Fall is coming and furnaces are coming to life.

And if you’re not prepared, your lungs will be your only filter, aggravating allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems.

You could make yourself sick and spend money on doctor visits that can be avoided when you take these three steps right now to protect your health:

1. Make sure your furnace filters are clean.

You can hire a professional to change them or you can do it yourself. Recommended electrostatic filters are available online at http://www.indoorcare.com and easily clean for re-use to save you money.

2. Make sure your forced air ducts are clean.

Take off a register cover and stick your hand down in the vent. Can you pull out a clump of dust and debris? If so, you definitely need a professional inspection and quote for cleaning.

You don’t want all that stuff blowing around in your air all winter with only your lungs to filter it out.

A firm that uses the Patented Rotobrush system will remove dirt, dust, pollen, dust mite feces, dead spiders, webs, rotten food stuffed in dining room vents, and even rodent carcasses.

3. Once you are sure your system is clean, mark you calendar to check your furnace filter every 3 months.

After you’ve completed these three steps, you can rest assured that your breathing air is clean and your system is performing at its best.

To find a competent forced air duct cleaner, look up "duct cleaning" in your yellow pages.

Ask these simple questions before inviting a professional out to your home:

1. What method do you use to clean ducts? (You will want one that uses both suction and agitation of the sides of the ducts to get the most thorough cleaning)

2. How often do you recommend my ducts to be cleaned? (The right answer is "it depends". Cleaning can last 2, 5, or even 10 years depending on where you leave, pets, filters used, how often filters changed, etc.)

3. Do you guarantee your work? (You don't want someone to come out who can't guarantee your satisfaction or your money back. Please realize that it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean everything out of your ducts. The goal is to remove as much as is possible to significantly improve your indoor air quality and insure your health)

3. Will you come out to my home for free, do a video camera inspection, and give me an exact quote in writing? (If a company is not willing to come out for free and inspect and give you a quote in writing that they will stick to NO MATTER WHAT, then don't risk having them out to your home!)

Laura Bankston owns a professional cleaning business and is a certified professional cleaner. Bankston's goal is to education consumer's to protect their health and prevent them from being scammed by unethical cleaners. Bankston currently has two consumer websites: http://www.indoorcare.com and http://cleanmyowncarept.com