle. When someone living in any of these homes asks us the common question of "do we really need to do this" our answer is always the same, yes you do. This answer is not because it keep us busy it is because we beleive in our service 100%. The debris inside of the duct work is very different between a new home and an old home but it is still not supposed to be in your heating and cooling system. When debris settles inside of the cold air and heat ducts it will eventually release particulates into the air that you are breathing. This may be drywall dust from the sanding during a building process which will reduce your furnace efficency or pet dander from a previous pet that will increase a family members allergies. I am going to break dirty air ducts into two different catagories for you, new ducts and old ducts to try and make this easier to understand.
In the NEW DUCT WORK catagory we have a heating and cooling system that is less than 5 years old. This is a newer home that has been constructed and now is being lived in by you, the homeowner. When the home was being built one of the first things to go in was the furnace. In Michigan we have very cold winters and the builders need the warmth of a furnace to keep their workers warm and to help dry paint, plaster, drywall mud and any other projects. During this whole time air is being pulled into the duct work. 9 out of 10 times the builder is not using a filter and 9.9 ot of ten times it is a very bad filter allowing 99% of the debris and particulate to flow right through the filter. When the work on your home comes to an end and everything is cleaned, up your duct work will hold all of the dust that was in the air during the building phase waiting to release it for many years to come. Works will use the vents as a trash can as well. Many (not all) will sweep nails, molding, carpet fibers, wood flooring pieces, sawdust ciggarete buts and other debris right into the vents. When you move in to your beautiful new home and bring in your furniture you will have an excessive amount of dust for many years to come. We have seen ducts so dirty that furnaces will actually shut down from having clogged filters and blower motors. A simple air duct cleaning done by a professional will relieve any problems from dirty ductwork. Our before and after pictures will prove this to you.
In the OLD DUCT WORK catagory we have a home that is over 5 years old. The heating and cooling system has been pulling in air from the living space for 1,825 days or more. The question that you have to ask yourself is what has been in your living space during that time? Whatever has been in your living space is now in your duct work. Here are a few questions to help you understand. Have you ever had a pet? Have you ever remodeled any part of the home creating dust? Do you live on dirt road? Do you live around a lot of trees or plants producing a lot of pollen? Has anyone ever smoked in the home? Do you have old carpet that is releasing broken down carpet fibers? Is your house very dry in the winter time? Is your skin very dry? Some of these questions are obvious and others are not. Lets focus on the dry skin for a moment. Our skin as humans is naturally "shedding" and creating new skin to replace old dead skin. This is a great human feature but a bad feature for duct work. Whoever has been living in your home has been producing dead skin cells that eventually gets pulled into the duct work and will cycle through and pop back out waiting for you to inhale. Here is a great thought. If you have just bought a home, you are breathing the previous owners dead skin. Great thought huh? With all of the factors that "create dust" inside of your home, after 5 years your air duct system gets loaded down with debris reducing your furnaces efficency and providing you with poor indoor air quality.
After cleaning thousands and thousands of homes air duct systems in Michigan we have found that in both new and old duct work alike we remove an average of 25-35 pounds of debris using our powerful vacuum trucks. That debris is what you, the homeowner would be breathing without Amistee cleaning your duct work. I can not tell you exactly what the mixture of contaminents is that you are breathing but I can tell you that you are breathing very dirty air if you do not get your air ducts cleaned by a professional. To give you an answer to the title of this entry, YES if you have never had your air ducts cleaned by a professional then your air ducts do indeed need to be cleaned.

Dryer Vent Awareness

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:45:00 +0000

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission there are over 15,000 dryer related fires per year in the United States. This is an amount of roughly 41 mostly preventable fires each day. Amistee Air Duct cleaning performs dryer vent cleaning and we see every day why that fire rate is so high. Homeowners so commonly forget to pay attention to their venting and have it cleaned and inspected resulting in clogged lines and or improper ventilation. Some of the easiest things any homeowner should do to help prevent a dryer fire is cleaning the lint-trap after every load, keeping flammables away from the dryer, avoid over stuffing the dryer, NEVER leave your home while the dryer is on and of course have your vent inspected and cleaned ANNUALLY by a professional.
One of the services Amistee provides to our customers is dryer vent cleaning for all of our customers in Metro Detroit. In the cleaning we will make sure you have the proper air flow needed for your dryer to perform correctly and check the venting. If there is the wrong type of venting on your dryer (plastic) this could be a potential fire hazard and we will point this out to you and replace it with venting that is up to code. After making sure everything is hooked up correctly we will thoroughly clean the venting removing any buildup of lint that has collected over time. Debris collects over time and could create a kindling type situation making it very important to not avoid cleaning your dryer vent.

If you have your venting inspected every year you will reduce potential fire hazards, reduce drying time, make your dryer run more efficiently and most definitely increase the life of your dryer. If you have any questions about your dryer venting please do not put it off. Dryer vent fires are one of the most preventable fires if proper attention is paid to the venting.

Amistee Air Duct Cleaning Gives Back

noreply@blogger.com (Steve & Mike) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:35:00 +0000

At Amistee Air Duct Cleaning, Michigan residents are close to our hearts. We know that times are sometimes difficult for some and that is why we feel it is so important to give back to local organizations. Recently Amistee Duct Cleaning heard of a family that could not move back into their home due to health problems and dirty air ducts. The organization Habitat For Humanity contacted us and made us aware of the situation and we could only do one thing. clean the air ducts at no charge. Air duct cleaning is such an important thing and we feel that when it is done properly it can have such a positive impact on the residents health. When we performed the cleaning at the home located in Pontiac Michigan, we found all kinds of debris in the duct work. The list ranged from shoes to golf balls and of course the excessive build up of dirt and dead skin. We were happy to hear that our efforts in cleaning their air ducts payed off for the family of four making it possible to have better indoor air quality. If you know of any organization needing special assitance providing clean air for someone in need please contact us at info@amistee.com.

Duct cleaners see growth in clean air

noreply@blogger.com (The MBD) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Karen Dybis / Special to The Detroit News

To Steve Dickinson, the difference between his company and other duct cleaners is as simple as a pair of shoe covers.

Every employee of Amistee Air Duct Cleaning wears protective gear over their sneakers when in a client's house, Dickinson said. And this attention to detail -- along with uniforms, high-quality equipment and extensive training -- is what has allowed Amistee to grow so rapidly, Dickinson said.

"We knew that if we treated our customers and our employees how we would want to be treated success would soon follow," Dickinson said. "Since our first day on Jan. 1, 2004, we have doubled the sales of Amistee every year."

Indeed, the Novi-based company has gone from a single truck to six vehicles and nearly a dozen employees during its peak periods. They are looking to hire additional people as the need arises and as the company grows.

Currently, Amistee cleans ducts anywhere in the southeastern Michigan area, going everywhere from Yale to Saginaw to Jackson and beyond.

Amistee is a partnership between Dickinson and Mike McCowan. The two became friends in grade school, attended Michigan State University and graduated with engineering degrees. McCowan went to Chicago and worked for Conagra Foods; Dickinson ended up in Connecticut with Cadbury Schweppes.

They both dreamed of returning to Michigan, so they moved back in 2003. They began researching businesses, and they decided the indoor air quality industry held promise. The name Amistee stands for "A Mike and Steve Corporation."

"From the beginning, we always wanted to have the very best trucks, training, customer service and workers," Dickinson said. "When people spend a majority of their time indoors, would we not try and make that air as clean as possible?"

Industry groups recommend households and business owners give their duct work an annual inspection to see if they need service. Typically, Dickinson said people should have their ducts cleaned every three to five years. Most cleanings take between two to three hours and can improve a furnace's productivity as well as improve people's air quality.

"If your house were a body, the HVAC system would be its lungs," said John Schulte, executive director of the National Air Duct Cleaning Association, a trade organization in Washington D.C. that specializes in HVAC inspection, maintenance and restoration.

While prices vary, Amistee charges about $400 for an average cleaning of a ranch or similar-sized home. That may seem considerably higher than those companies advertising door-to-door, but those firms probably do not have the kind of high-suction trucks and trained employees other more costly companies provide, Dickinson said.

In fact, a poorly done cleaning can harm a home and its occupants, Dickinson said. It disturbs and agitates the dust and ducts if the vacuum truck does not remove all of the duct's debris, he noted.

"When we do a cleaning of a home's air ducts, we will pull anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds of dirt and debris from its lungs," Dickinson said.

"We take before and after pictures from every home to show what the ducts looked like."

Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.