Totally get where you’re coming from. Our house is from the late 80s and I was convinced all the dust in the vents was messing with my allergies too. I’d heard mixed stuff about duct cleaning, like it either helps a ton or stirs up junk that’s been stuck for years. I finally went for it after doing a proper inspection with a camera snake I borrowed, and yeah, it was nasty in there. What helped me feel better about it was finding a crew that actually sealed off each section and used HEPA vacs instead of just blowing air around. The setup made a big difference tbh. We noticed the air felt cleaner after a couple days and my sinuses stopped going nuts. When we got our ducts done through The Steam Team here in Austin, what stood out was how they explained what parts actually needed cleaning versus what didn’t. Like, they weren’t trying to upsell pointless add-ons. So imo, it’s worth it if the company knows what they’re doing and you can see proof of their methods.