Whole-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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AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Malibu
Air duct cleaning in Malibu typically runs $450 – $850 for a full residential system, with most homes along Pacific Coast Highway, in the Malibu Colony, or up in the canyons above Corral Canyon Road falling somewhere in the middle. We’re the Air Duct Cleaning crew that serves Malibu from our Los Angeles office, dispatching background-checked, uniformed technicians who understand what Santa Ana winds and wildfire season do to the ducts in this city. If you’re smelling smoke residue every time the HVAC kicks on, or you’ve noticed ash collecting around your vents after the latest red-flag warning, we’ll show up inside the quoted window, write the price down before we touch anything, and leave the site clean. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Malibu’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, and our Malibu customers know we don’t play the coupon game. While other outfits advertise $99 whole-house specials that balloon to $600 once the van is in the driveway, we put one flat price per system in writing before any work starts. That standard, The Garrison Standard, is how we operate every job in Malibu.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and you’ll know who’s arriving before they pull into your drive. Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no voicemail loops, no callback queues. If the work fails within a year, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s backed in writing on every job.
We also know Malibu’s housing stock. The 1950s beach bungalows near Topanga Beach, the canyon contemporaries off Latigo Canyon Road, and the newer estates above Malibu Road all have different duct configurations, different access challenges, and different smoke infiltration patterns. We don’t learn that on the fly. We’ve cleaned ducts in all of them.
Ductwork Cleaning in Malibu
Ductwork Cleaning in Malibu means removing the ash, soot, salt-laden dust, and fine particulate that Santa Ana winds and wildfire events push deep into your system. We use a rotary brush system from Rotobrush to agitate debris off duct walls, paired with a Nikro negative-air machine that pulls contaminants out under controlled suction so they don’t re-enter your living space. A typical residential Ductwork Cleaning in Malibu runs $450 – $650 for a single-zone system, $650 – $850 for multi-zone homes common in the hills above Malibu Canyon Road. Most jobs take three to five hours.
Supply Duct Cleaning
Supply ducts push conditioned air into your rooms. In Malibu, these lines often run through unconditioned crawl spaces or attic areas where the marine layer’s moisture can corrode metal over time. We inspect each supply boot for corrosion damage, clean the full run, and note any joints that may need sealing.
Return Duct Cleaning
Return ducts pull air back to your HVAC unit, and they’re where wildfire ash tends to concentrate in Malibu homes. We pay special attention to return plenums, where hidden ash pockets settled after the Woolsey Fire and still recontaminate systems today. Our HEPA-equipped vacuums capture particles down to 0.3 microns.
Air Duct Inspection in Malibu
Air Duct Inspection in Malibu is how we determine whether your ducts need cleaning, sealing, or both, and it’s especially critical after any smoke event or if your home predates 1990. We feed a high-resolution camera through the full duct network, documenting ash buildup, corrosion from salt air, disconnected joints, and insulation degradation. A standalone Air Duct Inspection in Malibu costs $150 – $250, though we waive this fee if you proceed with cleaning. Inspections typically take 60 – 90 minutes, and you’ll see the footage yourself.
Video Documentation
We record the full inspection and provide before-and-after footage if cleaning follows. In Malibu, this matters because homeowners often need documentation for insurance claims after wildfire-related damage. The video becomes your record of what was in the system and what we removed.
Post-Fire Assessment Protocol
After any red-flag warning or nearby brush fire, we run a specialized inspection checking for ash infiltration in return pathways and filter bypass. Malibu’s tight building envelopes don’t always prevent smoke entry, and we’ve found ash in systems where homeowners smelled nothing. This protocol goes beyond standard inspection scope.
Trusted Brands We Service in Malibu
We clean and service ductwork connected to filtration and HVAC components from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies, and we stock common replacement parts so Malibu customers aren’t waiting on shipping. Honeywell media air cleaners and Aprilaire whole-house dehumidifiers see heavy use in Malibu’s coastal climate, where the marine layer keeps relative humidity higher than inland valleys. Abatement Technologies HEPA filtration systems, popular in newer luxury builds above Encinal Canyon Road, require specific cleaning protocols to maintain warranty coverage. We know those protocols and follow them. If your system needs a filtration upgrade after cleaning, we’ll explain what the equipment does in plain terms and write the price down before any installation work starts.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Malibu Homes
- Wildfire ash accumulation in return plenums. After the 2018 Woolsey Fire, many surviving homes had ducts packed with ash that standard filter changes couldn’t reach. We still find hidden ash pockets in return plenums during initial inspections, especially in homes off Mulholland Highway and Corral Canyon Road.
- Salt-air corrosion in coastal ductwork. Homes within a quarter-mile of Pacific Coast Highway show accelerated metal fatigue in duct seams and boots. The marine layer deposits salt that corrodes galvanized steel over years, creating leaks that pull in unfiltered attic or crawl space air.
- Multi-zone system complexity. Modern estates in Serra Retreat and above Malibu Road often have five or more zones with extensive duct runs. These systems accumulate debris at different rates per zone, and cleaning requires zone-by-zone isolation that basic operators skip.
- Original rigid ductwork with unsealed joints. The 1950s – 70s bungalows near Topanga Beach and Point Dume still run original metal ductwork with taped joints that have dried and failed. Smoke, dust, and rodents enter through these gaps, and cleaning alone won’t solve the infiltration.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Malibu, CA
Here’s what air duct cleaning costs in Malibu’s market. A single-zone residential system, typical of smaller beach bungalows, runs $450 – $650. Multi-zone homes, common in the canyons and hills, run $650 – $850. Commercial systems in Malibu’s retail and restaurant spaces along PCH start around $800 and scale with square footage and access complexity. Air duct inspection alone is $150 – $250, waived with cleaning. Duct Sealing in Malibu, which we recommend when inspection finds significant joint leakage, adds $300 – $600 depending on system size.
What moves the price: number of HVAC zones, total linear feet of ductwork, accessibility (crawl spaces versus attic runs), and whether post-fire decontamination requires additional HEPA containment. We don’t price per vent, we don’t bait with teaser rates, and the number we write down before work starts is the number on the final invoice. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate, we’ll ask the right questions about your system, and you’ll know your exact price before we schedule.
We Also Serve Cities Near Malibu
Our crews work throughout the western San Fernando Valley and Ventura County border region, including Air Duct Cleaning in Malibu and neighboring Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and Calabasas. Each area has distinct housing stock and air quality challenges, from Calabasas’s dust-prone hill developments to Thousand Oaks’s mature tree canopy and pollen loads. We also handle Dryer Vent Cleaning in Malibu and surrounding cities. Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our Los Angeles office.
Serving Malibu, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Malibu area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning in Malibu
A typical full residential air duct cleaning in Malibu costs $450 – $850, with single-zone homes on the lower end and multi-zone canyon estates on the higher end. Commercial properties start around $800. We write your exact price down before any work starts, and it doesn’t change at the door. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
The $99 – $199 teaser quotes you see advertised are almost always per-vent pricing that balloons once the technician counts your registers, or they’re bait-and-switch operations that find “mold” or “extra contamination” to upsell. We charge one flat price per system, agreed in writing upfront, with no per-vent math and no surprise add-ons. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is included, not extra.
We provide before-and-after photos and video from our inspection camera, showing debris removal inside your actual ducts, not stock footage. You’ll see the ash, dust, or buildup that was there and the clean surface after. In Malibu, where post-wildfire cleaning is common, this documentation also serves insurance records.
Most Malibu homes benefit from cleaning every three to five years under normal conditions, but after any significant wildfire smoke event or red-flag warning with visible ash accumulation, we recommend inspection within weeks. Homes with original ductwork from the 1960s – 70s, common near Topanga Beach, may need more frequent attention due to joint deterioration.
Every air duct cleaning job is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work fails within a full year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. This applies to all Malibu service calls and is backed by the Garrison Partners family track record since 2004.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Malibu and the greater Los Angeles area.