Air Duct Cleaning in California

A typical single-system home takes 2-4 hours with a two-person crew. Larger homes, multiple air handlers, or heavy contamination stretch to a full day. Be suspicious of anyone promising a whole house in under an hour.

Usually per system or per vent: a flat whole-house price for an average system, with surcharges for extra vents, multiple air handlers, or heavy contamination. Dryer vent cleaning is typically a smaller separate line item.

Evidence is mixed for routine cleaning of already-clean ducts. It clearly helps when ducts contain mould, construction dust, pest debris, or blockages. Pairing cleaning with better filtration and sealing duct leaks delivers more measurable benefit than cleaning alone.

The pattern: a $50-100 'whole house special', then on-site claims of hidden mould with photos that may not be from your ducts, pressure-selling sanitizer fogging at hundreds extra. Legitimate firms quote by vent/system count, show you findings in your own ducts, and never pressure same-day decisions.

Proper source-removal cleaning puts the system under negative pressure with a high-power vacuum, then agitates each duct run with rotating brushes or compressed-air whips so debris is pulled to the collector — not blown into the house. Register covers, the air handler, and coils should be included.

A legitimate source-removal clean of a single-system home typically runs $350-700 depending on vent count. If you were quoted under $150, expect an upsell ambush; NADCA members quote by system and vent count in writing.