Black Hat Cleans Like Magic

Black Hat Cleaning Services is a family company offering outstanding chimney, air duct and dryer vent cleaning and repair.

By: Joshua Danker-Dake | Category: Home Improvement | Issue: December 2011

David E. Harris, Michael Boles, Patience Boles, and David C.R. Harris of Black Hat Cleaning Services.

Dust in your air ducts can cause allergies and odors. A blocked vent can decrease your dryer’s efficiency or even lead to a fire. A clogged chimney can cause fires or foundation issues. But don’t despair: for over 30 years, Black Hat Cleaning Services has been alleviating these problems throughout the Tulsa area.

Black Hat Cleaning Services, founded in 1977, has been locally- and family-owned for the entirety of its existence. Black Hat offers chimney cleaning and repair, air duct cleaning, and dryer vent cleaning and repair services to the greater Tulsa area. Black Hat is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa.

According to Black Hat, the average six-room house accumulates 40 pounds of dirt and dust in a year. If your air ducts are dirty or clogged, you could be breathing in quite a bit of that dust, which can contain allergens including mold and mildew. Black Hat uses the Total Source Removal Method to clean and sanitize every part of your system. Their sanitizer kills airborne mold and mildew for a year.

Patience Boles is Black Hat’s office manager and has been with the company for 9 years. Her father, David E. Harris, founded the company, and her husband Michael Boles and brother David C. R. Harris run the duct truck. A variety of factors affect how often you should have your air ducts cleaned, including the type of filter you use, how often you clean your carpets, and whether you have pets. “Maintenance is a big factor – much bigger than people realize,” says Patience. “In addition to having your ducts sanitized yearly, changing your filter regularly and using high-efficiency filters can go a long way.” Black Hat suggests having your ducts cleaned at least every three years.

A clogged dryer vent can be a fire hazard, and can substantially decrease the efficiency of your dryer. “How often you should have your dryer vent cleaned is based on usage,” says Patience. “One thing you can look at is that when a load takes five to ten minutes longer to dry than it used to, it’s time to have your vent cleaned.”

Your chimney should be cleaned after every two or three ricks of wood, assuming good burning habits are used (which include burning for at least two hours at a time, using appropriately-sized fires, and using seasoned wood that’s at least a year old). Chimneys with gas logs should be cleaned every seven to ten years. In all cases, Patience explains, chimneys should be inspected regularly for ventilation and foundation issues.

Black Hat places a heavy emphasis on strong customer service, to which Patience is closely connected. “I answer the phone when customers call, and so I speak with all our customers,” she says. “We work with our customers on an individual level all the way through each job. Every job is handled personally so we can take care of whatever their particular issue is and make sure that each job is done right.” Black Hat also offers up-front pricing on all jobs; often, you can get exact pricing for the job you need done with just a phone call.

Part of Black Hat’s focus on personalized customer service includes customer education. “We’re here to educate you about our services,” says Patience. “No question is stupid. We’re always happy to answer. We love our customers.”

For more information, give Black Hat Cleaning Services a call or visit them on the web at www.blackhatnow.com, where coupons are also available.