Originally Posted by
luckbealady
I first misread the title of your post as "Dust" Cleaning - and I was going to say I just draw pictures in my dust.
The duct cleaning phone calls are irritating. I had some when I lived in an apartment building - there was one where I told them I didn't have any ducts, and then the guy said I had a nice voice and asked if I'd sing for him - that was creepy.
You can definitely ask to have your number removed from their calling list. It's law that they have to obey (although when I was briefly a telemarketer for a cc we had to inform the customer that it could be 30 days before it happened). Of course, chances are it doesn't matter because the companies aren't really legit anyway.
There's been many issues with the federal Do Not Call List, because it only applies to Canada (so your number can be sold to call centers outside the country); there is little fining and prosecution going on with perpetrators; and if you register your cell phone, many telemarketers now have a number they weren't able to get before.
For anyone interested, there have been lots of studies done that duct cleaning is not even needed (even IF your ducts are dirty) - and in many cases cleaning will make things worse. The reason being is that there is usually moisture inside the ducts, so it's not just loose dust flying around - it sticks and doesn't go anywhere. Companies that come in and clean will make dust and dirt move through your ducts more - and there are also companies that use chemicals/sprays to "clean", and these cleaners again can be harmfully spread through your house by the ducts.