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.
Fast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across San Jose
Air duct cleaning in San Jose typically runs $350 – $750 for a full residential system and $500 – $1,200 for commercial jobs, with most homeowners booking after wildfire season or when they notice persistent odors from their vents. We’re the Air Duct Cleaning crew that serves San Jose from our Bay Area dispatch office, and we know the local housing stock inside out, from the Eichler tract homes in West San Jose to the high-rise shared HVAC systems downtown and in North San Jose. If your ducts smell like smoke months after the last fire, or your condo’s dryer vent runs through a shared stack, call (361) 326-5060. We price every job in writing before we start, and we back it with our 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is San Jose’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, and our San Jose crews operate under The Garrison Standard: arrive inside the window, price in writing, complete the job by the book, leave the site clean. That standard matters here because San Jose homes present problems most duct cleaners don’t encounter. Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and trained on the equipment that handles this market’s specific challenges, Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines with HEPA filtration.
Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail loops. No callback queues. When you schedule Air Duct Cleaning in San Jose, you get a written arrival window and a written price before any work begins. If the repair or cleaning fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s on every job.
Air Duct Inspection in San Jose
Air Duct Inspection in San Jose starts with a video camera run through your supply and return lines, followed by static pressure testing and a written report with photos you can see on the technician’s tablet. Most San Jose homeowners book an inspection after wildfire season, during a home sale in Willow Glen or Alum Rock, or when they notice uneven airflow or odors that don’t clear with a new filter. A standard residential inspection here runs $150 – $250; commercial inspections for downtown high-rises or multi-unit buildings start at $300 and scale with system complexity.
What We Look For in Older Ductwork
San Jose’s post-WWII housing stock, especially the Eichler-style tract homes in West San Jose, often has original galvanized steel or early flex duct that’s cracked, disconnected, or harboring pest intrusion. Our camera finds the gaps that blow conditioned air into your crawl space or attic. We mark every problem with a timestamped photo and explain whether cleaning, Duct Sealing in San Jose, or replacement is the right call.
Shared System Inspections
In downtown and North San Jose high-rises, we inspect the shared risers and corridor returns that connect to your unit. Cleaning only your in-unit ducts without checking these common pathways leaves cross-contamination in place. We coordinate with building management when needed and document what we can access versus what requires a separate scope.
Residential Air Duct Cleaning in San Jose
Residential Air Duct Cleaning in San Jose covers your complete supply and return system, from the air handler to every register, using negative-air extraction with HEPA filtration and rotary brush agitation. Most single-family jobs take 3 – 5 hours and run $350 – $750 depending on system size, accessibility, and contamination level. We clean San Jose homes year-round, but demand spikes after major wildfire events when residents in Evergreen, Alum Rock, and the eastern foothills discover sticky, resinous ash coating their duct walls that standard vacuuming won’t remove.
Wildfire Ash and Smoke Odor Removal
After the SCU Lightning Complex, we handled dozens of calls from San Jose homeowners whose houses smelled like campfires every time the heat cycled on. In Willow Glen, a homeowner called us because the odor persisted four months after the fires. Our tech found the original 1950s galvanized supply and return ducts coated with sticky resinous ash that a standard vacuum wouldn’t lift. We set up negative pressure with HEPA filtration at the air handler, used agitation tools and manual brushing on the trunk lines, then chemically treated the residue and replaced the crumbling flex run to the back bedroom. The smoke odor was gone on the next cycle.
Eichler and Post-War Tract Home Systems
The flat-roofed Eichler homes in West San Jose and nearby Santa Clara County pockets have low-profile attics and original duct runs that are hard to access and easy to damage. Our crews use smaller-diameter rotary brushes and portable negative-air units that fit these tight spaces without crushing fragile old flex duct. We photograph before and after conditions so you see what came out.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Jose
Our San Jose crews run professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush, Nikro, and Abatement Technologies, the same tools commercial crews use in hospitals and schools, not hardware-store gear. We stock filtration products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman for replacement on the spot when your media filter or UV component has reached end of life, and we provide Lennox service in San Jose as well. That means no waiting for parts, no return trips, and no extra trip charges. If your system needs a specific component, we check our Bay Area inventory before we dispatch so the technician arrives with it on the van.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in San Jose Homes
- Sticky wildfire ash in eastern foothill ducts. In Evergreen and Alum Rock, we regularly find a resinous ash layer from Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range smoke events that bonds to galvanized steel and flex duct alike. Standard HEPA vacuuming won’t touch it. Manual brushing with chemical treatment is required for source removal.
- Shared HVAC risers in downtown and North San Jose high-rises. Cleaning only one unit’s supply and return without addressing the common corridor return or vertical riser leaves neighbor smoke, cooking odors, and construction dust circulating back into your space. We inspect these pathways and coordinate with building engineers when access is needed.
- Dryer vent stacks in condos and apartments. Many San Jose multi-family buildings run dryer vents through a shared vertical stack behind the wall. Cleaning only the in-unit flex line leaves lint buildup and fire risk in the common shaft. We clean the full run when building access allows, or document the limitation in writing when it doesn’t.
- Original galvanized duct with pest intrusion in post-WWII homes. The 1950s-60s housing stock in neighborhoods like Willow Glen often has unsealed joints and deteriorating flex connections that admit rodents and insects. Our camera inspection finds the entry points, and we seal with mastic or recommend replacement when the metal is too far gone.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in San Jose, CA
Honest pricing means no per-vent teaser rates that balloon once the technician is inside. We quote one flat price per system, agreed in writing before work starts.
| Service | Typical Range in San Jose |
|---|---|
| Residential full system cleaning (single-family) | $350 – $750 |
| Residential with wildfire ash remediation | $550 – $950 |
| Condo/apartment duct cleaning (limited access) | $250 – $500 |
| Commercial/multi-unit building | $500 – $1,200+ |
| Air duct inspection with video | $150 – $250 |
| Dryer vent cleaning (single-family) | $120 – $200 |
| Dryer vent stack cleaning (condo, full run) | $200 – $350 |
What moves the price: system size, number of returns, accessibility (crawl space vs. attic vs. high-rise), contamination type (routine dust vs. wildfire ash), and whether duct sealing or repairs are needed. We do not charge per vent. The price we write down is the price you pay. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate. Our technician comes to your San Jose home, assesses your system, and gives you a written quote with no obligation.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Jose
Our crews cover the full South Bay, including San Jose and neighboring Milpitas, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Campbell. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Bay Area office, with local technicians assigned to minimize drive time and keep arrival windows tight.
Serving San Jose, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Jose 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 San Jose
The smoke particles from Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range wildfires form a sticky, resinous ash that bonds to duct walls and survives ordinary vacuuming. Your registers are just the exit point; the reservoir is inside the trunk lines and flex runs. We remove it with negative-air HEPA extraction, manual brushing, and chemical treatment of the residue. Call (361) 326-5060 for an inspection and exact quote.
Original galvanized duct can often be cleaned if the metal is intact and joints are sealed. We camera-inspect first to check for rust-through, disconnection, or pest damage. If the duct is structurally sound, we clean and seal with mastic. If it’s crumbling or heavily corroded, we show you the photos and quote replacement for the affected sections. The inspection is $150 – $250 and answers the question definitively.
We clean your in-unit supply and return ducts with portable negative-air equipment, then inspect the shared riser and corridor return with a camera to check for cross-contamination. If the common pathways are contaminated, we document it in writing for your building management and can quote a separate scope with proper access coordination. We do not guess; we show you what we found.
Many San Jose condos, especially in newer multi-family buildings, run dryer vents through a shared vertical stack behind the wall. Cleaning only the in-unit flex line leaves lint buildup and fire risk in the common shaft. We attempt to access and clean the full run when building access allows. If we can’t, we document the limitation in your written report so you have a record for your HOA or building management.
A new filter only traps particles moving through the return grille; it does nothing for buildup already coating your duct walls. Signs you need cleaning, not just a filter: persistent odors after wildfire season, visible dust blasting from registers when the system cycles, uneven room temperatures, or a camera inspection showing debris more than 1/8 inch thick. We offer video inspection for $150 – $250 so you see inside before deciding. Call (361) 326-5060 to book.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving San Jose and the South Bay.




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