Duct Cleaning Cost (2026): $270–$800 per Project

Why does duct cleaning cost $270 to $800?

Professional duct cleaning typically runs $270 to $800 per project, averaging around $400 (HomeAdvisor, Today’s Homeowner). Most companies price the job one of two ways: per vent or by square footage. Per-vent pricing runs $25 to $50 for each supply vent, averaging about $35, while larger return vents cost more, up to $75 each, because they collect more dust and debris (Fixr, This Old House, Bob Vila). Square-footage pricing runs $0.15 to $0.40 per square foot, which is why a 1,500 sq ft home typically lands around $225–$600 while a 2,000 sq ft home runs $300–$800 (This Old House, HomeAdvisor). Labor itself is billed at roughly $90–$125 per hour on top of, or bundled into, those figures (HomeAdvisor, Bob Vila). This Old House notes that larger or more heavily contaminated systems can push the top end past $800 to $1,000 or more.

What affects the cost?

A handful of factors explain most of the spread between a $270 job and one closer to $1,000:

• Home size and duct length. Bigger homes mean more ductwork and more time on site, which is why per-square-foot pricing ($0.15–$0.40) scales directly with home size (Fixr, HomeAdvisor, This Old House).
• Number of vents and returns. Supply vents run $25–$50 each; return vents cost more, up to $75 each, since they’re larger and dirtier (Fixr, This Old House).
• Pricing structure. Contractors quote flat fees, per-vent rates, per-square-foot rates, or a trip fee plus per-vent charge — the method used shifts where the total lands (Fixr).
• Duct accessibility and time since last cleaning. Ducts that are hard to reach or haven’t been cleaned in years take longer to service.
• Mold contamination. Lab testing for mold runs $50–$700 (This Old House), and remediation adds $500–$3,400 on top of standard cleaning, a synthesized range from Today’s Homeowner’s low end and HomeAdvisor’s high end (Today’s Homeowner, HomeAdvisor).
• Pest or rodent presence. Removing pests or nests from ductwork is a common add-on running $200–$1,200 (Fixr).
• Bundled services. Dryer vent cleaning ($100–$170) and video inspections ($70–$150) are frequently added to the same visit (Fixr, HomeAdvisor), along with furnace or AC cleaning ($60–$500) (HomeAdvisor).

How to lower your duct cleaning cost

• Compare per-vent vs. per-square-foot quotes. Since contractors price jobs differently, get quotes using both methods to see which works out cheaper for your home’s layout and vent count.
• Ask what’s included before booking. Confirm whether the quote covers all supply and return vents, or just a subset, since return vents can add up to $75 each.
• Skip add-ons you don’t need. Video inspections, sanitizing, and furnace or AC tune-ups are useful but optional extras that can add $60–$500 to the base price — only add them if there’s a specific concern.
• Address mold or pests separately if the price seems inflated. If a quote is unusually high, ask whether mold remediation ($500–$3,400) or pest removal ($200–$1,200) is baked in, and get a second opinion on whether that work is actually needed.
• Get two or three local quotes. Labor rates alone range from $90 to $125 per hour, and per-vent and per-square-foot rates both have wide bands, so local pricing can vary significantly between companies.

Prices vary by region, home size, and ductwork condition, so treat the figures above as a planning budget. Get a couple of local quotes before committing to a final number.