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 Salem
Air duct cleaning in Salem typically runs $350 – $650 for a whole-house residential system and $800 – $2,500 for commercial jobs, depending on how much of the building is original 19th-century ductwork versus modern HVAC. We’re the Air Duct Cleaning team at Hollis, and our crews serve Salem from our Boston office, dispatching background-checked, uniformed technicians to homes from the McIntire Historic District to North Salem’s Capes. Because Salem’s housing stock is dominated by pre-1900 construction, we treat every job as both historical detective work and mechanical cleaning. Call (361) 326-5060 for a written estimate before any work starts.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Salem’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, and our Salem reputation is built on showing up inside the window, pricing in writing, and leaving the site clean. Roy Castellanos leads our operation under The Garrison Standard, which means no estimate balloons once the technician is inside your home.
Our Salem customers aren’t looking for the lowest teaser coupon. They’re looking for the bid they can trust. That’s why we give one flat price per system, agreed before work starts, backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the work fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit.
Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Boston office, but crews serve Salem locally, carrying Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines to jobs from Derby Street to the Point. We know the difference between a galvanized duct run and a crumbling 1920s tar-paper chase, and we won’t brush either one without looking first.
Residential Air Duct Cleaning in Salem
Residential Air Duct Cleaning in Salem starts with understanding that your ducts may not be ducts at all. In the McIntire and Derby Street Historic Districts, many homes were built in the 1700s and 1800s with no central heating beyond coal stoves and fireplaces. Their first “ductwork” was often brick-and-mortar flues, chimney chases, and wall cavities later retrofitted with tar-paper-lined chases when someone added forced air in the 1950s or 1970s. We run a camera before we run a brush, because treating a tar-paper chase like a modern galvanized duct shreds the liner and dumps debris into your living space instead of our HEPA filtration unit.
A typical whole-house residential cleaning in Salem runs $350 – $650. That covers supply and return ductwork, the air handler cabinet, and registers. If we find disconnected runs, crushed branches, or original brick flues that need sealing and reconnection, we’ll show you on camera and give you a written price for the additional work before we proceed.
Video Inspection Before Mechanical Cleaning
We scope every residential system in Salem before we touch it. On a Derby Street Historic District timber-frame, our tech ran camera inspection through what the homeowner called “the return” and found it was an original chimney chase lined with crumbling 1920s tar paper, with a crushed branch run feeding a single register upstairs. We pulled a desiccated squirrel nest out of the chase under negative pressure, then sealed and reconnected the run to the air handler so the system finally moved air where it was supposed to. No camera, no discovery, no fix.
Duct Sealing for Original Construction
Cleaning debris out of a duct system that leaks at every joint is temporary relief. In Salem’s older homes, we often find that the real problem isn’t dirt, it’s airflow. We seal with mastic and mechanical fasteners, not tape that dries and falls off in a hot attic. The sealing work is priced separately, in writing, and it’s what actually solves the temperature imbalances upstairs and the dust that keeps coming back.
Commercial Air Duct Cleaning in Salem
Commercial Air Duct Cleaning in Salem covers office buildings, retail spaces, restaurants, and multi-unit properties from downtown Essex Street to the commercial strips on Highland Avenue and Loring Avenue. Commercial systems vary widely, but a typical job runs $800 – $2,500 depending on square footage, system accessibility, and whether the building has been renovated multiple times with ductwork added in phases.
We use Nikro negative-air machines on commercial jobs to maintain containment while cleaning runs that may serve multiple tenants or floors. Our technicians work after hours or in sections to minimize disruption. Every commercial job gets the same written price guarantee and 365-Day Done Right Promise as our residential work.
Multi-Tenant and Historic Building Compliance
Many Salem commercial properties occupy renovated 19th-century mill or merchant buildings with ductwork added decades after original construction. We document condition with video, coordinate with building management on access, and ensure our containment protocols protect occupied spaces during cleaning.
Kitchen Exhaust and Grease Duct Systems
Restaurants on Pickering Wharf and downtown Salem need exhaust duct cleaning that meets fire code requirements. We clean grease-laden vapor ducts with rotary brush systems and capture debris in HEPA-filtered negative-air containment, then provide written documentation of the work performed.
Trusted Brands We Service in Salem
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for agitating debris in irregular ductwork, Nikro negative-air machines for maintaining suction and containment during cleaning, and filtration products from Honeywell and Guardsman for homeowners who want to upgrade their air handler after we clean. We don’t show up with hardware-store vacuums and a brush on a stick. The tools we use are the same ones commercial crews deploy in hospitals and schools, and we explain what each one does while we’re working in your home. If your Salem system needs parts we don’t stock, our Boston office coordinates fast turnaround from regional suppliers.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Salem Homes
- Original brick flues mistaken for modern ductwork. In pre-1900 homes throughout the McIntire District, we’ve found homeowners who didn’t realize their “return air” was a 200-year-old chimney chase. Brushing it without inspection collapses loose mortar and fills the house with historic soot and debris.
- Crumbling tar-paper kitchen-vent chases. Post-1970 retrofits in the Point and South Salem often used tar-paper-lined wall cavities as duct chases. The paper disintegrates on contact with a rotary brush, so we identify it with camera inspection and switch to negative-air extraction with minimal mechanical agitation.
- Disconnected or crushed branch runs in triple-deckers. The dense 19th-century tenements on the Point and South Salem were never designed for central air. Ducts added later often run through inaccessible voids, get crushed by subsequent renovations, or terminate in walled-off spaces. Camera inspection finds these before we waste time cleaning a dead line.
- Coastal corrosion on metal trunk lines and registers. Salem’s salt-laden harbor air accelerates rust in unconditioned attics and crawl spaces. We find blower motor housings, trunk lines, and floor registers corroded through near the waterfront. Cleaning without sealing the leaks just invites more rust and mold spores next season.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Salem, MA
Here’s what air duct cleaning costs in Salem’s market:
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Whole-house residential cleaning (supply + return) | $350 – $650 |
| Residential with duct sealing (mastic, reconnect runs) | $650 – $1,200 |
| Commercial office/retail per system | $800 – $2,500 |
| Video inspection only (credited toward cleaning if booked) | $150 – $250 |
| Dryer vent cleaning (add-on or standalone) | $125 – $225 |
What moves the price: square footage, number of registers, accessibility (crawl spaces and low attics take longer), condition of existing ductwork, and whether we find disconnected runs or original flues that need sealing. We give one flat price per system, written down before any work starts. No per-vent pricing, no add-ons at the door. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Salem
Our crews cover Salem and the surrounding communities: Marblehead to the southeast, Swampscott along the coast, Peabody to the west, and Beverly to the north. Each job gets the same written price guarantee, background-checked uniformed technicians, and 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Serving Salem, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Salem 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 Salem
Because your ducts are probably leaking more than they’re dirty. In Salem’s pre-1900 homes, original ductwork was often added as an afterthought, with joints that were never sealed properly and runs that have separated over decades. We show you the leaks on camera, then give you a written price to seal them with mastic and mechanical fasteners. The sealing is what actually fixes the hot and cold spots and the dust that keeps coming back. Call (361) 326-5060 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
Yes. Salem’s coastal location means salt-laden air penetrates unconditioned attics and crawl spaces, accelerating rust on metal trunk lines, registers, and blower motor housings. We find corrosion through near the harbor and condensation-related mold in low crawl spaces throughout the Point and South Salem. Cleaning without addressing the corrosion and sealing the leaks just resets the clock for next season’s rust and spore problems.
Decades of accumulated dust, construction debris from multiple renovations, and frequently wildlife remnants. Because so many Salem homes originally had no central HVAC, their first systems were routed through existing chimney chases and wall cavities that squirrels and birds had long since claimed. We’ve pulled desiccated squirrel nests, bird nests packed with twigs, and in one case a 1960s newspaper wad from a chase that had been sealed off for fifty years. Camera inspection finds this before we start brushing.
Yes. We clean commercial systems in downtown Salem’s renovated merchant buildings, retail spaces on Essex Street, and restaurants on Pickering Wharf. Commercial jobs use Nikro negative-air containment to protect occupied spaces, and we schedule after hours or in sections to minimize business disruption. Typical commercial pricing runs $800 – $2,500 depending on system size and accessibility. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule a walk-through and written estimate.
Probably. The dense 19th-century tenements on the Point and South Salem were retrofitted with central air decades after construction, often with undersized returns and branch runs that were crushed during subsequent renovations. “Frozen-up” registers usually mean no airflow because the duct is blocked, disconnected, or was never properly connected in the first place. We camera-inspect to find the break, then reconnect or reroute as needed. The fix is priced in writing before we start.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Salem and the North Shore since 2004.