Whole-home duct cleaning
Dryer vent cleaning
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Sanitizing & deodorizingWhole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
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AfterHow Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost in Houston?
Air Duct Cleaning in Houston typically costs between $350 and $700 for a standard single-family home, with most homeowners paying around $450 to $550 for a complete system cleaning in 2026. Smaller condos and apartments run $250 to $400, while larger homes with multiple HVAC systems or significant buildup can reach $800 to $1,200. Every quote should be written down before work starts, and at Hollis Air Duct Houston, it always is.
Key Takeaways
- Standard single-family home: $350 to $700
- Average Houston homeowner pays: $450 to $550
- Condos, townhomes, and smaller homes: $250 to $400
- Larger homes or heavy buildup: $800 to $1,200
- Per-vent pricing model: $25 to $45 per vent, plus main trunk line
- Dryer vent cleaning as an add-on: $75 to $150
- Duct sealing: $300 to $600 depending on accessible duct length
Roy Castellanos and the team at Hollis Air Duct Houston have been cleaning ducts in the Houston market since 2004. We publish this pricing guide because Houston homeowners have a right to know what the work should cost before they pick up the phone.
Air Duct Cleaning Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here is what a complete air duct cleaning job looks like in Houston, line by line, using 2026 pricing. These figures assume a single-family home of roughly 1,500 to 2,500 square feet with one HVAC system.
| Service Component | Typical Houston Price Range | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Full duct cleaning (supply and return) | $350 – $700 | All accessible supply ducts, return ducts, main trunk lines, and branch lines |
| Per-vent pricing model | $25 – $45 per vent | Individual supply and return registers cleaned and inspected |
| Main trunk line cleaning | $150 – $250 | The large central duct runs connecting the air handler to branch lines |
| Air handler / blower cleaning | $75 – $150 | Cleaning of the blower motor, fan blades, and interior cabinet |
| Coil cleaning | $100 – $200 | Evaporator coil cleaning when accessible |
| Dryer vent cleaning (add-on) | $75 – $150 | Full dryer vent run from dryer to exterior termination |
| Duct sealing | $300 – $600 | Mastic or aerosol sealing of accessible duct leaks |
| Sanitizing fog treatment | $100 – $250 | Antimicrobial fogging after cleaning, when requested |
If a Houston company quotes you $99 for a whole-house air duct cleaning, read the fine print twice. That price typically covers a handful of vents and nothing else. The bait-and-switch model is alive and well in this trade. At Hollis Air Duct Houston, the price is written before the technician touches a register, and it does not move at the door.
What Affects Air Duct Cleaning Pricing in Houston
Houston pricing does not follow one flat rate. The square footage of your home matters, yes, but so do several factors specific to how homes are built and lived in across this city.
- Number of HVAC systems. A two-story home in Katy or Sugar Land often runs two separate systems. Two systems mean two air handlers, two sets of trunk lines, and roughly double the labor. Expect a second system to add $250 to $450.
- Number of vents and accessibility. Homes in older neighborhoods like the Heights or Montrose often have registers in awkward spots, finished basements, or duct runs that snake through tight attic spaces. More vents and harder access mean more time, and time is the line item that drives the number up.
- Duct condition and buildup. Houston humidity breeds dust and biological growth in ducts faster than drier climates. A home that has not been cleaned in 10 years in Spring Branch or Humble will take longer to clean than a 3-year-old system in a new Cypress build. Heavy buildup can add $100 to $250.
- Presence of mold or moisture. If a visual inspection reveals mold or standing moisture in the ducts, the scope changes. Mold remediation is a separate service and should be handled by a company qualified to do it correctly. The cost can add $300 to $800 beyond a standard cleaning.
- Pet hair and renovation dust. Homes with multiple large dogs or recent drywall work (common across Bellaire and Pearland remodels) pack more debris into the system. Excess pet hair and construction dust can add $50 to $150 in labor.
- Add-on services. Dryer vent cleaning, sanitizing fog, and duct sealing all carry their own line items. The table above covers these. None of them are mandatory, but each addresses a specific problem and should be priced separately, in writing.
How Much Does Duct Sealing Cost in Houston?
Duct sealing in Houston runs $300 to $600 for most homes. The service involves sealing leaks in accessible ductwork using mastic, a thick paste that hardens over joints and connections where conditioned air escapes. Leaky ducts can waste 20 to 30 percent of the air your system moves, which means you pay to heat or cool air that ends up in your attic instead of your living room.
Houston’s heat makes duct sealing more valuable than in milder climates. When the outside temperature is 98 degrees and your attic is 130, a leaky supply duct pours cool air into a space nobody lives in. Sealing those leaks pays for itself over one or two Houston summers.
The Hollis Air Duct Houston crew uses professional-grade sealing materials and explains exactly which sections were sealed and why. The price for sealing is written separately from cleaning, so you see exactly what you are paying for.
Is Air Duct Cleaning Worth the Cost in Houston?
For most Houston homeowners, yes. The city’s combination of humidity, pollen, construction dust, and long cooling seasons means HVAC systems here work harder and collect more debris than systems in most U.S. markets. A duct system packed with dust forces your air handler to push harder, which shortens equipment life and raises monthly cooling bills.
What a cleaning does is straightforward: it removes the accumulated dust, debris, and biological material from the duct surfaces, the trunk lines, and the air handler. When the system is clean, air moves without resistance, and the air that reaches your bedrooms is the air you are already paying to condition.
We tell Houston homeowners to expect a cleaning every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if they have pets, have completed a renovation, or notice visible dust collecting on registers shortly after they wipe them down. The Air Duct Cleaning in Houston page explains our process step by step.
How to Save on Air Duct Cleaning
Saving money on air duct cleaning near me in Houston, TX starts with knowing what you actually need. A house with light buildup does not need sanitizing fog. A home with a clean dryer vent does not need that add-on. Get the written breakdown, ask what each line item does, and approve only the items that solve a real problem.
- Combine services. If your dryer vent has not been cleaned in years, adding it to an air duct cleaning visit costs less than scheduling it as a standalone trip. Houston homes with long dryer runs to the exterior need this more than most.
- Clean or replace filters before the appointment. A clean filter means the technician spends less time on basic debris and more time on the actual duct surfaces. It is a five-minute task that keeps the job moving.
- Ask if a full-system cleaning is necessary. Some Houston homes have one section that is visibly dirty while the rest of the system is in decent shape. A reputable company will inspect first, then tell you what actually needs work.
- Get the price in writing before work starts. This is the single biggest money-saver in this trade. A written price protects you from the door-price jump that plagues the industry. Hollis Air Duct Houston has operated this way since 2004, and we have never quoted a job differently.
- Use the free estimate. Call (713) 936-5800 and we will walk through your home size, system type, and vent count over the phone, then tell you exactly what to expect before anyone schedules a visit. The estimate is free and carries no obligation.
What to Expect During an Air Duct Cleaning in Houston
A proper air duct cleaning in Houston follows a process you can check against any company you call. Knowing the steps keeps you from paying full price for a partial job.
At Hollis Air Duct Houston, the technician arrives in uniform, background-checked, and inside the quoted window. Before any work begins, you receive a written price. The Garrison Standard requires it. After the price is approved, the crew protects the work area and begins the cleaning.
We use negative-air machines from Nikro and rotary brush systems from Rotobrush. The negative-air machine creates suction that runs continuously while the rotary brush works inside the ducts. The combination dislodges debris and pulls it out of the system rather than pushing it through your registers. The air handler and blower are cleaned, return and supply ducts are worked section by section, and the registers are wiped down. At the end, the site is left clean. If the work does not hold up, our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers it in writing. We come back at no charge, including a free second visit.
How Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost for a Condo or Apartment in Houston?
Condos and apartments in Houston run $250 to $400 for a standard commercial duct cleaning. These spaces have fewer vents and shorter duct runs, but they often share building infrastructure that can complicate the job.
Units in Midtown high-rises, Galleria-area condos, and EaDo lofts sometimes route ducts through shared chase spaces. Access can be tighter, which adds time even though the overall square footage is smaller. If the unit has its own air handler, the blower cleaning adds $75 to $150. If the building’s maintenance handles the main equipment, the job is limited to the branch ducts and registers, which keeps the price at the lower end of the range.
How Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost for a Large Home in Houston?
Large homes in Houston, the 3,000 to 5,000 square foot range common in Memorial, River Oaks, and parts of The Woodlands, run $800 to $1,200 for a complete air duct cleaning. These homes usually have two or more HVAC systems, 15 to 30 vents, and long trunk line runs.
The cost breaks down roughly as follows: $350 to $550 for the first system, $250 to $450 for the second, and $100 to $250 for extended duct runs or hard-to-access sections. Homes in Bellaire and West University with crawl spaces or finished attics complicate access and add labor. The written estimate accounts for all of it before the crew starts.
Air Duct Cleaning vs Replacement: Which Is Cheaper in Houston?
Cleaning is dramatically cheaper than replacement. A full duct cleaning in Houston runs $350 to $700. Replacing ductwork in a Houston home runs $3,000 to $8,000 depending on the size of the system, the accessibility of the attic or crawl space, and whether existing insulation needs to be moved.
Replacement becomes necessary when ducts are physically damaged, collapsed, or rusted through. In Houston, rust is more common than in drier climates because of the humidity. But age alone does not mean the ducts need to be replaced. A thorough cleaning, combined with sealing, can extend the life of existing ductwork by years. The smart money is on cleaning first, evaluating the results, and replacing only if the ducts are structurally compromised.
If you are unsure whether your ducts need cleaning or replacement, call (713) 936-5800 and describe the symptoms. Roy Castellanos and the team can often tell you which direction makes sense from a ten-minute conversation.
What Does a $99 Houston Duct Cleaning Actually Cover?
Almost nothing worth paying for. The $99 Houston duct cleaning special is a sales tactic, and the math does not work. A technician who does a real cleaning with professional equipment cannot cover labor, fuel, insurance, and equipment wear and turn a profit at $99.
These offers typically cover three to five vents and nothing else. The technician arrives, performs a quick visual inspection, then informs you that the rest of the system needs a “deep clean” or “premium service” that costs several hundred dollars more. The $99 price was the hook. The real price is presented after the crew is already inside your home.
Hollis Air Duct Houston does not run teaser pricing. The written quote covers the entire system, the air handler, and the registers. If the price needs to change, we tell you before work continues, and you approve it in writing. That is the Garrison Standard, and it has been since 2004. For a deeper look at how to vet a company, start with our home page and read through what we publish.
FAQs – Air Duct Cleaning Cost
How much does air duct cleaning cost in Houston in 2026?
Air duct cleaning in Houston costs $350 to $700 for a standard single-family home in 2026, with most jobs landing between $450 and $550. Condos run $250 to $400, and larger homes with multiple systems run $800 to $1,200. Call (713) 936-5800 for a written quote on your specific home.
Is it cheaper to clean or replace air ducts in Houston?
Cleaning is far cheaper: $350 to $700 versus $3,000 to $8,000 for full duct replacement in Houston. Cleaning extends the life of existing ductwork and should be the first step unless the ducts are physically damaged or collapsed.
How much does duct sealing cost in Houston?
Duct sealing in Houston runs $300 to $600 for most homes. The service seals leaks in accessible ductwork using mastic, which stops conditioned air from escaping into the attic and lowers cooling costs during Houston summers.
Does Hollis Air Duct Houston offer free estimates?
Yes. Every estimate is free, and the price is written down before any work starts. Call (713) 936-5800 and we will walk through your home size, system count, and vent total over the phone, then give you a figure you can plan around.
How often should Houston homeowners clean their air ducts?
Every 3 to 5 years for most Houston homes. Homes with pets, recent renovations, or visible dust on registers shortly after cleaning may need service more often. Houston’s humidity and long cooling season accelerate dust and biological buildup compared to drier climates.
What does the 365-Day Done Right Promise cover?
The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every air duct cleaning and duct sealing job in writing. If the work fails within a year, Hollis Air Duct Houston returns and makes it right at no charge, including a free second visit. The promise is written on every job, not just spoken.
Call Hollis Air Duct Houston for a Written Quote
You should know what air duct cleaning costs in Houston before you agree to anything. Call (713) 936-5800 and ask for a quote on your home. Roy Castellanos and the team will give you a figure backed by The Garrison Standard: written price, uniformed technician, work done by the book, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise behind every job. Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail loops, no callback queues, no pressure. Just a straight answer and a written price.
Pricing reflects the Houston market as of 2026. Hollis Air Duct Houston offers free estimates – call (713) 936-5800.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Houston, serving Houston since 2004.
What Our Customers Say
"Pet hair all through the returns. The crew pulled out a whole bag of it. Smell is gone."
- Ana G."Great results. First appointment got rescheduled because a job ran long, but the second visit was right on time."
- Kimberly V."They checked each section with a camera and showed me the dust before and after. Thorough and honest."
- Nicole H.