This R&R Q&A features a topic that’s gotten even more popular since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: duct cleaning. Today, extensive cleaning and disinfection services often include the HVAC system, which has prompted some restoration contractors to add duct cleaning as an additional service.

Mentoring owners of small businesses in the indoor air quality industry (IAQ) is what the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors (NORMI) has been doing for more than 16 years. It is true, the organization is a training and certifying trade association, but it's not just about getting certified—it's about building a successful business. 

Many people in the environmental industry have heard of the terms “sick building syndrome” and “indoor air quality” (IAQ), but substantially fewer understand the concept of “building bake-out”. 

The fundamental idea on containment is simple: keep one or more contaminants in or out of an area. Quite literally, a containment is an isolation system.

Protecting return-to-work individuals who had been restricted from gathering in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and efforts to reopen public indoor spaces safely have led to a lot of interest in how HVAC systems may be adjusted to reduce the spread of the virus. 

At the time of this writing, we’re starting to see the much-anticipated second wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths due to colder temperatures settling over much of the U.S. and people moving activities indoors.