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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AfterHow Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost in Austin?
Air duct cleaning in Austin typically runs $350 to $700 for a standard single-system home, with most homeowners landing near $450 to $550. Larger homes with two or more HVAC systems usually fall in the $700 to $1,200 range. Add-ons like dryer vent cleaning or duct sealing push the total higher, and we write the exact price down before anyone touches your system. For context on pricing in nearby markets, see our guide on How Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost in Baltimore, MD? (2026 Price Guide).
Those numbers cover a full negative-air cleaning with a rotary brush system, not a quick vacuum at the vents. If you’ve been quoted $99, that price will move once the technician is inside your house. Ours won’t.
Air Duct Cleaning Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s what Austin homeowners actually pay, line by line. These are real ranges for the Austin market this year, not national averages that ignore what it costs to run a crew here.
| Service | Typical Range | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Single-system home (up to 2,000 sq ft) | $350 – $550 | Full negative-air cleaning, all supply and return runs, registers and grilles |
| Two-system home (2,000 – 3,000 sq ft) | $550 – $850 | Both air handlers, all trunk lines and branches, main returns |
| Large or multi-system home (3,000+ sq ft) | $850 – $1,200+ | Three or more systems, extended runs, multiple return trunks |
| AC coil and blower cleaning | $150 – $300 | Cleaning the evaporator coil and blower wheel at the air handler |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $125 – $225 | Full-length dryer vent clearing, exterior termination check |
| Duct sealing (mastic) | $400 – $900 | Sealing accessible joints and seams with mastic to stop leakage |
| Sanitizing / fogging treatment | $100 – $250 | Antimicrobial fogging after cleaning, optional |
| Return vent cleaning (each) | $25 – $50 | Individual return grille and boot cleaning beyond the standard count |
What drives your number up or down comes down to a few things: how many systems your house runs, how many return trunks feed them, how accessible the ductwork is in the attic, and how much buildup the last several years left behind. A 1,400-square-foot bungalow in Travis Heights with one system and easy attic access is a different job than a 3,600-square-foot house in Steiner Ranch with two systems, long runs, and a finished-out attic that makes the technicians work for every foot of duct.
We don’t price by the hour. We price the job. That’s why the number is written down before we start and it stays the number when we leave.
What Affects Air Duct Cleaning Pricing in Austin
Austin has its own set of conditions that shape what a duct cleaning costs. Here are the factors that matter most.
- Number of HVAC systems. Most newer Austin homes in areas like Mueller or Easton Park run one system, but two-story homes built in the 2000s through today often carry two. Each system adds its own air handler, trunk lines, and labor. That single factor usually moves the price by $200 or more.
- Attic accessibility and heat. Almost every Austin home has its ductwork in the attic, where summer temperatures push past 130 degrees. Crews work shorter stretches up there, and homes with tight truss layouts, low clearance, or a fully decked attic take longer. A home in Circle C with open attic space is a faster job than a 1970s ranch in Windsor Park with a low, crowded attic.
- Duct material and condition. Older Austin homes often have flex duct that sags, tears, or has pulled loose at the collar. If a run has collapsed or disconnected, we flag it, and you decide whether to repair or replace. Those finds don’t get billed silently – you see them before anything changes.
- Level of buildup. Post-construction dust, pet hair, and years of Central Texas pollen collect in return trunks fast. A system that’s never been cleaned since the house was built in 2012 takes more passes with the rotary brush and negative-air machine than one cleaned five years ago.
- Number of returns and registers. Some homes have four returns; others have nine. Every register and return boot gets cleaned individually, and that count is part of your written price.
- Add-on services. Dryer vent cleaning, coil cleaning, and duct sealing are priced separately from the base cleaning. If you want the full package – clean ducts, sealed seams, clear dryer vent – the total usually lands between $700 and $1,300 depending on system count.
Equipment matters too, in a way you can hear. Big box stores sell consumer vacuums marketed as duct cleaners. Real crews run a Rotobrush rotary brush system to scrub the interior walls of the duct, paired with a Nikro negative-air machine that pulls the loosened debris out of the system and into a HEPA-filtered collection unit. When that’s done right, nothing gets redistributed into your living room. When it’s skipped, dust just moves around. If you’re comparing bids, ask which equipment shows up, and call Hollis at (361) 326-5060 if you want to know exactly what we bring. Our crew roster and our equipment are both things we’re glad to walk through.
We also return to the source when it’s the right move. If your filtration system needs a better filter or a media cabinet, we install Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman filtration products. Those aren’t upgrades we push – they’re options we price clearly and let you choose.
How to Save on Air Duct Cleaning
Nobody in Austin is shopping for the cheapest bid. You’re shopping for the bid you can trust. But there are real ways to bring the number down without sacrificing the work.
- Bundle dryer vent cleaning with the duct cleaning. When the crew is already on site with the machines set up, adding the dryer vent is cheaper than booking it as a standalone visit. Same trip, same setup, one price.
- Clean both systems at once if you have two. Two systems booked together cost less than two separate appointments. The travel, setup, and teardown are shared.
- Get the returns cleaned, not just the supplies. Some companies charge separately for return cleaning, then quote you a low base. Ask what’s included in the written price so you aren’t comparing a full job against a partial one.
- Schedule in the shoulder seasons. Spring and fall are slower for HVAC-adjacent work in Austin. That’s when scheduling is easiest and when it’s simplest to fit you into a window that works.
- Keep your filters changed. A MERV 8 to MERV 11 filter changed every 60 to 90 days keeps the duct system cleaner between professional cleanings. Filters are cheap; duct cleaning is not. Homes we clean that have kept up on filters need less time in the attic, and the price reflects it.
- Ask about the written price up front. This is the one that saves the most. A company that prices in writing before work starts can’t surprise you at the door. That’s a Hollis rule, but it’s also simply how a fair bid should work. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate and you’ll get a written number, not a range that shifts.
One thing we won’t do is quote a number we can’t hold. If a competitor offers a $99 whole-house special, the math doesn’t work – the crew that shows up will find “additional services needed” once they’re inside. We’d rather quote you $450 and mean it than quote $99 and bill $600. The written price is the whole point. It’s part of the Hollis standard that every location under the Garrison Partners family runs on, and it’s not a marketing line. It’s the way the job is run from the first phone call to the final walkthrough.
FAQs – Air Duct Cleaning Cost
How much does air duct cleaning cost in Austin?
Air Duct Cleaning services in Austin cost $350 to $700 for most single-system homes, with larger multi-system houses running $700 to $1,200 or more. The price depends on system count, attic accessibility, and whether you add services like dryer vent cleaning or duct sealing. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll give you a written estimate for your specific home – free, no obligation.
Is air duct cleaning worth the money in Austin?
For most Austin homeowners, yes – especially if your home was built after 2005, when construction dust and debris from the build tend to still be sitting in the returns. If you’ve got pets, allergy sufferers in the house, or it’s been more than five years since the last cleaning, the return on a clean system shows up in the air you breathe and how hard your AC runs in July. If a company tells you your ducts need cleaning every year, that’s not right for most homes. Every two to five years is a more honest interval for Austin. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s time.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace dirty ducts?
Repair or clean is almost always cheaper than replacement. Cleaning a full system runs $350 to $1,200 depending on size; replacing flex duct runs can run several thousand dollars and is only necessary when duct has collapsed, been cut by rodents, or is disconnecting at the collars. We tell homeowners which one it is before we do either, in writing. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free assessment – if cleaning will fix it, we’ll say so.
Why do some Austin duct cleaning quotes come in at $99?
Because that $99 covers a surface pass at the visible vents, not a full negative-air cleaning of the duct system. Once the crew is inside, the price grows – “you need the returns done,” “you need the coil cleaned,” “there’s a second system.” A real whole-house cleaning in Austin starts around $350. If a bid seems too good, ask what’s included in writing before you book. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll give you a full-scope price up front that doesn’t change at the door.
Can you clean my ducts and dryer vent in the same visit?
Yes, and it’s the most efficient way to book it. Dryer vent cleaning alone runs $125 to $225, but bundled with a duct cleaning the total is usually lower than booking the two separately because the crew and machines are already set up. One trip, one written price, both jobs done. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule both together.
What the 365-Day Done Right Promise Covers
Every Hollis job – cleaning, dryer vent, or duct sealing – carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work fails within a full year, we come back and make it right at no charge. That includes a free second visit if a repair doesn’t hold. It’s included, not negotiated. That’s the whole reason the promise is written down: it removes the guesswork for the homeowner who’s already been burned by a crew that disappeared after the check cleared.
The technicians who show up at your door are background-checked and uniformed, and our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ll know who’s coming and when they’ll arrive. The price is set before the first vent comes off the wall. The site is left clean. Those aren’t adjectives – they’re the operational standard, and it’s the same standard whether you’re in Hyde Park or Hutto.
Every Hollis Air Duct Cleaning location is independently owned and operated under The Garrison Standard, which means pricing in writing, arriving inside the quoted window, doing the job by the book, and leaving your home the way we found it. If you’ve dealt with HVAC companies that treated the price as a starting offer, that’s the difference. Our written number is the final number.
How to Get a Free Estimate in Austin
Give us a call at (361) 326-5060 or request a free estimate and we’ll walk your system, count the returns, check the dryer vent while we’re there, and hand you a written price before you commit to anything. We’ve been serving Texas homes since 2004, part of the Garrison Partners family, and we answer the phone live, day or night. No voicemail loops. No callback queues. No waiting until Monday.
If you’re comparing bids and one of them looks suspiciously low, ask what’s included in writing. That question usually settles which quote is real. Call us at (361) 326-5060 and we’ll gladly tell you what a fair Austin price for your home actually is – even if you don’t book with us.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Austin since 2004.
Pricing reflects the Austin market as of 2026. Hollis Air Duct Cleaning offers free estimates – call (361) 326-5060.
What Our Customers Say
"Dryer vent was packed with lint and took two hours to dry a load. Cleaned it out from the roof cap down. One cycle again."
- Paula Q."No sales pitch. Told me which parts of the system were fine and only cleaned what needed it."
- Ted L."They checked each section with a camera and showed me the dust before and after. Thorough and honest."
- Nicole H.