Air Duct and Dryer Vent Cleaning Cost (2026): Per System, Per Vent, Itemized
What duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning cost in 2026: per system and register, the coil and blower, sanitizers, dryer vents by where they exit, the $99 offer, whether it's worth it, and the dryer vent code.
The assumptions
This model assumes
- Cleaning only; no duct replacement, sealing or repair
- One system's price includes up to 12 registers
- Job cost before markup: labor and materials, no markup or tax
- Prices from Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026
The model, step by step
Priced through Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026, job cost before markup. One system with 16 registers is $565 job cost before markup, a ballpark price range of $735 to $1,130. A ground-floor dryer vent is $135 job cost before markup, $176 to $270.
Duct cleaning is priced per system, with a register count built in, and more for registers beyond it. Clamp's system line is $475 with up to 12 registers.
| Job | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One system, 12 registersNegative pressure, trunks, branches, blower compartment, a new filter | $485 | 5.0 |
| One system, 16 registersFour more at $20 each | $565 | 6.0 |
| Add a sanitizerBare metal ducts only, after cleaning | $610 | 6.0 |
| Add the coil and blower16 registers plus the coil and blower pulled and cleaned, no sanitizer; about 4 more hours | $1,082 | 10.0 |
| Two systems, 28 registersTwo setups, 4 registers over | $1,050 | 11.0 |
Published prices beside Clamp's job cost before markup. Each defines the job differently.
Published duct cleaning prices
DUCTZ, Upper Bay MD$895 a system with 10 branches, $20 each beyond; trunks, branches, registers, blower and coil
Air Duct Pros, MD$369 the first system, $269 each more; ducts and main lines only, no registers, blower or coil
Clean Air Duct Cleaning, FL$35 a vent, $350 minimum
EPA and Stanley Steemer$450 to $1,000 a system
Clamp, ballpark price range$735 to $1,130 for one system with 16 registers
A real cleaning is 5 to 6 labor hours per system with a negative-air machine. A $49 to $99 whole-house offer can't pay for that, so the price comes back as add-ons.
What regulators and the trade found
Washington AG, 2020A court ruled $29 to $55 duct coupons deceptive; the AG said they left out that only half the system was included and often ended up costing more than $1,000.
NADCATells homeowners to avoid $99 whole-house specials.
Stanley SteemerCalls $99 whole-house offers likely bait-and-switch.
EPA says duct cleaning has never been shown to prevent health problems, and to clean as needed, not on a schedule: visible mold, vermin, or debris blowing out of the registers. NADCA says how often depends on pets, smoking, water damage and renovation.
A dryer vent is priced by the vent, with more for an upper-floor or roof exit and more again to replace a foil or crushed run.
| Job | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-floor wallBrush and vacuum to the hood, damper cleared, airflow checked | $135 | 1.0 |
| Upper-floor wallLadder access to the hood | $228 | 1.5 |
| RoofRoof access, the cap cleared | $320 | 2.0 |
| Cleaning and a new hood$135 cleaning plus a $45 hood with a damper, no screen | $180 | 1.0 |
| Reroute, 15 ftCleaning, 15 ft of foil or crushed duct replaced in rigid metal, and a new hood | $498 | 4.4 |
Published dryer vent prices
Clean Air Duct Cleaning, FL$89 single story, $149 two story
Mama Bear Dryer Vent Care$240 side wall, $290 roof
LintGuard, Southern California$99 to $179 wall, $150 to $250 roof; rerouting $200 to $800
Cleaning a vent is when you find the code problems. These are the 2024 IRC rules; check the edition your town adopted.
Check while you're there
Length35 ft, not counting the transition duct, less 5 ft per 90 degree and 2.5 ft per 45 degree 4 in. radius mitered elbow (M1502.4.6.1), or the length in the dryer maker's instructions (M1502.4.6.2).
DuctSmooth-interior metal, No. 28 gage, 4 in. nominal (M1502.4.1). Foil or plastic accordion duct fails; only a listed transition duct, 8 ft max and not concealed, is allowed at the dryer (M1502.4.3). CPSC says replace foil or plastic with metal.
FastenersNothing more than 1/8 in. into the duct (M1502.4.2).
TerminationA backdraft damper and no screen (M1502.3). A screened bird guard fails; use a louvered hood.
FiresNFPA estimated an average of 13,820 home dryer fires a year in 2014 to 2018; failure to clean caused 32%.
A 2,500 sq ft house with one system, 14 supply vents and 2 returns, and a dryer vent about 20 ft out the side wall. Clamp priced it at $700 job cost before markup.
| Line | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Duct cleaning, one system1 ea | $475 | 5 |
| Registers over 124 ea | $80 | 1 |
| New filter1 ea | $10 | |
| Dryer vent cleaning1 ea | $135 | 1 |
The job
Every line priced
The job in Clamp, and the estimate it prices: $700 at job cost, by trade. Illustration of the Clamp app.
What it means
Cleaning, not new ductwork
Clamp reads a cleaning from the words, prices it per system and register or per vent with labor hours on each line, and never prices new ductwork for a cleaning.
Price the system, the registers and what's included. That's the whole answer to a $99 ad.
Questions
How much does air duct cleaning cost?
One system with 16 registers is $565 in job cost before markup in Clamp's catalog, a ballpark price range of $735 to $1,130. Published prices run from $369 a system for the ducts alone (Air Duct Pros) to $895 with the blower and coil (DUCTZ); EPA gives $450 to $1,000.
Is air duct cleaning worth it?
EPA says duct cleaning has never been shown to prevent health problems and recommends it only as needed: visible mold, vermin, or debris coming out of the registers. NADCA says frequency depends on pets, smoking, water damage and renovation.
How much does dryer vent cleaning cost?
A ground-floor wall vent is $135 job cost before markup in Clamp's catalog, an upper-floor vent $228 and a roof vent $320. Published prices run $89 to $240 for a wall vent and $150 to $290 for a roof.
How often should you clean a dryer vent?
NFPA advises cleaning the vent pipe once a year, or sooner if drying takes longer. Failure to clean caused 32% of home dryer fires in NFPA's 2014 to 2018 data.
Are $99 duct cleaning specials a scam?
Often they are bait for add-ons. A Washington court ruled $29 to $55 duct coupons deceptive in 2020; the attorney general said they left out that only half the system was included and often ended up costing more than $1,000. NADCA tells homeowners to avoid $99 whole-house specials.
Sources & provenance
- Clamp's catalog, priced by script Clamp (research)
- Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned? US EPA (official source)
- NADCA Releases 2025 Edition of ACR, The NADCA Standard for Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration of HVAC Systems NADCA (official source)
- Five FAQs for homeowners NADCA (official source)
- FAQs DUCTZ of the Upper Bay (research)
- FAQ Air Duct Pros (research)
- Prices Clean Air Duct Cleaning (research)
- How much is air duct cleaning? Stanley Steemer (research)
- AG Ferguson: Court rules Washington air duct companies engaged in unlawful robocalls, deceptive marketing Washington Attorney General (official source)
- Pricing Mama Bear Dryer Vent Care (research)
- Pricing LintGuard (research)
- 2024 IRC Chapter 15, Exhaust Systems International Code Council (official source)
- Home Dryer Fires NFPA (research)
- Clothes Dryer & Washing Machine Safety NFPA (official source)
- Overheated clothes dryers can cause fires US CPSC (official source)