Near the end of the 1980s, legitimate HVAC cleaning companies committed to providing quality services joined together to form the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). The founding contractors were concerned about the rapid growth and lack of regulation in the industry and felt that by establishing a national association, they would be able to write standards to provide guidance for the industry.
As a result, NADCA now provides numerous educational opportunities for contractors looking to get into the HVAC cleaning business. They’ve also written the only performance-based standard for the duct cleaning industry. The questionable history of duct cleaning is hard to overcome, though, and some contractors still aren’t convinced the practice does much of anything to promote indoor air quality.